“I’m not lurking,” he replied dryly.

“You’re standing just out of sight, keeping watch. I don’t know if there could be a better example of lurking than that,” I replied. “Or I could come out there. Not sure how relaxed I would be in...” I grinned as Kieran appeared in the doorway. Walking over to the corner of the room, he dropped into the chair and looked at me. I gave him a little wave. “Hi.”

“Hi.” He stretched out his long legs, loosely crossing them at the ankles.

I stared at him. He stared at me. I picked up the small plate from the platter. “Cheese?”

A faint grin appeared as he shook his head. “You’re going to make this weird, aren’t you?”

“I offered you cheese.” I placed the plate back on the bed. “How is that making anything weird?”

“You waved at me.”

I crossed my arms. “I was being polite.”

“The fact that you’re being polite is also weird.”

“I am always polite.”

Kieran lifted his brows, and I didn’t need to read his emotions to sense the incredulity.

“I was going to offer you the last of the chocolate, but you can forget about that now.”

He laughed as he leaned back. “So, what are you more uncomfortable with right now? The fact that you tried to feed from me, or that I saw you naked—though I saw a lot more than that—?”

“You really don’t need to bring any of that up,” I stated, glaring at him.

“Or is it the Primal notam?”

“I’m regretting inviting you in here,” I muttered. “Honest? All of it makes me a bit uncomfortable.”

“You don’t need to worry about how you were when you woke up,” Kieran told me. “It happens.”

“How often have you really had someone try to eat you upon waking up?”

“You’d be surprised.”

I opened my mouth to ask for details but then closed it, thinking it was probably a road I really didn’t need to travel right now. “I don’t know what to think about any of this.”

“It’s a lot. A lot has changed for you in a very short period of time. I don’t think anyone would know what to think.”

I peeked over at him, wanting to know how he felt about the whole thing, but I really wanted to know if we had somehow communicated without speaking. “I—”

“Let me guess,” he said. “You have a question.”

I frowned as I crossed my arms over my chest.

“What?” He glanced over at me.

“Nothing.” I exhaled heavily. A moment passed. “Kieran?”

“Yeah?”

“I have a question.”

He sighed, but there was a slight curve to his lips. “What is your question, Poppy?”

“How do you feel about the notam?”

He was quiet for a moment and then he asked, “How do I feel about the notam? What do my people think? They are amazed. They are awed.”

“Really?” I whispered, picking up one of the pillows and hugging it to my chest.