Unawakened by Trillian Anderson Read Free Book Online
Authors: Trillian Anderson
of time in my kitchen cooking, enjoying the access to fresh and interesting ingredients.
I discovered Rob’s true motivation ten minutes after we left my apartment. He parked his car on the street outside one of the local dives, humming happily as he got out. “Dinner first.”
Colby bounced out of the car, flopping around at Rob’s feet. “Mommy. Food. ”
I gawked at my roommate. “You learned a new word!”
“Food.”
I slapped my forehead. “You both just wanted an excuse for crap food, didn’t you?”
Colby hopped around Rob’s feet. “Food, Mommy!”
“As much as I enjoy your cooking, Alexa, you have a serious lack of grease in your diet. We are going to indulge in as much greasy, fatty food as we can stomach. Then we’re going to go on a ride. It’ll be fun.” His dark suit didn’t match his eagerness and energy, and I wondered what he’d look like if he decided to wear something more casual.
The Rob taking me out for dinner at a dive was far different from the one I had met during the Dawn. The years had melted away, leaving him a man in the prime of his life. The wrinkles and stress lines had smoothed away, and his smile transformed him from a good-looking man into a breathtakingly handsome one.
Instead of him annoying me, I relied on him, and I wasn’t supposed to depend on anyone. Somehow, Rob and Colby had both worked their way under my skin, and for entirely different reasons.
Unable to stop myself, I smiled. “Fine, but you’re paying. If you have taken me to a hellhole without bacon, you will regret it, Rob.”
“Harsh. How can you call such a wonder a hellhole? How could you, Alexa?”
My stomach was going to regret my decision, but I followed Rob into the restaurant without complaint. Neither of the dae asked for much, and I wasn’t going to deny them such a simple thing.
I learned two things about Rob in the time it took us to eat dinner. First, he had an insatiable appetite for fried onions. Second, he always had ulterior motives for everything he did. As he guided me to a table occupied by a pair of werewolves, I tensed, fearing one of them was a fire breather, but when none of the telltale signs manifested, I relaxed. While Rob made a glutton of himself on fried onions, he spoke to both of the shifters in a fluid language I had never heard before.
It wasn’t Japanese or French; I knew a few common words from both languages. I doubted it was Spanish; very few in America spoke Spanish after the reformation. There were still a few obscure laws forbidding the use of the language, and no one wanted to spend several years in prison for saying the wrong thing in front of the wrong person.
While there were other languages spoken around the world, I didn’t know them.
Rob did most of the talking, pausing only to eat his food like he feared it would leap off his plate and escape. When Rob wasn’t paying enough attention, Colby stole from his plate, and I bit my lip so I wouldn’t laugh. I ate enough to take the edge off my hunger before sliding my plate to my unusual roommate.
Colby devoured my offering within moments, leaving the plate deceptively clean when it was finished. I giggled and amused myself watching my macaroni and cheese casserole toy with the other dae, stealing choice bits of food when no one else was watching.
At the end of the meal, Rob paid for everyone and herded me back to his car, opening the passenger side door for me.
Instead of cooperating with him, I stole the keys out of his hand and circled the car. “I’ll drive.”
Rob’s mouth dropped open. Smirking at his stunned expression, I slid behind the wheel, started the engine, and savored the car’s rumble. “Are you coming?”
“You know how to drive?”
“I’m a woman of many talents, dear sir,” I replied.
“Dear. I like that. Where did you learn to drive?”
“Where else? Kenneth taught me. I couldn’t afford a license even if I wanted it.”
“So you’re going to drive my
I discovered Rob’s true motivation ten minutes after we left my apartment. He parked his car on the street outside one of the local dives, humming happily as he got out. “Dinner first.”
Colby bounced out of the car, flopping around at Rob’s feet. “Mommy. Food. ”
I gawked at my roommate. “You learned a new word!”
“Food.”
I slapped my forehead. “You both just wanted an excuse for crap food, didn’t you?”
Colby hopped around Rob’s feet. “Food, Mommy!”
“As much as I enjoy your cooking, Alexa, you have a serious lack of grease in your diet. We are going to indulge in as much greasy, fatty food as we can stomach. Then we’re going to go on a ride. It’ll be fun.” His dark suit didn’t match his eagerness and energy, and I wondered what he’d look like if he decided to wear something more casual.
The Rob taking me out for dinner at a dive was far different from the one I had met during the Dawn. The years had melted away, leaving him a man in the prime of his life. The wrinkles and stress lines had smoothed away, and his smile transformed him from a good-looking man into a breathtakingly handsome one.
Instead of him annoying me, I relied on him, and I wasn’t supposed to depend on anyone. Somehow, Rob and Colby had both worked their way under my skin, and for entirely different reasons.
Unable to stop myself, I smiled. “Fine, but you’re paying. If you have taken me to a hellhole without bacon, you will regret it, Rob.”
“Harsh. How can you call such a wonder a hellhole? How could you, Alexa?”
My stomach was going to regret my decision, but I followed Rob into the restaurant without complaint. Neither of the dae asked for much, and I wasn’t going to deny them such a simple thing.
I learned two things about Rob in the time it took us to eat dinner. First, he had an insatiable appetite for fried onions. Second, he always had ulterior motives for everything he did. As he guided me to a table occupied by a pair of werewolves, I tensed, fearing one of them was a fire breather, but when none of the telltale signs manifested, I relaxed. While Rob made a glutton of himself on fried onions, he spoke to both of the shifters in a fluid language I had never heard before.
It wasn’t Japanese or French; I knew a few common words from both languages. I doubted it was Spanish; very few in America spoke Spanish after the reformation. There were still a few obscure laws forbidding the use of the language, and no one wanted to spend several years in prison for saying the wrong thing in front of the wrong person.
While there were other languages spoken around the world, I didn’t know them.
Rob did most of the talking, pausing only to eat his food like he feared it would leap off his plate and escape. When Rob wasn’t paying enough attention, Colby stole from his plate, and I bit my lip so I wouldn’t laugh. I ate enough to take the edge off my hunger before sliding my plate to my unusual roommate.
Colby devoured my offering within moments, leaving the plate deceptively clean when it was finished. I giggled and amused myself watching my macaroni and cheese casserole toy with the other dae, stealing choice bits of food when no one else was watching.
At the end of the meal, Rob paid for everyone and herded me back to his car, opening the passenger side door for me.
Instead of cooperating with him, I stole the keys out of his hand and circled the car. “I’ll drive.”
Rob’s mouth dropped open. Smirking at his stunned expression, I slid behind the wheel, started the engine, and savored the car’s rumble. “Are you coming?”
“You know how to drive?”
“I’m a woman of many talents, dear sir,” I replied.
“Dear. I like that. Where did you learn to drive?”
“Where else? Kenneth taught me. I couldn’t afford a license even if I wanted it.”
“So you’re going to drive my