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8
“That doesn’t look like the knot I tied.” Asher’s eyebrow arched in challenge when I met with him after my training with Mr. T., who by the way, wasn’t in a good mood.
My face contorted as I glanced dubiously at him. “You didn’t really expect me to sleep with it, did you? I would be carrying my head on my other hand if I had.”
He chuckled. “At least tell me you had it with you most of the day.”
“Actually, I even showered with it. Only took it off to sleep, and then wrapped it right back this morning.”
“I’ll allow it. What did Kingston say when he saw you with it?”
“He growled, then said to mind your own business.”
That brought full laughter out of him. “And you didn’t even have to tell him it was me… I’m proud of that.” His hand landed on my shoulder. “Go get breakfast. It’s extra special today.”
“You are not coming with?” I asked, confused, and he winked.
“I’ll be there, but I have to go in with the guard.”
The guard… My eyes widened. “It’s Evie coming to breakfast?” I instantly cringed; the nickname had slipped out without thought.
“Princess Evanna,” he corrected sternly, the humor leaving him, and reminding me that he was an Elevated Warrior. “Donotcall her anything else.”
Shit. He was pissed. “I am sorry. It won’t happen again.”
Nodding, he sighed, glancing at me curiously for a moment. “I’ll see you inside.”
Right. I watched him walk away, clearly insulted by my disrespect to his princess, and part of me deflated. I supposed it spoke to how devoted they were to her, and how much they respected and protected her, but it also let me see that being with Evie here wasn’t going to be that easy.
Dragging a hand down my face, I headed inside the palace, cringing at the pain the mere movement of my arm elicited. Kingston had been extra eager to beat me up today, with his infinite “number one” rules. At least, I had kind of held my own...
Emphasis on the “kind of.”
When I entered the dining hall, almost everyone was already seated. I was late since my session had taken longer this morning, so I just hurried to the table where Quinn, Harvey, and the others sat.
“You are still alive. That’s progress,” Charlotte snickered when I sat next to her, finding a full tray of food already in my place.
“Was this you?” I asked, surprised to see the food was fetched for me. She nodded. “Thank you, you are a sweetheart.”
Smiling, she reached for her glass and lifted it just as Aaron returned to the table with a jug full of pink juice. “You have to try it today,” he ordered, filling my glass too.
“I prefer water or milk, thank you.” I had never been picky with food, learning at a young age that one should be grateful for whatever meal was placed on the table, but the juice smelled weird.
“Nope. Not having it. You have been avoiding it for days. Now, you drink it,” Quinn pressed, motioning for me to do it.
“Fine,” I grunted, taking the cup and lifting it.
The others chuckled when I took the first sip and my face contorted with the unusual taste. At first, it was a tiny bit like watermelon water, which wasn’t bad, but then it turned into a fragrant-like flavor. It reminded me of when one accidentally sprayed perfume too close to a drink. Gross. But it wasn’t until an unexpected aftertaste hit my tongue that my eyes widened.
“Holy hell! This is made from coffee cherries.” I blinked, shocked, and took another drink just to make sure. The flavor of the aftertaste unfolded perfectly on my tongue. Caffeine… my old friend.
“What? No, they arecerasus,” Aaron corrected, and reached for a fruit plate on the other half of the table, showing me the red and purple cherries that filled my chest with happiness. “There is a grove just outside the other side of the mountain. It’s the most common fruit on this end of the realm, so we use it for everything.”
“But it's mainly used for the juice, and the seeds cookie.”
I glanced at Thea confused. “Seeds cookie?”
Nodding, she pulled one of the round, granola-bar-looking cookies out of her pocket, showing it to me. It was the one I had seen Kingston eat. “The warriors eat this for endurance, but it is only made for them. I flirted with one of them, so she gave me hers. Try it.” She grinned triumphantly, handing it to me to take a small bite.
