Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

Vena stopped rambling about her books and looked at Cross expectantly.

“I vow no bonds will be created because of the treats we offer,” Cross said. “Links only occur when consuming blood from its source. Infused confectionery won’t cause any problems.

“Which is one reason I wish to offer them. Juicy was a known feeding den—a place to secure a meal without having a bonded feeder. While I believe my kind went about it in the wrong way, the concept itself wasn’t wrong. I would like to show my kind they were close to finding a way to coexist with other species.”

I nodded, agreeing with him until I had another thought. Each time I’d cut myself before while baking had been accidental. The idea of purposely cutting myself made me cringe.

“I like the concept of having something appealing for every race, but I’m not okay with bleeding into all my creations on purpose.”

“Not your blood, Everly,” Cross said. “I would prefer any treats that taste like you would be mine alone. I will find a volunteer donor to provide what you’ll need.”

“Okay. Just one more question.”

“You can ask as many as you’d like.”

Vena snorted, and we both ignored her.

“How much blood should I use in these recipes?”

“Drops at most. Nothing that will change how you bake.”

Relieved, I focused on Cross’ explanation of the bakery’s kitchen, the necessary appliances, how large the freezer and refrigeration spaces would be, the dimensions of the storage room… and other things I’d never considered before.

“I’ll need to do some research and figure out what baked goods I want to offer.”

“You have time. If you approve of the second and third floors, I’ll focus the work there first.”

“There’s a third floor?” Vena asked, flipping the papers back.

We both looked at the rooftop design, which included a heated space with windows leading to a deck area with cushioned seating and a gas fireplace.

“This place is epic,” Vena said.

After seeing that, I knew she would push hard to move in, so I flipped back to the second floor for another look. Living above the bakery would save a lot of time, but it would also come with a list of problems Vena wasn’t considering.

“Do you want to add anything to the private kitchen?” Cross asked, watching me.

“No, it looks good,” I said.

“Bigger than ours at home,” Vena said, nudging me as if I didn’t have eyes or a brain to notice the same thing.

“It is,” I said. “The whole place looks amazing, Cross. And I can't think of anything to change or add.”

I stood. “We really should get back so we can get ready for work. Should Vena send you a list of book suggestions, or do you want her to bargain hunt for you? I recommend giving her a budget and telling her to fill the shelves within that budget—and make it low. She loves a challenge.”

“Hey,” Vena said with a scowl. She didn’t contradict me, though. Baking was in my blood, and bargaining was in hers. However, she loved money and would have bargained for the books and kept the change if there was any wiggle room.

Cross stood as well. “Send me a list, and I will set the budget and transfer the funds.”

She perked up a little and followed us down the stairs without complaint.

“What kind of access and safety are you going to have once this is all finished?” she asked. “I mean, you’re doing something that some people aren’t going to like. At least, not at first.”

“Very true. I’ll ensure it’s the safest place for you both. Day or night.”

Vena nodded with a side glance at me. Was she already up to something that would lead us into trouble? I really hoped not.

After saying goodbye, we drove back to the house. Neither of us talked much; we were both lost in our thoughts.

As soon as we were home, I went to my notebook and started flipping through the recipes I’d perfected. Most of them catered to humans, which meant werewolves would like them. But what about the other races?

I texted Miles.

Me: Are you up for some idle research?

Miles: Sure. What do you need?

Me: A list of favorite foods by creature.

Miles: On it. When do you need it by?

Me: Tomorrow?

Miles: You need to work on your definition of idle.

Me: I ate that dick cake. You owe me.

Miles: Tomorrow it is.

I shuddered as I remembered the rolled sheep’s scrotum he’d hidden in an innocent piece of cake. Why would anyone use scrotum leather to make a map? And why had he picked cake to hide it in? For safe keeping, obviously, but I still found it unreasonable.

Both he and Vena owed me for the trauma I endured at the beginning of this summer. Although, to be fair, Miles’ suffering had been worse with his kidnapping and vampire thrall. But still…dick cake!

“Why do you look like you’re going to heave your cookies all over the floor?” Vena asked.

“I asked Miles to send me a list of favorite foods by creature. For a fast turnaround time, I reminded him I ate dick cake.”

She snorted a laugh. “I remember the horror on your face when you told me.”

When I narrowed my eyes at her, her laughter died. “It was a horrible thing my brother did.” She added, “He’s a monster.”

I rolled my eyes at her.

“I’m surprised he agreed to a fast turnaround, though,” Vena said. “He talked Mom and Dad into taking him with them to Dwarf Mountain for their negotiations. I bet he has a list of questions he plans on asking.”

“Is that today? Should I tell him I can wait? It’s not like I need this information right now.”

She shrugged. “It will keep him busy if he finds downtime. And he’ll be in the perfect place to learn more about dwarven foods.”

Nodding, I refocused on my notebook. I had a decent start, but I’d need to refine my list once I got the information from Miles.

“We’re going to be late if you fall down that rabbit hole,” Vena said, moving toward her room.

Knowing she was right, I closed my notebook and went to my room.

“Once Cross opens his place,” Vena said from her room, “we’ll be able to quit Blur. We might even be able to quit sooner. It’ll take a lot of work to get the books shelved and the kitchen stocked and ready.”

“Did you not listen to a thing I said to Cross?” I asked.

She hopped from her room, one leg in her slim black pants and the other out. “I heard you make excuses, Ev. But this is our chance to do something we’ve planned on doing since we decided on our college degrees. Cross just handed us our dream. Even Shepard would understand why you would choose Cross’ plan over Blur.”

She pulled up her pants and slung an arm around my shoulders. “Life is about taking chances when they become available. This is our chance.”

“I never said I wasn’t in, Vena. I’m just not going to quit Blur. Not yet. Do you really want to leave Anchor defenseless against all those women and men who look like they want to eat him?”

“You found my weak spot,” she said with a frown that turned into a smirk. “Which is why I’m going to claim him as my own. Is there a wolf mating ritual that I need to do? Like, do I howl while riding him outside under a full moon? I heard something about biting. Do I bite him, or does he bite me? And I’m very curious about this knotting thing they discussed on The Other House .”

“Get dressed and drop your hormones down ten notches before Tank needs therapy. All I’m saying about the business plan is that we should take it one day at a time and see what happens. We don’t even know if the other races will allow a vampire to run a business. Until we know, we have to work to pay bills.”

It was safer to stay the course we’d already set. At least for now. However, Vena hated delayed gratification. It was torture for her. So, I wasn’t surprised that she wanted to jump into Cross’ business idea with both feet.

I steered her to her bedroom with a stern order to finish getting ready and went to do the same. After changing into a white button-down shirt, black tie, and black pencil skirt, I pulled my blonde hair into a ponytail and twisted it around my finger to adjust its natural wavy curl.

On our way to Blur, Vena attempted to launch into another long list of pros for Cross’ bakery and bookshop endeavor, but I sidetracked her.

“How do your parents feel about the upcoming meeting? Do they think the dwarves will buy the map they found during their last dig?”

“Mom seemed pretty optimistic. Having dinner with the royal family is a good sign.”

“You don’t think so?”

She shrugged and looked out her window.

“What’s going on in that deviant brain of yours?” I asked.

“Nothing.”

“You sit on a throne of lies. The Vena that I know should have been begging to go along too. I mean, gloomy spaces filled with treasure are your thing.”

“They are. But Mom and Dad could only bring one guest, and I think Miles earned it, don’t you? Besides, I promised Shepard I wouldn’t leave him high and dry, especially when Sierra isn’t quite back up to working yet.”

“Wow. That’s very responsible of you, Vena.”

She flashed me a smug smile.

“An extremely responsible person would also know it’s smarter not to quit a stable job with a steady income to chase a job with no guarantees,” I added.

Her humor turned into suspicion. “Are you talking about hunting or the amazing opportunity Cross laid at our feet earlier?”

“Cross’ offer, actually.”

“Why are you so against it?”

“I’m not. I’m being careful. At Blur, I know what I can financially count on from my wages and tips. With the new place, who knows how long it’ll be before it takes off? We’re splitting profits, Vena. How much capital do you think Cross needs to invest? How long before that investment is paid back and we’re profiting? It could be months, if not more than a year. That’s why there are business loans, right?”

“I don’t like ‘smart and safe’ Everly. I like ‘wild and fun and goes to clubs’ Everly,” Vena muttered.

“Pfft. You love all my sides, just like I love all of yours. And speaking of sides, have you noticed that Anchor and Cross are never in our house at the same time? They always wait for the other to leave. You know that means it won’t be possible for us to live with Cross to save money on rent so you can quit Blur sooner.”

She shot me a dark look. “Did you pick up a mind-reading charm?”

“You know there’s no such thing. I just know how your crazy works.”

I pulled into the employee parking lot and waved at Boulder, who was watching the back door.

“Besides, I know you’ve grown to love slinging cocktails here. Not as much as hunting, obviously, but I think you’d miss working here if you walked away.”

She rolled her eyes before getting out. It was her way of admitting I was right without saying it. Grinning, I followed her to the door.

“Are you thinking of quitting, Vena?” Boulder asked with a hint of worry in his gaze.

“Yeah, Vena. Are you?” I asked mischievously.

“You’re both terrible people,” she said, grabbing the door and opening it.

I grinned at Boulder to let him know everything was fine and hurried after her.

“Can you imagine what your days would look like? No Anchor eye candy for eight hours, followed by snuggle time.”

She scoffed. “What snuggle time? He hasn’t spent the night in over a week.”

“Oh-oh, someone needs a hug,” I said with a grin.

“No, someone needs an orgasm from something that doesn’t vibrate.”

I cringed and held up my hands.

“You win. I’m shutting up.”

“Too late for that,” Vena said with a glance over my shoulder.

I followed her gaze and saw Anchor standing there. His expression was hard to read. Even though he was a six foot three tower of chiseled muscle and a bouncer for the VIP section, when Vena was around, he looked nervous or unsure, which was Vena’s catnip. Right now, he looked a little tense and ready to pounce.

“Are you thinking of quitting, Vena?” he asked.

“Yes, I am. Why is that such a problem? I’m a grown woman and able to make my own decisions.”

“Is it because of me?”

She opened her mouth, and I clapped my hand over it.

“Sexually frustrated Vena has nothing nice to say right now. But I promise it’s not because of you. In fact, she was just asking how she could?—”

Her hand was then on my mouth, and I was gently pinned face-first into the locker a second later. I licked her palm.

“Gross, Everly,” she said, pulling it away.

“I thought you liked fun, spontaneous me,” I said, turning to smirk at her.

“I changed my mind. Go back to the boring version of you, who doesn’t say things she shouldn’t, and let me be the crazy one with no filter.”

I saluted her and grabbed my apron. “I’ll see you in the meeting room.”

Gunther glanced at me as I walked through the kitchen, and I gave a friendly wave to let him know everything was fine.

“Sounds like Vena’s upset,” Buzz said when I walked out into the main bar.

“Since I left her or before?” I asked.

“Before. I don’t hear any talking now.”

“She’s not upset, and she won’t quit Blur. She just likes talking about the possibilities, and sometimes I like poking the bear.”

“You knew Anchor would hear,” Buzz said with understanding.

“I did,” I acknowledged. “And just in case he’s too distracted to hear this, let him know she’s close to dragging him down the aisle. I think the treasure hunt he arranged for her last week tipped the scales. She knows it’s hard to find someone willing to support another person’s dreams, especially hers.”

With a wave, I left him and walked upstairs.

Vena and I liked coming in a little earlier than the other waitstaff. It gave us time to ask questions about the ongoing vampire problem without being overheard.

Since she was occupied, I went to Shepard’s office alone. His door was open, and he was waiting for me in front of his desk. His white button-down shirt pulled tight against his muscles, and his dark blonde hair grazed against the stiff collar.

His light grey gaze held mine as he watched me enter.

“I’ll give you the update I know you want if you answer a question for me,” he said. “What are your dreams, Everly? Is opening a bakery everything you want, or is there more?”