Niklas didn’t even try to stifle his iniquitous smirk. He reached over and lifted Carly’s hand—which was already clutching the fork in question—so she would finally notice it.
“In all fairness, Sebastian does actually look—” Kyanna gasped as she, too, was abruptly snatched up and found herself perched firmly on Xander’s lap.
Maggie’s mouth dropped open, only to snap closed as Xander gripped the back of Kyanna’s neck in what looked like an inescapable hold. He dragged his wife closer, his gaze locked on hers. A wealth of meaning seemed to pass silently between the couple, and then Xander’s mouth claimed Kyanna’s. Not as Maggie had expected of the fierce warrior, all heat and force. Instead, Xander seduced Kyanna with an ever-lingering series of slow nibbles and nips. Gently, leisurely deepening each sweep until Kyanna moaned softly and wrapped her arms around his neck in submission, yielding all. Only then did he angle his head and sweep her into the fire.
When Xander eventually released Kyanna, she leaned back with a little whoosh of air and a disgruntled half frown, half smile. She sighed, shaking her head as she returned to her own seat.
Feeling like a voyeur, Maggie cleared her throat.
“So…ah, where was it that Gideon went again? He didn’t exactly say.” She forked up a piece of juicy herbed chicken, hoping to look nonchalant.
A death pall descended over the room. She frowned, glancing around at her companions. Had she just committed some terrible sin? She’d only asked a simple question.
Kyanna and Carly stared at each other, wide-eyed. Seemingly by mutual agreement, they both bent to their plates and shoved enormous heaps of food into their mouths.
Niklas shifted in his seat, toying with his fork.
“What?” Maggie glanced around the table. “Is it a national secret or something?”
A thought occurred to her, and she set her spoon down on the edge of her plate, the food in her stomach turning into a rock. What if Gideon had gone out to see how many other women he could touch?
“He left to feed,” Xander rasped, calmly scooping up a heaping bite as though discussing the weather.
“Xander!” Kyanna mumbled around a mouthful of food.
Carly began choking. Niklas reached over to helpfully pound her on the back.
Maggie looked down at the small mountain of food on the table, frowning in confusion. Feed?
“She should know,” Xander said to Niklas.
Niklas stared at him in silent contemplation. Then, “It’s Gideon’s place to decide if she needs to know.”
“Know what?” Maggie asked, her focus bouncing between the two males as Kyanna and Carly fell silent. The strain around the table was thick enough to cut with a knife.
“His head isn’t screwed on straight right now,” Xander reminded Niklas, ignoring Maggie’s question. “And what of the babe? What if it takes after its father?” he added. “She needs to know.”
“He’s right, Niklas,” Carly said softly, reaching out to lay her hand over his on the table.
Niklas turned his hand over and laced their fingers together. He drew a deep breath and shot one last glance at Xander, who nodded.
“Maggie,” Niklas began, and she braced herself, for the tone he used was not at all something one would associate with butterflies and puppy dogs, “demons don’t feed like humans do.”
She glanced at the half-empty plates in front of Xander and Niklas and frowned. What was he talking about? She’d been sitting there, watching both of them shoveling in food like there was no tomorrow.
“But you’re eating the same things we are,” she pointed out.
“Not eat. Feed,” he clarified. “We take sustenance like this”—he waved his hand at the table—“to keep our physical bodies healthy and functioning. But we require more.”
“You mean like a…like a vampire or something?”
“Sort of. But we don’t exist on blood.” Niklas looked to Xander, who nodded. “Well,” he clarified, “most of us don’t.”
“Oh!” Kyanna gasped. Then, clutching her throat, she whispered, “Mikhail…”
Niklas and Xander remained stubbornly tightlipped, clearly refusing to discuss Mikhail. At length, Niklas resumed his explanation. “Our immortal souls were stripped from us when we fell.”
“Like your wings?”
Nodding, Niklas added, “And our gifts.”
“Like your voice?” she asked, turning to Xander.
Across the table, Carly sucked in a soft breath. But Maggie’s gaze remained on Xander. He said nothing at first, simply stared at her as silence held reign. Fine lines appeared at the sides of his mouth as his lips compressed. She hadn’t thought of how her question might affect him before she’d blurted it out. Now she could have kicked herself. She’d not intended to hurt him.
Maggie leaned forward, frowning in concern. Oh, she wished she could take the pain she’d carelessly caused away. Xander leaned back in his chair, a serene expression on his face.
Niklas shot forward in his seat. “Did you feel that?” He glanced from Kyanna to Carly to Xander. “Did anyone else feel that?”