"No one would ever dare to open this door without an invitation from me."
I could have sworn that for a split second his eyes had turned to red slits but when I blinked and looked at him again, they were back to honey mint. I leaned back and contemplated why I felt so at ease with him. The only other person that I had felt so at peace with was Dr. Levi but, it wasn't…it wasn't as intense as this. Dr. Levi had been like a gentle balm in comparison.
"By the way, since we are going to be sharing this space, manners dictate that I introduce myself. My name is Keith D'Vanni."
After a short pause, I nodded in agreement and held out my hand.
"I'm Nikki."
I still had a little reservation, and a lot of confusion, about how at ease I felt with him
so I wasn't quite ready to reveal my full name.
"Thank you for allowing me to stay. You're not going to kidnap me and turn me into a sex slave, are you?"
The room grew awkwardly quiet. Then, he let out a burst of laughter that startled me.
"You, little one, you are something else. My sex slave, huh? Well, I like grown women little one plus I am centuries too old for you."
Shooting him a quizzical look at this odd phrasing, I shrugged my shoulders.
"I just wanted to be sure. Anyways, just in case you get any ideas, my parents are waiting for me in Chicago. They'll look for me if I disappear."
The moment I spoke the half-truth, Keith's grin slid off his face. His nose twitched as if he was sniffing the air. "Hmm, really? Are you sure about that?" he asked as his eyes zeroed in on me. A sense of unease uncoiled and snaked through me and the temperature in the room seemed to drop a few degrees.
I bowed my head and averted my gaze. "Of course!" I said and quickly changed the subject. "Do you live in Chicago?" When I didn't get an immediate response, I glanced over at Keith; only to be met with his questioning gaze causing me to squirm in my seat.
"You are an unusual one, aren't you and you have no idea who or what I am, do you?
What he is?? I must be hearing things. "Are you a celebrity? My parents aren't big on television so I have no idea who you are. I'm sorry if I offended you. If you'd like, I can leave."
"No child. It's fine. Being around you is refreshing," he said with a grin on his face and a flash of mischief in his eyes. With that, the atmosphere around us lightened again but his eyes kept searching my face as if he was looking for something.
"How about we raid the food cart?" he continued. "My treat." Before I could respond a voracious growl sounded from my stomach.
Mortification rolled through me and I hung my head in shame. I was so focused on getting away I had forgotten about eating. Keith let out another deep, rumbling, laugh. He got up and extended his hand to me "come, let's eat."
I took his hand and with a wry smile followed him from the chamber into the hallway. In just a few minutes, I was eating the best pasta primavera I had ever tasted in my life.
I so engrossed in my food, I didn't realize that Keith only had a glass in front of him; until I was done. Wiping my mouth, I put down the knife & fork and looked across the table at Keith who was busy frowning into his glass.