Free A Muse for Mishka (Wiccan-Were-Bear #12) by R.E. Butler Page A

appropriately.”
    The maître d’ said, “Master Mishka, it’s an
honor to have you join us tonight and with such a beautiful woman
on your arm. Please, follow me to the chef’s table.”
    They wove their way through the restaurant,
where whispers erupted in their wake as vampires, humans, and
shifters recognized him. He glanced down at Harmony, whose cheeks
were pink and her lips curved into a beautiful smile, and he knew
that going out in public with her had been a good choice. He’d been
a recluse after his last failed relationship, and it wasn’t good
for his coven to believe him to be a male who could be cowed by
something like a lost lover.
    They were seated at an intimate table that
had a semi-circular booth. Harmony slid across the seat to the
center and Mishka joined her. Their guards moved away to give them
privacy, but they stayed close enough to keep an eye on them. This
gave Mishka the added benefit of comfort because he didn’t want to
worry about anything but Harmony’s happiness.
    “I don’t suppose we can go groping each other
since everyone knows who you are,” she said.
    “Any time you want to put your hands on me is
okay with me, my heart,” he said, lifting her hand and kissing the
top.
    A waiter appeared with the restaurant’s
private label sparkling water, and he filled a glass for
Harmony.
    “May I tell you about our specials, my lady,
or would you prefer to see a menu?”
    “The specials please,” she said.
    He recited a long list of items that included
chicken, salmon, and several types of beef, along with a variety of
side dishes. She listened intently, and then said, “I’ll take the
filet, rare.”
    After she looked at the wine list, she
ordered a glass of red and then handed the menu to Mishka. On the
back page was a list of blood varieties available.
    “I’ll take a glass of SyBl,” he said, closing
the menu and handing it to the waiter.
    He nodded and disappeared to place their
order.
    “Why didn’t you order real blood?” she asked,
turning slightly in the booth to look at him.
    He rested his arm on the back of the booth
and wrapped a lock of her hair around his finger. “I have you.”
    “And?”
    “I don’t want anyone else’s real blood except
yours.”
    Her brow furrowed for a brief moment, and
then she leaned forward and kissed him. “You’re so sweet.”
    “I’m just honest.” He wasn’t sure that anyone
else’s blood would even taste right to him. The synthetic blood
nourished his body, and that was all he needed. He used to chase
after vintage bloods, wanting to try everything he could. One of
his coven guards, a fallen angel named Darian, had hunted rare
blood for him.
    After the glasses of blood and red wine were
dropped off, along with a basket of sliced bread, Harmony said,
“You don’t allow the family to bring their food to their
chambers.”
    “Correct.”
    “Even the people the club pays to donate
their blood?”
    “We perform extensive background checks for
food, but the family ’s chambers are very private. In order
to bring someone to their chamber, they would need to bring that
person under-the-fang.”
    Harmony pursed her lips for a moment, her
left eye closing slightly as she thought. She looked adorable.
    “I’m searching through our memories,” she
said. “Do I look weird when I do that? I feel like I look
weird.”
    “Not at all, my heart.”
    She snorted delicately. “Under-the-fang is
permanent food, but not a mate.”
    He nodded. Taking a human or shifter
under-the-fang was akin to what humans called going steady .
It was a serious relationship, one that involved the food moving
into the vampire’s chamber. Only trusted food would be taken
under-the-fang.
    “Remind me why we needed to leave the
club?”
    He chuckled and lifted her hand, placing a
kiss on it. “Because I want to treat you properly.”
    “You’re possibly the most proper person I’ve
ever met in my life.”
    “Old habits die hard.”
    Her meal