Moonlight's Ambassador (Aileen Travers Book 3)(30)

Theo busied himself in the industrial size freezer, shifting things around as the man and woman by the stove turned back to their work.

The rest of us stared at each other in silence until Theo set a bowl filled to the top with purple ice cream stuffed with giant chocolate blocks in front of me.

"Black Raspberry." I couldn't help the excitement in my voice. It was my favorite flavor.

Theo stepped back and leaned against the counter behind him. "Nathan mentioned you asked about it, so I figured it was a safe bet."

I dipped the spoon in the freezing awesomeness and stuck it in my mouth, rejoicing at the tart sweetness that rested on my tongue. It wasn't quite as good as Liam's blood, but it was damned close.

"Never seen a vampire eat ice cream before," a blond-haired man said from two seats down. He was tall, thin, and sported a scraggly beard. Young, but then they were all young. Most of the companions looked no more than their mid-twenties.

I paused in savoring the unexpected treat and looked sideways at him. There were several ways I could take that statement—especially given the smallest tinge of hostility I could hear in his voice. Maybe I was reading into it, letting some of my insecurities frame how I received their responses.

"Then they're missing out, because never tasting Graeter's Black Raspberry ice cream would be a tragedy." I stuck another spoonful in my mouth to illustrate my point.

"That's true," the woman by the stove said with a smirk. Her dark brown hair fell halfway down her back and had a reddish tint to it. "Ice cream is what makes the world go ‘round."

I pointed my spoon at her and nodded. Finally, someone who recognized the absolute need to have it in your life.

The man snorted. "It's weird. My patroness said eating human food could impact her strength. I wouldn't risk it. It's just not worth it."

"Not even for steak?" Theo asked, his expression teasing.

The blond shook his head. "Not for anything. Those who receive the kiss have a responsibility to do all they can to support the clan. Risking their health and development for some fleeting pleasure spits on that duty."

I dragged the spoon over my tongue. Well, I guess that answered that. Definitely hostile. Or at the very least, jealous.

"I don't know. It would be hard to face an eternity without all my favorite foods," a woman with dainty features and a sweet smile said. "Just imagine, never tasting sushi or lasagna again."

"My patroness said the taste of blood more than makes up for the loss of food," the blond said, a trace of haughtiness in his tone.

The woman by the stove rolled her eyes. "Don't mind Pierce. He's a pompous, know-it-all at the best of times."

"Since he heard about you jumping the line, he's been like a bear with a thorn in his paw," the man at the stove said. He had skin the color of dark mahogany and a beautiful smile.

Pierce looked like he'd bitten into something sour. "You all weren't happy to see another take your spot. Don't even try to pretend otherwise." His angry glare moved from one to the other. His eyes settled on the woman at the stove. "Deborah, you were just saying earlier how you didn't think it fair that some random stranger off the street got turned when you've been waiting eight years."

Deborah flushed and turned her eyes back to the pot of simmering red she was stirring. Marinara unless I missed my guess.

Theo stepped in, his brown eyes earnest. He gave me an embarrassed smile. "Pardon my friends, Aileen. They're a little out of sorts after the attack."

Pierce folded his arms and leaned back, looking oddly satisfied.

I looked around, noticing who avoided my eyes. Pierce met my gaze with a stubborn tilt of his head and jutted out his jaw as if he was waiting for me to chastise him. I didn't know how the vampires in this place typically interacted with them, whether such talk would be considered an insult or not.

I decided to focus on more important things then what they thought of my presence. "Attack? You mean the one Liam was investigating earlier?"

He nodded, looking somber. "Yeah, that's the one."

"Is the person attacked okay?" I looked around the room, careful to keep my expression sympathetic. "Who was attacked?"

"It was Theo and Catherine," Deborah said, turning to face me, while keeping one eye on her pot. "Thanks to Theo's quick thinking, neither one was hurt."

I made an appropriate sound of appreciation, my gaze flicking back to Theo.

He blushed and ducked his head. "I did what anybody would do."

Pierce rolled his eyes, looking disgusted at the entire exchange.

"That's impressive," I said, ignoring Pierce.

"It was," Deborah agreed. "He saw the wolf in time and got him and Catherine into the car before it could hurt them."

I glanced at the woman with the sweet smile. Catherine, I think that was the woman from last night.

Seeing my look, the woman said, "Catherine found the experience a little traumatic. She's in her room resting right now."

"And you are?" I asked.

"Sheila." She gave me another sweet smile. "My patron is Kato, one of the new master's lieutenants."

I had no idea what that meant, but by the way she said it, I imagined it was supposed to be impressive.