Page 58 of The Hunted

He waved the fork over the dish made up of cooked fish and fresh vegetables from the garden drowned in a sauce he couldn’t place but had his taste buds singing. Eryx said to the servant, “Give the cook my regards. This was well worth the wait this morning.”

“Yes, sire.”

Glancing up, he found the woman was still standing there. “I’m not done.”

“Of course, there’s just … you have a guest waiting for you in the front rooms. I didn’t want to interrupt you again, but he—”

“Insists,” Eryx muttered, already annoyed.

He didn’t even need the woman to announce his guest properly, or tell him who it was, because he already knew. Unfortunately, that meant his decent morning after a night where he’d gotten very little sleep because all he could hear was the goddamn sea was about to get worse, and fast.

“Make him wait until I’ve finished my breakfast,” Eryx said with a wave of his hand. “At least allow me to eat before he makes me lose my appetite.”

“I could have Mister Malsem send him away, Prince.”

“That won’t work, believe me.”

“Um … if you say so.”

“I do. Thank you. Show him in after I’ve rung the bell to clear my dishes.”

The woman nodded, not saying another thing. For that Eryx was grateful. Nobody said he was a particularly great conversationalist. He wasn’t about to start changing that first thing in the morning when a meeting awaited him. Especially not when that meeting was with a man he didn’t care to even think about lately.

Eryx opted to savor his meal a bit more after the exchange. He even waited until the bright sun was a bit higher over the sea. The whispers of wind had taken the crumbs from his plate away before he rang the bell for the servants to clear the table and allow his guest in.

Mattue came to stand in the doorway leading out to the marble steps with his hands folded at his middle. The black, fur-trimmed cloak he wore billowed with the breeze that came along with the water lapping at the stairs.

Of course, Eryx should always greet someone first. He was royalty, after all. Mattue never cared for such semantics.

“Was breakfast so boring that I couldn’t even watch you take it?” the advisor asked.

Eryx fought the urge to roll his eyes. “Or perhaps it’s a new thing I’m trying out. Eating alone, and that sort of thing.”

“Mmhmm. I hate being left to wait, Prince.”

He didn’t particularly care how Mattue felt. Not when he knew there could only be one possible reason why the man was there. It certainly wouldn’t be for anything Eryx cared to hear or deal with, but that was the gift of Mattue that kept on giving. Even when nobody wanted it. He could somehow always find a way to worm himself into anything and stick there until he wanted to be removed.

The bastard.

“What do you want?” Eryx said in a sigh, not bothering to hide his annoyance at all. “Just get it over with, and then we can both get to the things we would rather be doing, yes?”

Mattue glanced his way, and then at the only other chair at the small round table. A silent request passed from the man, and although Eryx wanted to say no, he assumed that would only cause him more grief. So, he nodded, and the advisor took a seat.

“Seems the storm season has come a little earlier than they predicted,” the man said.

Eryx gestured at the sky above, replying, “And yet, today is a beautiful day. Not a single storm in sight.”

Right now, the good weather served his purpose.

“Yes, a rare treat,” Mattue said quietly. “But we both know how that tends to work, don’t we?”

“Or it could just be like everyone says, and the freak storms are simply warning us that the season will soon be upon us. You’d think after all these years, someone would have a handle on this. Oh, watch the weather … I don’t know.”

“Your attitude is strong this morning.”

“Have yet to have a proper drink. Let’s blame it on that.”

Mattue’s gaze met his. “But is that what it is?”