Chosen Mate (Hollow Earth Dragons) by Juniper Hart

Author:Juniper Hart [Hart, Juniper]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-07-18T16:00:00+00:00

11

It was an unlikely alliance, and one which Bryn knew she should question, but it felt so right; so… proper. They retreated upstairs, Bryn offering to make breakfast for them. She had planned a jog before Keppler had shown up at her door and spun her life off-cycle again.

“You’re a great cook!” Keppler said appreciatively, taking a bite of his chocolate waffles. “Where did you learn to make food like this?”

“Well, when you’re in exile for five millennia, there’s not much to do but learn how to entertain yourself,” Bryn said. “I’m a master of all domestic chores. I can quilt, sew, cook, and even build a house from the ground up.”

“Really?” Keppler asked, seemingly impressed with her range of talents.

Bryn shrugged her shoulders. “At the end of our exile, the boys were growing melancholy and sickly. Gregor and Artemis went first, and I had to help Jace with all their chores. We lived in a barracks, just the four of us. I didn’t even know about electricity until I came back here. Imagine my surprise to see that the Europeans had flooded the continent.”

“Yeah, that was a real shit show,” Keppler remembered, shuddering slightly. “They destroyed everything and continue to do it.”

“I don’t think I’ve seen one native of the continent since I’ve been here.”

Keppler’s shoulders tensed, and his hands tightened on his fork. “I’ll get you some books on the matter,” he stammered. “The immortals are cruel, but only when necessary. The mortals… they kill themselves for financial gain. They pit themselves against each other…”

He seemed genuinely tormented by the memory, and Bryn was sorry she’d said anything when he put the fork down, a faraway look in his eyes.

“Oh, come on!” she said lightly, trying to change the subject. “I slaved over those waffles. You’ve gotta eat.”

Keppler cast her a sly grin and retrieved his utensil before digging back in. He remained silent, though, as if his mind was still elsewhere.

“What’s on your mind?” Bryn asked. “You having second thoughts about your offer?” She was only half-teasing, but it wouldn’t have surprised her if he said yes.

Keppler’s brow creased, and he shook his head, his eyes shadowing.

“No,” he answered. “Of course not. I was just…” He cleared his throat and raised his head to stare straight into his eyes. “I was just thinking how difficult it has been for you. I’m sorry.”

Bryn was taken aback by the words, her pulse quickening unexpectedly. Everything that was happening was so foreign and yet somehow strangely comforting.

“It’s not your fault,” she mumbled, embarrassed by the sudden flood of emotion. She didn’t know how to handle this level of closeness. She’d never experienced it before. Sure, she’d had friends in the gangs she’d developed over the past decade, but they would sooner sell her out like Chester and Alma. Damon had been the exception to the rule, but he was just as desperately lonely as she was. The difference was that Bryn had grown accustomed to the permeating loneliness that had filled her for centuries, made worse by the weakening state of her brothers.

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