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He guided me toward the table and stopped.
“Hey, I’m Anstice.” I turned my attention to the young woman smiling at me.
“Ah, hi,” I replied.
“That’s Jedrik.” Anstice nodded to the guy with blond curls, stark blue eyes, and ridiculously deep dimples who sat beside her. “And that’s Hack, Keir’s brother. Keir is my maite. My husband. You’ll meet him later.”
Hack had soft features and wide, round eyes with long, black lashes. He wore glasses and had a kind smile, which made him look safe.
The woman, Anstice, was exceptionally beautiful with flaming red curls, still damp from a shower, hanging over her shoulders. Her complexion was fair with the odd freckle sprinkled across the bridge of her petite nose. Her green eyes were intense and captivating and yet had softness.
She nodded to the floor beside her chair. “And that’s Finn. Loves food and hugs in that order.” I glanced over at the big, black ball of fur sprawled out on his side, his tongue hanging out and resting on the floor as he snored.
Kilter pulled out a chair. “Sit.”
I sat.
He picked up the plate in front of me and proceeded to fill it with scrambled eggs, several pieces of toast, bacon, sausages, slices of cheese, and tomato. Then he placed the heaping plate down in front of me.
“Frig, Kilter, even I can’t eat that much,” Jedrik said as he winked at me. “Don’t worry, you don’t have to sit at the table until it’s all gone. Some of us are normal.” He shoved the last of his bacon into his mouth and spoke while tapping his fork in the air. “Well, I for one want to apologize,” he paused, swallowing, “for not getting you out of that place. Kilter didn’t tell any of us he was going. He thinks he’s Batman and needs to save the day all by himself.”
“Quill was there,” Kilter muttered as he poured me a glass of orange juice.
“Only because you needed an explosive expert,” Jedrik retorted.
Kilter shrugged.
Hack said, “We could’ve helped.”
“Obviously, didn’t need it,” Kilter replied.
Anstice piped in, “Well, it’s done, so we’ll deal with the consequences.”
“Yeah, Waleron,” Hack muttered.
There were a few minutes of silence with a subtle tension in the air.
“Umm, who is Batman?” I asked.
Everyone’s eyes darted to me. Hack had his sandwich halfway to his mouth; Jedrik’s fork paused in midair, and Anstice’s brows rose with surprise. Kilter was the only one whose expression stayed the same.
“Superhero,” Jedrik said. “Bat cave. Bat mobile. Wears all black. Kicks serious ass.” I shook my head. “Not much TV in that place, eh?”
“Not really.” Anton didn’t allow me any newspapers or television. He said it would rot my mind with lies. More like he wanted to be certain he controlled what I read. The teachers he’d hired when I was growing up were given a strict protocol of what to teach me.
Jedrik grinned. “No worries. We’ll fix that. We have thousands of movies downstairs and a huge big screen with surround sound. Anstice can take you after breakfast.”
“I’ll do it,” Kilter said.
Hack snorted.
“Kilter, maybe she’d be more comfortable with another woman?” Anstice said.
Kilter shifted his food around on his plate, lips pursed together. When he met my gaze, he nodded to my plate. “Eat something.”
Everyone thought it was so easy to eat. Bite, crunch, chew, and swallow. Putting food in my mouth was like handing over the keys to my soul. It was easier to suffer. Safer. It didn’t hurt anyone but me, and it gave me control, something I’d never had in my life. The only time I lost that control was when Anton drugged me and forced food in me.
That was when despair was the greatest. Total loss of my life.
