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I gave him a questioning glance, wondering if he was referring to himself, but he wasn’t even looking at me. “There’s more?”
“Aye, I made a cobbler as well. It’ll be coming out of the oven soon.”
There was a soft roar in my ears as my brain tried to process Caleb the caretaker and chef. I had no idea he could be so domestic. It was doing funny things to my insides.
“What are we doing here, Caleb?”
“Eating.”
“No, I mean, this. You kidnapped me. But now we’re playing house?” I couldn’t bring myself to address the other elephant in the room. The entire reason he’d taken me in the first place.
“No matter what end this has to take, I won’t leave you uncared for.”
“What do you mean, ‘what end’? There’s only one way this is going to go, isn’t there?”
He looked away, his jaw set and stern daddy Caleb returning. “Aye. Only one.”
I pushed my bowl away, the few bites I’d managed sitting heavy in my stomach.
“Eat.”
“I did.”
“Not nearly enough. Do not make me feed you like a petulant child, Sunday.”
“Will you make airplane noises for me?”
“I prefer the train.”
My eyebrows flew up. “As in chugga-chugga, choo-choo?”
He glared at me, unamused. “Eat. Now. You promised you’d look after yourself.”
I gripped a hunk of bread and toyed with the idea of throwing it at him, but it was delicious and deserved better than to be used as a weapon. “Fine. But stop watching me. You’re creeping me out.”
When I still didn’t pick up my spoon, he grabbed it in one hand, lifting my chin with the other. “All aboard, Miss Fallon.”
I was too surprised to laugh. Instead I stared up at him and took the spoon. He lingered a few seconds longer, and I could feel his gaze as it traveled over me, but he eventually gave in and moved to clear the dishes while I finished my food.
I stood after I couldn’t take another bite, stretching and groaning from being more full than I had in days. There was no way I could eat dessert. Not without being in serious pain after.
“Can we go on that walk now? I need to stretch my legs.” Excitement hummed in my blood at the thought of getting outside, seeing the place he’d brought me to, and most of all, looking for a way out.
He nodded, tossing the towel he’d been using to wipe the counters into the sink and gesturing toward a coat rack near the front door. “Bundle up. It’s cold outside.”
I ran my gaze over the offerings, landing on a thin strip of faded black fabric. “I think you need a new scarf. This one looks a little... used.”
Something in him tightened, his eyes narrowing slightly. “It’s an heirloom. I don’t wear it.”
Feeling like I’d touched a nerve and accidentally insulted him by talking shit about a sentimental item, I shrugged and dropped the subject. Snagging a thick wool coat, I slipped it over my shoulders. I was still working on the buttons when Caleb placed a beanie on my head and started weaving a scarf around my neck.
I shoved him away when he tried to add a second coat. “Caleb, I’m not going to freeze. I have shifter blood, remember? We run hot.”
He frowned, seeming uncertain, before spinning around and walking outside without a word.
“Cool. I’ll just follow you, then,” I snarked.
Stepping outside, I was immediately taken by the beautiful night that greeted us. The air was fresh and clean, crisp with the barest hint of winter still lingering. The thought immediately brought Alek to mind. Winter was his favorite season, and now that I’d been to Novasgard, I understood why.
