Shadow and Angel were not like me, though. Their pride was strong, and their need to remain dominant meant they could not tolerate anyone messing with the magical balance.

I, on the other hand, knew when it was best to just get out of there and thank the fates it hadn’t been worse. Hopefully, I could convince the others that there was no dishonor in all of us walking away alive.

Everyone at our table focused on their food after that. Unsurprisingly, Shadow, Galleli, and Len had ordered nothing, but Alistair did have a fishy stew, its scent interesting but not unpleasant. Lucien only got a drink he sipped at occasionally, which I assumed was blood, but maybe I was stereotyping vamps there. I actually had no idea what they consumed for energy, and I’d add it to my list of questions to ask when we had the time.

“Eat,” Shadow ordered, interrupting my observation of the table.

“Yes, sir,” I smartassed, snapping my heels together.

His eyes held a warning, but there was no fixing me at this stage, so I smiled cheekily and went to work on the multiple meals I’d ordered. As optimistic as I was, there was still a chance tomorrow was our last day, so I’d chosen all of my favorites.

Once I started to eat, I found I was ravenously starving, stuffing my face until I felt like I was about to burst. Leaning back, I sucked in a deep breath, my lungs mildly uncomfortable by how full my stomach was.

Len let out a low burst of laughter. “That was damn impressive,” he said, shaking his head like he couldn’t believe what he’d just seen. “I knew shifters could eat, but… where do you even put it all? You’re tiny.”

I tried to smile, but I was just too full. My eyes had been bigger than my stomach and now I was paying for it. When my gut swirled, I wondered if I might vomit up everything. I must have gone a little green, because Shadow reached out and brushed a hand over my braid, the soothing heat of his power settling my stomach.

“Would you like dessert?” he asked, his voice vibrating with humor, even if his face didn’t show it.

I thought about it. Despite what Shadow had just done, dessert would probably push me over the edge again.

“I’d like to try chocolate,” Angel said suddenly.

My head snapped toward her. “Seriously?”

She nodded. “I feel this is the best time to give human food one last chance.”

Great, so she had that ominous feeling too.

“You’re right, there really is no better time,” I said.

Shadow waved a few of the robots over. “We need chocolate,” he told the closest one. “Bring everything you have that’s made from the chocolate of Earth. Cake, bars, drinks—all of it.”