For All Things Eternal

Chapter 15

The next morning as I descended the stairs with a book firmly tucked under my arm, the scent of cooking meat reached my nose and I almost moaned at the decadent smell. As a Dhampir, it isn't required to eat actual food, but the smell had me following it all the way through the foyer into the round room on the bottom floor that I now knew was a dining room. A door on the far wall was cracked slightly and I moved to it, opening it further to see Zephyr, in a similar shirt and sweatpants to the ones I currently wore, standing over a large gas stove. An island sat between us with a few stools placed neatly beside it. His kitchen was just as large and ornate as the rest of his house and it had a small grin tugging at my lips. He also liked to cook.

"Is that... bacon?" I asked quietly, leaning on the doorframe as I watched him shift slightly at the sound of my voice. He glanced over his shoulder for a second before returning to the sizzling pan on the stove. I took that as a yes and waltzed into the kitchen, pulled out one of the stools, then sat at the large island a few feet away. My eyes followed Zephyr curiously while I placed the book in front of me and he quickly turned enough to watch the pan and slightly face me, not looking as he held out a single piece of bacon with a pair of tongs. I reached out to grab it and he snatched it back slightly, giving me a look that I understood was something along the lines of careful it's hot. I rolled my eyes, giving him a glare that screamed I wasn't a dumb kid before quickly snatching the small strip of meat. It was hot, really hot, and I immediately blew on it, trying to cool it off. I could swear I saw him grin before he turned back around. Scrunching my nose at his back in a rather childlike manner, I took a small bite and closed my eyes for a second as the flavor touched my tongue.

I didn't remember the last time I ate actual food, or even what it might have been, but I did know that every single one of my senses were improved and this was probably the best thing I've ever put in my mouth. I opened my eyes and couldn't fight the genuine smile that crept across my face as I quickly ate the rest of it. I could feel Zephyr's gaze on me and I glanced up to see his head tilted slightly. He kind of reminded me of a dog when he gave me that look and I tried, and failed, to wipe the smile off my face. "I..." I stammered, "Haven't had real food in a while." He grinned, holding up a finger as he walked away to disappear into what I assumed was a pantry. When he reemerged, he threw something small in my direction and I barely had time to catch it before he crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, waiting with an amused smirk.

I looked down to see a small paper-wrapped square in my hand as a sweet creamy scent hit my nose and I immediately knew what it was. A beaming smile crossed my face as I unwrapped it to see a small piece of chocolate and whipped my wide gaze back to Zephyr. "How did you get this? I haven't had actual chocolate since I went to Highsummer when I was younger." His smirk grew and he only shrugged, clearly trying to fight a smile from reaching his own dark lips. I decided I didn't actually need an answer before popping the whole thing into my mouth and trying hard not to groan at the sweet taste. "You better hide those or you might have me knocking on your door every night." I chuckled and he rolled his eyes, moving to shut off the stove and placing the pan to the side.

He placed the bacon remaining on a plate that already had a few cooked eggs on it and picked it up, meeting my gaze as he pointed back at the door to the dining room. I sighed and followed behind him as he took a seat at the small table under a large floor to ceiling window, motioning for me to sit. The journal was already sitting on the table and he opened it, writing something down as he ate a piece of bacon with his free hand. After a few seconds he passed it over to me and I glanced down at it, my face falling slightly.

Ready to get started?

No. I wasn't, but the faster I got this over with the faster we can find out who killed Corym. So I pulled the journal a little closer and held out my hand, demanding the quill. He raised his brows and slowly handed it over to me, something like confusion crossing his face mixed with surprise. "I'm sure you of all people understand it's easier not to talk about it." I said quietly, taking the quill and staring down at the page, unable to meet his gaze and not wanting to see his response.