Page 107 of Demon Food

But I heard it was lethal. That even if you wanted to fight, you couldn’t. A slow exhale of their breath and it turned any human into their docile prey.

“The meal I’ve had prepared will help, too,” he said. “Make sure you eat all of it.”

My gaze flashed to him. “What is it?”

“It is a soup made from the root of the excitavis flower.”

My eyes shot wide. “You’ve made an entire soup out of it?”

“You know what that is?”

“Of course, I know what it fucking is. I’m not stupid. It doesn’t work on me. It doesn’t work on every person, you know.”

The exotic excitavis flower, which grew near the northern shores, was coveted among the vultae. The root of the flower, when cooked, was the strongest aphrodisiac on the planet and worth its weight in polished rubies.

But the thing about it—a human had to eat it willingly. Not only that, but they seemed to have to eat it in a headspace of already blissful. Of adoration for the vultae. Excitement. Arousal.

For someone who hate-fucked their way through life, it only ever had the opposite effect on me. I once had a regular client insist I swallow an excitavis tincture—swore it’d be different with him—and I spent the next hour huddled into myself, hissing like a stray cat each time he tried to touch me.

It was for the Landrys of the world. It was not for me.

“If you don’t think it’ll work, then don’t eat it,” Neopal said, palms lifted. “We wanted to give you all of your options, and we thought since you helped Alek with his boar injury that maybe…”

I glared. “That maybe what?”

He parted his lips but hesitated to say, “That maybe you’d softened to the prince.”

It stopped me cold.

“Only you know the answer to that, human,” he said, shockingly tender. “If you have not, then disregard it. But there is no shame if you have.”

I tore my gaze from him, continuing down the hallway, unwilling to let him see what I myself had yet to even admit.

We turned the corner, and at the end of the hall was Alek’s room. I tried to take the next step, but something inside me faltered, staggering me to a halt like a stubborn mule.

Neopal stopped, too, twisting around. He parted his lips to speak, then sealed them shut, averting his gaze to the floor. “You’re frightened.”

“No,” I said, blinking at Alek’s door. “No, it’s not that.”

He stayed silent, waiting.

“You were the one to put my brother to sleep, were you not?”

I recognized that look on his face. I’d seen it before. A shameful pink was spreading across his cheeks. “Look. I know it’s not fair. I know taking your brother must seem cruel. For that, I am sorry. I wish there was another way.”

“You think I give a shit about your apology?” I asked, narrowing my gaze. “I don’t care what your wishes are. In fact, I hope it haunts you for the rest of your days. My concern is for him.”

He sucked in a breath.

“Promise me, he’ll be cared for. Look me in the fucking eye and promise me that. If you have any honor left in your body, you will not lie.”

He lifted his chin and met my gaze. “Human, you have my word that your brother will be cared for tirelessly. I will make it my personal duty.”

With no choice but to believe him, I found myself nodding. A sense of finality washed over me as I slid my gaze to the door once more.

My lungs filled with electrically charged air as I took my first step. And another. And another.

I pressed my palms against the door, creaking it open with all my might. It was there I paused, but didn’t look at Neopal as I said, “Take care of him.”