85
Lucy
I had no idea what David meant when he said a bit of everything, but after the fourth pizza was brought to our table, I really wished I had just chosen something to try.
“David… isn’t this a bit too much?” I asked.
He grinned. “Wait until the drink comes.”
I frowned and went still before looking down the way toward where the woman was coming back with a giant glass bowl filled with something that seemed to bubble and spew clouds of mist. She set it on the table with a beaming smile before placing a set of metal straws and a set of spoons that look like broomsticks on the table.
“You two enjoy!”
“How… are we supposed to eat all of this?” I asked looking at him.
“One bite at a time.”
I stuck my tongue out at him and he laughed before gabbing one of the serving utensils. “Which one would like to try first? A classic? Something more daring?”
“Classic, I guess.” He served me a giant slice of pizza covered in round red disks before serving himself. The slice took up most of the plate. “there’s no way I’m going to be able to finish more than one slice.”
He grinned and picked up his slice, folding it in half. “Good thing there are boxes, hm?”
I picked up the slice on my plate. It was still hot as I folded it the way David had and took a bit. The tanginess hit me first then the meat and cheese.
“Do you like it?”
I chewed and nodded. “It’s good. What is it?”
“Pepperoni.” He grinned. “You can’t go wrong, but have what you like.”
I chewed through the rest of the slice and eyed the still bubbling drink. He chuckled.
“It’s just dry ice,” he said. “It’s not a real potion or anything like that.”
He picked up his spoon and skimmed a bit off the top before putting it in his mouth and hummed.
“Creamy and a mix of fruit. I’m not sure how they got it to be blue, but it’s good.”
I picked up my straw and took a sip, humming at the sweetness. Somehow, this felt different than when Matt had taken me to eat ice cream. I could actually taste it without my mind wandering from the moment.
“You must like it,” David said. “I don’t think I’ve seen you smile like that before.”
I smiled back at him. “Maybe it’s just… the change of pace.”
He nodded and lifted his next pizza slice in salute. “Cheers to a change of pace, and good company.”
I grinned. “Cheers.”
He paused. “Do you still want to know, or should we change to something less depressing?”
I bit my lip and stared at him. “I’m curious, but I don’t want to pry, especially if it’s painful to talk about.”
Daniel chewed slowly and looked out the window as if he was looking into his memories.
“I would say it’s not painful anymore. He’s… been dead for a while.”
“He?”
“My father.”
I sat back as shock fell on me. “I… I’m so sorry. I didn’t even think about it.”
David shook his head. “Somehow, I think you can understand that even if he did come to get me from the orphanage… or rather had someone else come get me, that didn’t mean I lived a happy life.”
I looked down. “I guess… blood family isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”
I thought back on my dream and all the visions. Allie and the man that had been in my vision had seemed kind, but what did I really know about them?
“You’re getting that overly pensive look on your face,” David said. “Let’s… save talks about family and parents for another day.”
I nodded. “Sounds good… What do you do for fun?”
A brilliant smile took over his face. “There’s such an extensive list…Where do you want to start? The arcade?”
I frowned. “What’s an arcade?”
“Somewhere we can go after pizza if you’re up to it,” he said. “Or… we can meet up this weekend and I can show you and everyone else around?”
I nodded. “This weekend sounds great.”
“Awesome. Do you want another slice?”
I nodded and held my plate out. The olives were terrible, but the rest of the slice was okay. David only chuckled at the way I scrunched up my nose, but he took the rest of the slice and gave me another.
“Olives are terrible,” I eyed the next slice suspiciously. “What’s on this one?”
“Mushrooms, cheese, and a lot of meat. “You’ll probably like that one more.”
I did. There was something sweet on it that I couldn’t name, but it was my favorite so far. I asked David about what else he did when he wasn’t in school, and I was surprised.
“You run your pack? What does that mean?”
“Running several businesses, keeping people in line, and playing nice with the Council rules,” he said. His lips twitched. “Enforcing the rules mostly.”
“How?”
“Well, I don’t start fights often, but when it’s necessary. Mostly, I rely on the officers stationed in my territory and the alphas beneath me to follow my rules. I’m… young, so most consider me inexperienced, so I ended having to do a lot more posturing than I like, but it all works out in the end.”
“That must be very hard.”
David lifted a shoulder. “I can only deal with the life that I’ve been dealt.”
I nodded. “I… know that feel well… do you… I mean are you mated or whatever?”
“No.”
I nodded. “Is it because you’re too young?”
“I just haven’t found the right person.”
I frowned and looked up at him. “Person… Not mate?”
I smiled. “I’m a student of the Hecate Coven, Lucy. While I grew up with my father and the werewolf… culture, I guess you could say, I’ve never been taken in by it.”
He sighed and shook his head. “Some of the traditions have always felt barbaric to me, and painfully idiotic. When I started learning more about what it means to be a werewolf objectively, it was easy to pull away from a lot of the things I had been taught.”
He wrinkled his nose. “I like to think myself better than my instincts, and I try to be about most things. Unfortunately, there are some things you can’t fight.”
“Like what?”
“Like the need to eat meat by the pound,” he said and gestured to the mostly empty table. “Something you seem to understand more than you first thought.”
I looked down. I hadn’t even realized we’d eaten so much so quickly. The giant bowl was empty too.
“There’s no way… I ate that much.”
He snorted. “You ate at least three pizzas by yourself, and I’m almost certain you drank most of the brew.”
My face heated. “I’ve never eaten that much at one time before.”
“It’s normal,” he said. “You’re healing. I bet you’ll be completely healed by morning.”
I swallowed and worried my lip. I pressed a hand to my throat. While it was still a little tender, it didn’t hurt the way it had a few hours ago.
“The virus is… energy-consuming,” he said. “Especially when you’re injured. Sickness is something different.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
The waiter came back. “Teenagers! You must eat your parents out of house and home. Can I get you two anything else? A wheelbarrow, perhaps?”
David snorted. “Not today. Lucy? Do you want anything else? They have dessert.”
I shook my head. “I’m all right.”
He smirked. “A slice of Black Magic to go and the check.”
She cooed. “You must be a regular. I’ll be right back.”
When she came back with a to-go bag, David took the check and paid for it before I could say anything. To be fair, I didn’t have any money anyway, but it felt like a lot. He helped me out of the booth as I was still a little stiff and walked me outside.
“Where to, Lucy?”
My phone buzzed in my pocket. I looked at the screen and read the message from Stacy that a car was waiting outside for me.
“Well… it looks like I have a ride home.” I lifted my hand toward the familiar black car. The lights turned on and it snaked around to the front of the building.
“I’m glad,” he said and looked up at the dark sky. “I hadn’t meant to keep you out so late. The car pulled up and he opened the back door. “Get some rest. I’ll see you tomorrow, hm?”
I nodded. “Thank you, David.”
“You’re welcome.” I climbed in and he set the to-go bag in my lap. I looked up at him as he grinned. “Everyone deserves dessert after a hard day.”
“But David!” I said as he closed the door and walked away.
“It’s the best chocolate cake in the city, Lucy. You have to have it at least once!” He called over his shoulder with a laugh. “See you tomorrow!”
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