“Have a seat.” He pointed to a pair of tall stools tucked under a bar built into the granite-topped island. “We can talk while I work, if that’s okay with you.”

Having never been cooked for by a man, I wasn’t sure what protocol dictated, but I slid onto a stool just the same. “This is fine.”

“You look ready to bolt for the door.” He snagged a tumbler from a glass-fronted cabinet then used the controls set into the fridge’s door to pour ice and filtered water. “Should I lock it, or can I trust you to hang around?” He offered me the drink, our hands brushing as I took it. A smile quirked his mouth, and he snapped his fingers. “Oh. Almost forgot.”

While he dug through the contents of a paper bag on the counter, I accepted my fate. I wasn’t going anywhere. Not yet. “We need to talk.” I took a sip, wincing where he couldn’t see it. Plain water was just so…plain. “You owe me some answers.”

“There.” He presented six curvy plastic bottles settled across his palm labeled with names like kiwi strawberry and berry medley. “I wasn’t sure what flavor you liked best, and the store here doesn’t carry your usual brand, so I grabbed one of everything.”

“My usual brand?” It was like he was speaking in tongues. “How do you know my usual brand?”

“I have eyes.” He dipped a hand into the front pocket of his pants. “I also have this.” He held up an empty bottle and wiggled it. “You never used the same flavor twice, and the cashier had never heard of orange-pineapple flavor enhancer, so I winged it. Is this okay? Will one of these work?”

I accepted the bottles and lined them up on the counter. Several of my favorites were present. “This is perfect.” I tore off the safety seal and squirted a few streams of crimson into my cup. “I appreciate your thoughtfulness.”

He rubbed his cheek with his thumb. “You couldn’t just say thank you?”

“No.” The way he asked made me think he was well aware of that fact.

“Huh.” He strode to the sink and washed his hands then donned an apron. Women want me, cows fear me was written in bold red letters on a black background. “I’d heard fae were funny about thanks, but you’re the first I’ve really spent time around.”

He’d befriended a water sprite as a young man, but she was gone now, and she hadn’t survived so long among wolves by giving away her secrets.

“Oh, it’s very real.” I had collected several and had yet to use any of them. “Thanking the fae is never a good idea. Avoid it at all costs.”