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Still, I get up and park myself on one of the chairs. That same delicious smell enters my nostrils again, and I have to fight to keep the saliva at bay. Because I am not just thinking about diving into the food …
When I peer over the edge of the pan, it appears to be some kind of rice. I pick up my fork and spoon it directly from the pan. Her fork immediately busts in on me and slaps me on the hand.
“No stealing,” she says, raising a brow at me.
I throw her a look. And not just any look. The look. The one that predicts trouble.
But she doesn’t seem the least bit scared.
“Use the ladle like a sophisticated man,” she says, grabbing the spoon and pouring the food on my plate.
When she’s done, she leans back, so I do the same, still holding my fork like it’s a weapon.
“Go on … Try it,” she says.
I don’t trust this one bit when she’s looking at me like that, like she’s expecting something to happen.
“Is it poisoned?” I ask in the sincerest way possible even though I know my voice always sounds like that of a bear trying to attack you.
She makes a face, and judging by the look of it, she isn’t too pleased. “Wow. Really?”
Is that supposed to be an actual question or a rhetorical one? I can’t tell with her.
“No, of course not,” she adds. “I’m not like the people at the House.”
“We don’t poison people,” I reply, poking around to see if I can find something. “Poison is a woman’s tool.”
“Oh, is it now?” She scoffs, throwing me another deadly look.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen her this pissed off before.
Especially when she starts stabbing the food with her fork.
“It’s just food. Now eat,” she hisses through her teeth. “And enjoy.”
Wow. The last time someone spoke to me like that, I chopped their head off.
But I’m not thinking about that at all right now.
Because all I can focus on is her tits poking through the fabric of her shirt… and how badly I want to rip it all off and punish her for her brattiness.
I lick my lips and glare at her.
So much for control.
I sigh out loud and fork up a bunch of the food, shoving it into my mouth. I’m immediately overwhelmed by the taste as it sits on my tongue. This has to be one of the single most delicious things I’ve ever tasted. I can barely swallow it without feeling like I’m missing something.
“Do you like it?” she asks.
I look up and say with a low voice, “It’s good.”
A faint smile appears on her face, but it still excites me too much to keep looking at her, so I focus on the food instead.
“What is it?”
“Risotto,” she answers. “With the mushrooms and herbs you gathered. I used the alcohol and rice that was still in the cabinets … from the previous owner.”
I look up at her while she’s eating like it’s no one’s business.
“What … you mind?” she says.
“No,” I reply.
“Oh … but you thought I would,” she says.
I grumble to myself and take another bite. I’m not in the mood for this quibbling back and forth. She’s trying to lure me into an argument, and I don’t have the energy left for that.
If she wants to talk, I’ll shift the conversation elsewhere.
“Where did you learn to cook?” I ask.
She pauses with eating and looks up at me. “At the place I don’t ever wanna go to again … that freaking cult.”
I put down my fork.
Not because I don’t want to eat more. I do. I want to gobble it down and lick my plate and then some.
But the answer she just gave me put a knot in my stomach.
Because I know exactly what cult she’s talking about.
The Family.
The Holy Land.
Eli once told me about that place. It’s where she came from before they sent her to us because she committed a sin.
And it’s the place … I’m going to take her back to.
Chapter 16
April
We eat the rest of our food in silence. Soren hasn’t spoken since I told him I was from a cult.
I didn’t expect the conversation to drop dead, but I guess that happens when you talk about that sort of stuff.
I didn’t say it to be snarky. I just wanted him to know I’ve done a lot of things I didn’t want to do. That I was being forced. And that being with him like this reminds me of that place and those people there who wanted to confine me in the same way.
But I am not a girl who can be caged.
I’m a free spirit who will always fight to be able to spread her wings.
Whether it’s one man or a whole army, nothing is going to stop me from being who I am.
