"I've met Derek and from what I saw, he doesn't have faerie food unless it's on some hidden menu," Alec recalled. Derek's menu had been very mundane based, full of typical diner food. It had been similar to Taki's though the menu had not been as expansive, obviously.

"He had a lot to say about my mood," Alec said, shaking his head. Alec was well aware of his moods and didn't see any reason to change. He was focused and committed, completely and irrevocably, to his work and his duties. If that meant he didn't give off an aura of fun, so be it. "And then offered me a piece of pie."

The encounter hadn't started off very well but it had seemed to end on an even keel and it'd given Alec someone attractive to look at covertly. If Derek had sensed anything, he hadn't said.

"Maybe the Seelie Queen hadn't gotten her talons into her just yet," Alec said bitterly. Luke's description of the girl made her sound like an anomaly in terms of the Fair Folk but Alec doubted he'd trust any Fair Folk, no matter how nice and sweet they were.