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“I have no idea where you put it all,” Xael said with a shake of his head.

She flexed; her toned arms put mine to shame. “Right here, buddy-boy.”

“I’m far from a boy.”

I didn’t think she heard him because she had already grabbed Jax and was pulling him down the hallway by his arm. Xael huffed and trailed behind them.

I doubted I’d see the palace much, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to be anywhere near combat training, but I appreciated knowing I wasn’t entirely on my own or dependent on the guys to make it in this new world.

7

DISSATISFIED

RAE

Once I returned from the palace, Ash and Zeke showed me around their place, repeating that it was my home too and I could do anything I pleased. I wanted to argue it wasn’t my home, but denying reality didn’t help anyone.

It would take some time before I felt comfortable calling it home, but I’d still do my part around the house—if they let me.

“Ash, I told you it’s okay,” I said, batting away his hands as he led me from the kitchen toward the long dining table situated before a large window overlooking the lush forest. “Let me help with dinner.”

Zeke brought over a bowl of garden salad with familiar toppings from Earth—mushrooms, tomatoes, cucumbers, and sliced onions. He rushed back to the kitchen and started cutting berries to go in another bowl, lines of concentration etched between his brows.

“You might be okay with it, but we aren’t,” Ash said, stealing my attention from Zeke. “We’ve been trying to think of a way to make amends, and nothing seems good enough. At least let us take care of you a little.”

During the house tour, Ash and Zeke went into detail about what happened in Cholian. They hadn’t purposely abandoned me to the execution. The triplets had physically bound the guys with magic in the same way they’d bound my voice. The guys could only break away and come to me when the triplets were distracted.

I told them I didn’t hold their previous doubt against them. Did it hurt? Yeah. But knowing they cared enough to acknowledge it now mattered more. I hadn’t let go of what Cyn did, but I wouldn’t punish the others for trusting people who’d known them longer than me.

And despite their efforts, I didn’t need grand gestures to “fix” things. Knowing they cared enough to even address it went far beyond what I’d experienced from others.

Zeke set the bowl of berries on the table and dropped into the chair next to me. “I can’t wait for you to taste Cyn’s marinated gornak. He grills it since Ezra likes it that way.”

I remembered Ash explaining how gornaks were a lot like Earth chickens, but meatier, with claws and spiked crests. I wondered if they tasted like chicken, too.

“Grilling them locks in the flavor,” Cyn said, carrying a platter stacked with steaming meat into the kitchen through the side hall leading to the back deck, where I’d seen a grill earlier.

I still couldn’t get over the fact that the kitchen was Cyn’s domain. He’d had the entire space designed to his liking because he handled all the meals. Apparently, he’d grown up learning how to cook from the chefs in the palace and used the guys to taste-test recipes over the years.

Ash insisted it would be a way to find common ground with Cyn since I’d always wanted to go to cooking school, but I wasn’t so sure spending more time together than necessary was wise.

Zeke hopped up and went into the kitchen when Cyn placed the platter of glazed meat on the table. He rounded the long island separating the kitchen from the dining area and pulled a dish from the oven, bringing it to the table.

It looked like mashed potatoes, but I wasn’t sure.

Ash pulled glasses from the high cabinets above the kitchen counter, and he and Zeke finished setting the table before everyone took their seats: Ash to my right, Zeke across from me, and Cyn to his left.

I looked at the empty table setting to my left at the head of the table. “Where’s Ezra?”

“Behind you,” Zeke said, looking over my head.

I turned in my chair to find Ezra standing just inside the arched doorway between the kitchen and living room.

“Do you need something?” His icy blue eyes stayed locked on mine as he crossed the kitchen and took his seat.

“Not really,” I mumbled. “Just thought your food would be cold. They said it’s your favorite.”

He hummed, sounding satisfied with my answer.