I almost objected when he removed his hand, but a few seconds later he took my hand and placed it in the pocket of his jacket. My right hand quickly sought out his other pocket, and I sighed audibly when warmth enveloped both hands.

“Better?”

“Much better.”

We rode in silence for a few minutes before I asked, “Where are we going anyway?”

“Santa Cruz. What kind of food are you in the mood for?”

“I love Italian, but I’m not picky if you want something else.”

Ten minutes later, Nikolas pulled into the parking lot of a small Italian restaurant. Judging by the number of cars in the lot, the place was popular, and I wasn’t sure we were going to get a table. I shook my head when he smiled at the hostess, who immediately led us to a table by one of the windows. A candle in the center cast an intimate glow over the white tablecloth, making me remember this was an actual date. I fiddled with my napkin as a waiter appeared to fill our water glasses and lay a basket of rolls between us.

Why am I so nervous? It’s just Nikolas. What do I say? What if we have nothing to say to each other?

We looked over the menu and gave the waiter our orders. Then he left us alone. I cast about for something to say. “This seems like a nice place.”

He smiled and reached for a roll. “It is. I’ve been here before.”

“Oh.” I felt a pang of jealousy as I imagined him here with some other woman, a beautiful one like Celine. Don’t even go there. I knew Nikolas had been with women before me; I wasn’t that naïve. I was not going to be one of those ridiculous girls who dwelled on things that happened before the man even knew she existed.

“I came here with Chris last week.” He pulled his roll apart. “You should grab one of these before I eat them all.”

Laughing, I took one of the savory rolls and spread some butter on it. I took a bite, and it practically melted on my tongue. “Mmm, this is amazing.”

I looked up and found Nikolas watching me with an expression that made it hard to swallow the food in my mouth.

He picked up his water glass, breaking the spell between us. “I talked to Tristan today. He said Sahir is hoping to use Hugo and Woolf to patrol the grounds.”

“I heard that too. They’ve been great with him ever since the night of the attack. I’m glad they don’t have to be caged all the time now.” I smiled at the thought of the two huge hellhounds running free through the miles of woods around Westhorne.

“You miss them, don’t you?”

“Yes, but I know Sahir is taking good care of them. He doesn’t have a lot to do without Minuet and Alex there.”

Nikolas smiled. “The wyvern didn’t go as far as you think. They’ve spotted him twice in the mountains near Westhorne. Sahir thinks he’s found a cave to live in, and there is plenty of game for him to hunt. They’ve been too busy with everything else that’s been going on to try to catch him. So far he’s kept out of sight of the humans, and Tristan said he’s going to leave him alone for now, unless he poses a threat to people.”

I imagined some poor hunter out in the woods, looking up and seeing what looked like a small dragon flying overhead. They’d probably spend the next five years in therapy and never hunt again.

“The night of the attack he could have hurt a lot of people, but he only went after the crocotta and vampires. I hope that means he’s no longer a danger to humans.”

“We’ll see,” Nikolas said as the waiter arrived with our food.

I’m pretty sure my linguine was delicious, but it was hard to think of food with Nikolas sitting across from me. His eyes smoldered in the candle light, and I kept catching myself staring at his mouth. For his part, he seemed completely unaware of his effect on my appetite as he dug into his huge plate of lasagna.

Trying to focus on something besides him, I looked around the dining room. It reminded me of a little family restaurant Nate and I used to eat at sometimes. That life and Maine seemed so far away now, and I wondered, if I went back to New Hastings, would it still feel like home? Some things, I knew, would never be the same.

“Heavy thoughts?”

“Sorry.” I realized I had been quiet for several minutes. “I was just thinking about New Hastings. It seems like forever since I was there.”

“Do you still miss it?”

“Yes, but not as much as I used to. I miss Remy more than anything, but even if I was there, I couldn’t see him.” Remy’s elders had forbidden him from seeing me after what happened to his little cousins. It still hurt that I hadn’t gotten to say goodbye to him. I knew he would always be my friend even if we couldn’t see each other.

“We can go back again when it’s safe. And trolls live a very long time. I’m sure you’ll see him again.”

The way he said “we” made me warm inside and out. No matter what happened in my life, I knew he would be there, and that filled me with an emotion I couldn’t put into words.

“Other than Maine, where would you like to go?”

“Everywhere,” I said without hesitation.

He raised an eyebrow at me.

“Okay not everywhere, but there are so many places I’d like to see. Europe, South America, Africa. Sahir told me so much about Africa that I won’t be happy until I see one of those sunsets he described.”

“I think you’ll like Africa. It has more wild animals than even you can tame.” He wiped his mouth with his napkin. “And I think we can find you plenty of pretty sunsets.”