Falling Between (The Vaettir Serial, #1) Read Online Free

Bastet was the cat-headed Egyptian goddess of warfare, but I didn't think Sophie was claiming to be a goddess. “Estus said that you're Vaettir,” I said, feeling extremely silly for discussing it so seriously.
    “We are,” she said simply.
    We passed through a large dining area and into a kitchen the size of what a large restaurant would have. There were large pots filled with boiling liquids on the industrial sized stove.  Sophie retrieved a large bowl and began filling it with what looked like beef stew.
    “I'm vegan,” I chimed in.
    She dumped the stew back into the pot irritably. “Of course you are,” she said with a touch of sarcasm. “Because a vegan executioner totally makes sense.”
    “I'm not an executioner,” I corrected. “You've all made a mistake.”
    “Whatever you say,” she replied as she began hacking away at a large loaf of bread. “Cheese?” she asked.
    I shook my head. “No cheese, eggs, or other animal products.”
    Sophie snorted. “Well that's irritating.” She opened a large, walk-in refrigerator and disappeared inside, eventually emerging with an armful of vegetables. She placed them on a cutting board and began chopping haphazardly. Within a few minutes I was seated at the large counter in the kitchen with an all vegetable sandwich placed in front of me. I knew that the bread was likely made with eggs, but the sight of Sophie wielding the large kitchen knife had prompted me to keep my mouth shut.
    I really was starving though, so I picked up the sandwich and prepared to take a bite. “How is our little executioner doing?” Someone whispered right beside my ear. No one had been there a moment before.
    I jumped and dropped my sandwich back to its plate, causing it to fall apart. I turned to find Alaric staring at me from just a few inches away.
    My pulse quickened as he swept my hair away from my face to reveal my neck. “You know there's no meat on your sandwich?” he asked, looking at my neck instead of my face.
    I scooted my stool a few inches away from him. He didn't seem offended. In fact, he pulled another stool up close and sat with his knee touching mine. I was glad that he'd at least found a shirt somewhere as he leaned against me.
    Sophie cleared her throat behind us. She sat near the door drinking a cup of coffee. I would have loved some coffee, but I didn't really want to ask her for anything else. I already had the feeling that she hadn't appreciated having to make a sandwich for me.
    Seeing my longing gaze, Alaric rose from his seat and poured two more cups from the pot Sophie had made. He placed one cup beside me, then sat in his original position.
    I sipped the coffee gratefully, feeling instantly more stable as the warm liquid poured down my throat, warming the icy pit that had formed in my insides. Alaric sipped on his own coffee as he watched me.
    I glanced at him, feeling increasingly awkward. “Do you have to do that?” I asked.
    “Do what?” he replied as he picked up a piece of my hair to play with.
    “Be creepy,” I replied as I gathered up my sandwich.
    He laughed and dropped my hair, but didn't scoot away. He watched me take the first bite of my sandwich. “You know,” he said. “A lot of women don't like being watched while they eat.”
    I washed the first bite down with a sip of coffee. With only vegetables on the hard bread, the sandwich was a little dry. “I don't care if you watch me,” I replied. “Just don't touch me.”
    “Well you two are obviously getting along,” Sophie quipped. “So I'll just let Alaric show you back to your room.”
    Before I could stop her, she stood and left the kitchen. I had to quickly close my gaping jaw as I turned back to Alaric. “Eat your sandwich,” he said good-naturedly.
    I took another bite of the dry sandwich and had even more trouble swallowing than before. It had seemed like a good idea to eat, but now each bite was beginning to feel like heavy lead in my stomach. I put the sandwich down