Free Death's Dilemma (DHAD #2) by Candice Burnett Page A

dinner, and it could work for us, too.”
    “And who shall I bond with first? Abram, perhaps?” He grinned and handed me some onions and a wooden board
    “I’ll assume, since you’re handy with a blade, that you’ll be able to chop up all the veggies for me?”
    “What are we even having?”
    “Just something simple—tacos.”
    Once I got past the onions making my eyes water, the rest wasn’t so bad. “Anything else you need me to cut?” I asked. Along with onions I’d chopped tomatoes, lettuce, cilantro, jalapenos, and habaneros.
    “Nope, thank you for helping. If you want to just wait, the meat is almost done.”
    “Okay.” I looked down at my hands; they were covered in veggie guts. As I took a step off the stool and moved towards the sink, I whiped my eye as it itched from hair being in my face. I froze in place as a burning sensation filled my right eye.
    “Holy shit! My eyes are burning! Is it on fire!?” I screamed, assuming the worst. It felt like someone had taken a lighter to my eye and just held the flame there.
    “You didn’t wash your hands after cutting the habaneros, did you?”
    “I was about to, but my eye itched. HOLY SHIT IT BURNS!”
    “Relax. Here, come over to the sink.” I obeyed. He tilted back my head, and I heard the water run. He then put a glass of water over my head. “Don’t move. I’m going to wash it out.”
    “Just hurry.” He slowly poured it into my eye, and to my surprise, the burning diminished slightly. The water dripped out of my eyes and onto my chest where he’d put a towel that I hadn’t noticed until now.
    “Better?” he asked as my eyes started to rapidly blink and I tilted my head forward.
    “Much, thank you.” As I went to walk back towards the stool I’d been sitting on, he called my name.
    “Cendall.”
    “Yeah? He pointed to his chest, and I looked down at mine. The towel was still there. He laughed as I threw it at his face.
    “So what other skills, besides cooking and paramedics, do you have up your sleeve?” I asked as I took a seat at the island and watched him finish up.
    “Well, where I should start. As you already know, I’m a super skilled Guardian, chef, kisser, and I dabble in card games.” My stomach fluttered with the thought of his kiss. Yes, he was right there, but that wasn’t something I would try again.
    “What are you not good at?”
    “I don’t really think….”
    “Oh shut up! Everyone sucks at something.”
    “Bowling,” he answered, and I laughed
    “Bowling, really?”
    “Yes, don’t tell the others though. They mustn’t know of this weakness. Let me guess, you’re a pro at it.”
    “I’ve never tried it actually.”
    “Ah, so I’ll put you in the same category as me when it comes to that,” he said as he took the pan out of the sink and placed it on the counter on top of a dish towel.
    “You’ll want to make your plate before I call the others. They’ll destroy this.”
    “Okay.” This would be the first dinner I’d eaten with all of them. Usually Lacie and I ordered something and it was brought to us.
    I got up and took a full view of our taco buffet. Thanks to me, there were chopped fixings, but Trevor had done the rest. There were beans, chopped chicken, seasoned beef, guacamole, salsa, soft and hard shells, and fried tortilla chips. It all smelled delicious. I put a big stack of chips on my plate and started piling everything on. I topped it all off with a dab of sour cream and shredded cheese.
    “You got all of this done while I was chopping those veggies?”
    “Didn’t you see the four pans I had going on the stove? I’m a quick multi-tasker.”
    “Apparently. It all looks amazing though. Thank you.” I went to take my plate to my room.
    “Cendall, I wasn’t kidding about the sitting together part. I think it’ll make things so much easier if they at least don’t hate you as much. I’m not asking you to become their best friend, but at least attempt acquaintance