If robots could get excited, this little one was doing it, lighting up and squeaking as it hurried off. “Everyone who can eat chocolate and not die will be trying it,” I said with a laugh.

Lucien leaned back in his chair, hands behind his head. “I heard chocolate was deadly to dogs. Are you trying to knock Shadow off?”

My lips twitched. “Look, I know firsthand that chocolate doesn’t kill shifters, but no lie, I did consider testing the theory on Shadow, especially when I first arrived here. Unfortunately, the bastard doesn’t eat.”

“Oh, I eat,” Shadow replied seriously. “My favorite meal is right here in this room.”

It took me a second. An embarrassingly long second.

“That shade of red is nice on her,” Len said. “Matches her hair.”

I wasn’t red from embarrassment, despite Shadow all but talking about eating me out in front of all of his friends. If anything, this public claiming of his was far better than love words, though I wanted those as well.

I was greedy.

The red in my cheeks was the heat of my arousal. It had hit me hard and fast, and with enough intensity that I was barely able to stop squirming in my chair. Shadow knew that because he knew the scent of my arousal.

Before I self-combusted or embarrassed us all, about twenty servers reappeared at our table, their arms full of dishes.

Wow. Shadow might have gone a little extra on dessert, considering half the beings here would probably have one taste and throw up or die. These immortals with their “energy transference” instead of food lifestyle were so dramatic.

The only ones at our table now were the main pack, all their hangers-on having disappeared back to their worlds. Which left just the seven of us to be involved in this dessert taste test.

Humans adore these? Galleli asked.

I nodded. “Oh, yes, chocolate is well loved. We have it in many different strengths and styles, but it’s always a hit.”

I leaned in and breathed deeply, savoring the scents from the closest plates and sighing at the rich cocoa that invaded my nostrils. “Looks like we have cake, mousse, dipping sauce, ice cream, and dark, milk, and white chocolate in an array of styles.” I lifted my head to see more. “Cookies, dough, crumble, and… oh my freaking god, they have doughnuts with chocolate sauce and Nutella filling.”

Since my arrival here, more and more human food had appeared on the menu. Shadow’s doing, of course, since he was the one controlling this space, and I couldn’t help but feel completely touched by all the little extras he gave without asking for thanks or acknowledgement.

Ordering one of everything had no doubt been for me as well, and I needed to do better in letting him know how much it meant to me.