AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She is messing with your head. Don’t fall for it.
The clamoring of voices and dishes echoes through the hall as we near a large arched doorway. A small hand presses into my chest, forcing me to stop, and I suck in a breath as my heart seems to hum at the sensation. I grab the queen’s wrist as our eyes meet. The scars marring her wrist are rough. Pinpricks skirt my fingertips where my skin touches hers. I shove her hand away from me.
Dark, gray eyes burning with pure hatred come into my view. Nyx steps so close to me that our noses are inches apart.
“Don’t touch her.” His warning is stern.
“You should talk to her since she touched me first, General,” I snap back.
Nyx looks like he’s about to grab me, and I steel myself for the hit.
That’s right, show me who you really are.
“Nyx,” the queen’s stern voice halts Nyx’s movement, and I relax.
Nyx’s nostrils flare as his jaw flexes. A breath later, he returns to his spot beside Hiram, who looks oddly entertained by the whole scene.
“There will be one rule for you, Captain,” the queen says, drawing our attention back to her. “When you’re outside your cell, you will stay close to one of us. I trust these two with my life and yours.”
I make the mistake of looking over at Nyx and Hiram. Both have cocky grins spread wide on their faces.
“When we enter the dining hall, you will stay between Nyx and me. Understood?” the queen orders.
I nod before she starts toward the growing noise.
We step through the doors of the dining hall to a flurry of activity. People sit in mismatched chairs, carrying on conversations. The smell of parsley and rosemary mixed with something sweet wafts in the air as we cross the threshold, causing my mouth to water.
Eyes and heads turn in our direction as we enter, and the energy of the hall shifts. The crowd seems just as uneasy with my presence as I am with theirs. But after a pause, everyone returns to their meals.
I try to take in the hall, but my mind is warring with what I’m seeing and what I’ve been taught about Umbra. This is not like anything I’ve read. There are so many people here.
A shove at my back has me moving to stand in line behind the queen. In front of us stands a long table adorned with a line of food trays. Everyone is grabbing plates from a pile at one end and scooping portions before moving to the next station. I stare in utter confusion at the sight before me.
“Have you never seen a dining hall before?” the queen asks. She isn’t looking at me, instead watching her people.
She’s their queen, yet she waits in line with them.
“Not like this. It’s ...” I trail off, at a loss for words.
Nothing in all my years of studying and training in Lux detailed this type of community lifestyle in Umbra.
“Even monsters have to eat, Captain,” her voice drips with sarcasm, “we just choose to do so as a family. Together as one.”
We take a step forward and reach the table.
“Now grab a plate so you can eat,” the queen instructs.
“Don’t you even think about it, Your Highness!” an older gentleman yells, shuffling toward the queen. She tries to look annoyed but can’t stifle her laugh.
The man drops into a deeper bow than a man of his age should attempt, sweeping an arm across his chest.
“I already prepared your plate. Please take a seat at your table, and I’ll bring it out to you,” he says, rising.
The queen reaches out, placing a hand on the man’s arm and smiling so wide up at him my heart seems to falter.
How can a queen of shadows have a smile that looks like the sun high in the sky in the middle of summer?
“Forgive me, Pyke. What was I thinking? Will you please take the plate to my seat, and I’ll be there shortly? I’m helping our guest with his food,” she says, gesturing at me.
