“Why? So you could skip the meeting?”

“No, you ass,” she said with a surprising chuckle. “I wish you would have told me sooner because I already drove past the restaurant.”

My eyes immediately jerked back to my window and the Savannah River several yards away. We were still in downtown Savannah and nowhere near any bridges to cross out of the city proper. “The head of the local pack? On this side of the river at night?”

Mira gave a little laugh in the back of her throat and shook her head. “I guess I was wrong.”

“How?”

“I have underestimated you yet again.”

I couldn’t stop from smiling. Surprising Mira was not the easiest of tasks, but I had succeeded yet again by knowing more about her domain than she expected.

“How much time have you actually spent in my domain?” she asked, one brow arched, though her eyes remained on the road.

I hesitated, but I could hear no malice or hostility in her tone. She seemed honestly curious. “Less than two months.”

“James keeps you well informed.”

And I was very observant. The ongoing peace between the lycanthropes and the vampires in the city was no great secret. Nor was it any secret that Mira worked very hard to maintain that peace. The lack of animosity between the two species made Savannah peculiar.

But then again, the Savannah pack was peculiar in itself. Barrett Rainer was the alpha male of the pack and head of the Rainer family, who had ruled the pack for more than a century. In fact, more than seventy-five percent of the local pack was also a member of the Rainer family. Before any lycanthrope could move within a twenty-five-mile radius of Savannah, he or she had to petition the pack. Not an out-of-the-ordinary procedure, but it was also very difficult to be accepted.

The other peculiarity of the area was the agreed-upon “living” arrangement. No lycanthrope was permitted to live within ten miles of downtown Savannah unless they set up residence across the river on the north side. A werewolf could work anywhere he or she wanted in Savannah, but when night fell, they knew they were in nightwalker territory.

On the other hand, no vampire was permitted to hunt on the other side of the river. And on the night of the full moon, no vampire was permitted in lycanthrope territory at all. While strict, the rules worked to protect both sides from stupid mistakes.

Most of the information was known by only the locals, but careful watching of both sides had revealed most of the details, which James later confirmed for me.

“Barrett’s family has operated Bella Luna on this side of the river for decades. It seemed silly to ask him to move it,” Mira said when we stopped for a red light. “Everyone knows where it’s located and they steer clear.”

A few minutes later, we were entering a small building with two walls of windows. The front was ringed with a low, black iron fence. The area looked like it was large enough to hold several tables for outdoor dining in nice weather, but it was now empty except for a few dried leaves.

Without a thought, I reached around Mira and grasped the old, brass handle, pulling the worn wooden door open for her. Some habits never die. When I realized what I had done, I expected a snicker or a snide remark, but Mira simply said, “Thank you.”

A young woman with short brown hair looked up when we entered and she smiled stiffly. “It’s good to see you again, Mira. He’s expecting you. Let me show you to your table.” The woman then turned her gaze to me, but this time her smile reached her brown eyes. “I’ll be with you in just a moment, sir.”

“He’s with me,” Mira deftly interjected.

The young woman blinked, her smile slipping completely from her face as she looked from me to Mira. With a little effort, her stiff smile returned. “Of course. Please, follow me.”

Grabbing two menus from behind the maître d’ stand, she smoothly wove her way around the tables to a secluded spot near the back of the restaurant. It was hardly the best table in the place considering it was close to the kitchen. However, I realized after sitting in the circular booth that we had an unobstructed view of the whole restaurant, and the noise from the kitchen would hinder any attempts to eavesdrop on our conversation.

As soon as the young woman stepped away from the table, a man in a pristine white shirt and black slacks set a glass of red wine before Mira. He then soundlessly put an entire place setting before me. Apparently, Barrett had informed his people that he was meeting with Mira, but he forgot to mention that she would have a companion.

“What can I get you to drink, sir?” the sandy blond server inquired.

“Nothing, I—”

“He’ll have a glass of ice water, no lemon, and a cup of Earl Grey with honey, if you have it,” Mira quickly said.

“Very good.” The server disappeared into the kitchen and I looked over at Mira. She had removed her black leather gloves and she was fiddling with her salad fork, refusing to meet my gaze.

“You would never relax around me to actually drink a glass of wine and you don’t seem the type to enjoy a Coke with dinner,” she said, her words coming out rushed and defensive.

It was the start of an explanation, but I was curious as to how she knew I liked Earl Grey tea with honey. Was it something James or Ryan had told her? It didn’t seem like it should have been a topic of conversation that would have come up. “How did you—?”

“You had it in Venice,” she interrupted before I could finish the question that we both knew was hanging in the air.

Her words were like the caress of butterfly wings. My gaze had drifted around the restaurant and I was now fighting the urge to look at her again. My breath was trapped in my lungs as I waited to see if she would continue, threatening to pull me deeper into the spell she seemed to be weaving.

“I awoke one night and I could smell it faintly in the air.” As she spoke, her eyes drifted shut as she became lost in the memory. “Earl Grey and honey. You had had seafood that night for dinner with fresh bread. I had forgotten what it was like to awaken to the smell of food.”

“I can’t imagine that it’s happened recently,” I whispered, letting myself get pulled deeper into the moment. The flickering light from the candle in the middle of the table danced across her features, caressing them, reminding me of the way the lights reflected off the Venice canal waters had danced across her body.

“You wore a short-sleeved linen shirt,” she said, a smile tweaking the corners of her mouth. She drew in a deep breath and shook her head as if to brush away the last of the memory. “It’s the only good memory I have of Venice.”

I stared toward one wall of windows. The growing night had made them mostly mirrors, reflecting back the numerous diners that filled the cozy restaurant, but for a brief moment I was back in Venice with Mira. We had been surrounded at all times by creatures that wanted us dead. Yet, with a self-mocking smile, Mira swore to protect me. At great risk to herself, she kept her word.

But it was more than that. While in Venice, she had not only guarded me with an unexpected vehemence, but she also drew Tristan and Nicolai under her protective wing. I had seen Mira fight and kill. I had seen her bask in the power she could wield over her chosen victim, but those poor creatures had always struck at her first. Mira didn’t kill without reason or purpose. A code I lived by as well.

It was the protective side of her that I struggled to understand. For so long, I had had it pounded into my brain that vampires were mindless killing, feeding machines. I had never expected to find a vampire that not only cared about other creatures, but that also had a deep sense of honor and responsibility. It just ran contrary to everything I believed about them, making me more frustrated the longer I knew her.