Ella sped up to walk next to me. "So what's the place called again?" Her long red jacket complemented her complexion, and her hair was pulled into a twist.
"Bella Lupo." The food had great reviews even though that wasn’t the real reason we were going. “Don’t worry, we’ll get appetizers.”
"Beautiful wolf." Louis nodded his head and grinned. "What a perfect name."
Mason appeared on my other side and took my hand in his, tugging me close. "I'm famished." His hungry eyes scanned me up and down. I regret stopping at that kiss now.
"Ew." Ella lifted her hand and closed her eyes. "I'm going to pretend you didn't do something so blatantly creepy and think you're only talking about food."
A sweet pungent smell hit my nose, and I stopped dead in my tracks. That smells like the prince. My heart began racing, and I frantically scanned the people around us, looking for his face.
Chapter Seven
"Do you smell that?" I stopped in my tracks and glanced around, desperately searching for the prince. Even though all vampires had an over the top sweet smell, this particular one included a slightly spicy kick. "The prince is near."
"Uh ... yeah, I am." Louis arched an eyebrow, and his forehead lined. "I mean, you already know this."
"Not you." If I wasn’t struggling to breathe, I’d smack him. I forced myself to take deep, calming breaths as I continued to scan everyone around us. The vampire prince. That's his scent.
Baby, I don't smell anything. Mason's hand tensed in mine as he searched our surroundings as well.
"Elena, there isn’t anything out of place." Ella tilted her head. "Maybe Mason’s arousal is finally turning you off. I am tired of smelling it too if I’m being honest."
“Can we not talk about this now?” Mason glared at his sister. He turned toward me and placed his palms on each side of my face. “Hey, it’s just your nerves. Everything is going to be fine.” He leaned down, letting his forehead rest against mine. “I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”
Maybe stress was getting the best of me. "Yeah, sorry." I made my shoulders relax and forced a smile. "You’re right, it's probably just everything that’s going on making me edgy."
You've had a lot on your plate. Mason pulled me into his chest and let go of my hand to wrap his arm around my waist. Maybe we need to get away.
I can't go away. I'm just now beginning my reign. I was stuck until I got my legs under me. I had to repair the damage my uncle had done. Even though that’s the best sounding idea I think I’ve ever heard.
"We need a girls’ night out." Ella lifted her hand and tugged me out of her brother’s arms. She pointed at me. "Let's be real. Ever since you and Mason stopped fighting each other, he's been glued to your side. It was just a matter of time before you felt claustrophobic."
“That’s not the reason at all, but I’m still down for that suggestion.” A girls’ night didn't sound bad at all, and we hadn’t hung out, just the two of us, in such a long time.
"Absolutely not." Kassie shook her head so hard I was afraid she'd get whiplash. "The last time you went out with her, she took you to an illegal fight."
"That was after I had to make her become my friend." Ella rolled her eyes. "And look at the positivity my friendship has brought to her life."
"Stress?" Mason grinned at her. “A clinger?”
"Oh, shut it. I’m not Connor." Ella waved him off.
“Watch it,” Mason growled.
“Let’s not bring up the worst mistake of my life.” I regretted sleeping with the guy the moment we’d finished. Connor was human, and we had zero chemistry. Except, that didn’t stop him from chasing after me for the next few months, much to my chagrin.
"We'll stay home, for God's sake. You two," she said pointing to Louis and Mason, "can go talk fights and politics while Elena and I will watch some trashy romantic film and do our nails or something."
Staying home would be safer, and maybe I could relax for a minute. "That sounds good, but no more bringing up past mistakes."
"See, I knew it." Ella snapped, ignoring the last part of my sentence and glanced at Kassie. "Problem solved."
"Maybe we should get moving?" Mona waved us in the direction of the restaurant. "People are getting annoyed and walking around us."
She was right. There were quite a few humans glancing at us, and the smell that had concerned me was gone. "Yeah, that's a good idea."
We continued to walk in silence, and we arrived at the restaurant right on time. As soon as we walked inside, I noticed it was far nicer than I had expected it to be.
The inside of the restaurant was dim with a large bar sitting on the left. It had displays of all the wines and beers available for purchase. I headed straight to the hostess desk where a young woman was working. Her wolf scent hit me once I got close. When her brown eyes landed on mine, they widened in what could only be recognition, and she tugged on her black dress. "Queen Elena." She bowed her head.
I hated that. "Good evening, I have a reservation for six." Maybe if I ignored her formalities, she'd lighten up.
"Of course." She reached down and grabbed menus. "Please, follow me." She headed to the right where there was a staircase leading to an upper floor.
Our group followed behind her, and she placed us right next to a window that overlooked Central Park. "Here you go." She placed a menu in front of each of the six chairs. "Is there anything else I can get you right away?" Her gaze was directly on me.
My skin crawled, but I forced myself to remain calm. "No, thank you."
"Your server will be here soon." She turned and rushed back down the stairs.
"Wow, I think you got greeted better than my father ever has." Louis chuckled as he glanced at the menu. "You didn't have to wait at all either. Normally, they make Dad wait a few minutes."
"Queen Elena." Matteo appeared as if out of thin air. "I'm very honored that you decided to join us tonight." His golden eyes shone even more in the dim light and contrasted starkly against his dark olive skin. He was handsome but had to be at least in his fifties.
"Thank you for making the arrangements so quickly."
Both Kassie and Mona sat against the window across from one another, their focus on everyone and everything around us.
"Any time you want to eat here, we'll make it happen." He glanced at Mason, who sat between me and Kassie. "And I’m ecstatic to see the Royal Mate once more." He arched an eyebrow.
I’m not sure if I’ll ever get used to that. Mason nodded and extended his hand toward Matteo. "It's nice to see you again."
"Same to you." Matteo chuckled and glanced at Louis. "And the Prince of Europe. I had no idea that you were visiting."
"No, unlike my father, I don't mind missing the spotlight." He opened the menu and began scanning it. “But I still have the same large appetite.”