Amused, Claude dropped the interrogation. I had to make more of an effort to suppress my emotions around him, and I was still flustered after my morning fantasy.
Claude sat up, the height difference between him and his partner comical. He rubbed his hand down the front of his white tank top and groaned. “I have a long day ahead of me.”
I tapped my black fingernail against the edge of my plate. “Don’t you get sick of cutting hair all day?”
His golden eyes swung up, and he arched a brow. “It’s a trade I’m good at, and it’s rewarding to transform a female or male with something as simple as hair. But don’t get any ideas that all I do is sit around and sniff bleach. I was late to the party last night because a local official on the Shifter Council was speaking privately about a murder he ordered to his second-in-command. It’s illegal for a Councilman to put a hit on someone—that’s not how the system works.” Claude lifted his fork and blew a heated breath on the utensil before polishing it with his napkin. “Viktor and I are pondering what to do with the information.”
Shepherd cleared his throat. “Smart move.”
I slid my gaze around the table, waiting for someone to explain.
When Shepherd looked up at me, he elaborated. “Sometimes we can use information to our advantage by not turning them in. Favors.”
“Blackmail.”
He rubbed the dark stubble on his face. “Semantics. Maybe the guy he killed had it coming, but it helps to have people high up on the ladder owe us for covering their ass.”
“I can see that.”
Claude hooked his arm over the back of his chair. “I have to be careful about turning people in. If my customers got wind that I was snitching, I’d be out of a job, and that doesn’t help Keystone. If we do decide to report him, it’ll take a little work to get the evidence we need. Shouldn’t be hard, but it might be easier to just squeeze the little man for a favor. People in his position fear getting caught; their crimes aren’t taken lightly.”
Gem leaned forward to get Viktor’s attention. “Blue told me something last night about Kira.”
Viktor unfolded his napkin and snapped it before laying it across his lap. “And what have I said about gossip?”
Gem looked genuinely insulted. “It’s not gossip if she flaunted it in front of Blue.”
Wyatt perked up. “Flaunted what?”
Gem ignored him. “What do the symbols mean? I’d ask her myself, but she doesn’t speak English. And by the by, I went through all my books on dead languages in Bulgaria. What you two were speaking didn’t fit any of the patterns I’ve seen.”
Viktor had a few whiskers on his beard that were sticking out in odd directions, begging for a trim. A faded smile touched his lips. “Wyatt and Shepherd have tattoos. Are you going to question them on the meaning?”
“Well, if you’re going to be all enigmatic about it, I’ll just sit here and eat my plate of air.”
Niko rocked with laughter. “Speaking of which, is Kira acquainted with using modern appliances? Perhaps that is the reason for the delay.”
Gem chortled. “I gave her the full demonstration early this morning. You should have seen her expression when she saw what a blender could do. I couldn’t turn around for one minute. When I came back from the bathroom, she was trying to light firewood in the oven.”
Viktor smiled warmly and got that distant look of nostalgia in his eyes. “Wood stoves were once commonplace. It adds a smoky flavor to the food that I miss with all these electric stoves. So much has changed over the years.”
Gem elbowed Shepherd. “If it were up to the new girl, she’d probably have Viktor convert the entire kitchen back to ancient times. The poor woman would be cooking all day. There’s something to be said about modern conveniences,” Gem said matter-of-factly. “A food chopper can add minutes to your life.”
“Microwaves changed my life,” Wyatt added, his green eyes swinging up as he disappeared into the past. “I still remember the summer of 1981 when I picked up my first—”
“Woman?” Shepherd finished.
Everyone laughed at Wyatt, who scowled.
Christian’s hand suddenly brushed against mine beneath the table. Without Blue beside him, no one could see as he locked his pinky finger around mine for a good minute before resting his elbows on the table.
Steepling his fingers, Christian eyed the kitchen entrance. “Should we send in a search party?”
My knee bounced with nervous energy as thoughts about my Vampire assignment rattled around in my head. Though I didn’t have an appetite and wanted to head out to the club, I decided to sit with the team long enough to satisfy Viktor.
In the open doorway behind Wyatt, Kira appeared. She held a foil-covered pan between two red oven mitts. Her red locks were tied up in a messy bun, and I guessed Blue must have lent her the long dress that she wore beneath her white apron. Shepherd and Gem branched apart so Kira could set the pan on a trivet. When she snapped away the foil, Claude growled, his eyes widening.
There were so many omelets on the tray I couldn’t begin to count. They were beautifully garnished with tomatoes and some type of green sprig. Omelets were something I could take or leave, and eggs were the last thing I wanted after a night of drinking.
“Holy Toledo, pass that down!” Wyatt exclaimed, drool wetting his lips.
Kira used a wide spatula to fill Viktor’s plate before she returned to serve Shepherd and Gem.
Claude wasn’t having it. He stood up and took the utensil from her hand. “Never serve me, female.”
“Yeah, well, serve me,” Wyatt demanded. He hooked his finger over the corner of the pan to pull it toward him and hissed, snapping his arm back.
Kira thumped him on the head with her oven glove before returning to the kitchen. It didn’t take long for Wyatt to get over his boo-boo and fill up his plate with not one but three omelets.
Gem’s eyes widened after one bite. “This is divine. Was she a professional chef?”
Viktor sliced into his omelet and folded it into his mouth. “People from the old country know how to cook real food. They raise their own animals and farm the land. Mmm.”
When Kira returned, she set down a bowl of mixed fruit and a deep pan. Inside were large pieces of steak and roasted cherry tomatoes. Shepherd practically knocked over his glass when he went for the steak, putting a whole piece on his plate.
Gem tapped her fork on the pan. “Uh, I think you’re supposed to slice off pieces of that. Not the whole thing.”
The moment the meat touched his lips, his eyes closed. “Speak for yourself.”
Christian found a green lollipop in his pocket and popped it into his mouth. “Always loved the smell of fresh carcass.”
“You’re hardly a vegetarian,” I pointed out. “I bet you’d love to try some of that.”