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Eli scanned the ballroom, but it was packed. With her height, it was highly unlikely he’d be able to spot her. So he waited until it was time to grab a new tray and headed back toward the kitchen, through the crowd of people. He bumped into multiple shoulders as he went and made no effort to apologize. More than one person hurled an insult, but he just grinned in satisfaction.
The kitchen was a breath of fresh air. He had no idea why anyone would want to be squished together so tightly in that ballroom. Surely they would start clearing out soon and he’d be free to go home and rest.
Home. He shook his head in disgust at the idea of “home” being an empty cell. It had a bed, though, and his body ached. He was no longer used to standing for long periods of time. His healing wounds had depleted his energy.
Servers walked in and out of the swinging doors, dropping empty trays and picking up fresh ones. Other servants were quick to grab the dirty trays and glasses, wash them and then replace them to be filled with yet another round of food and beverages. The chefs were as busy now as they’d been when the prisoners had first arrived. There were no signs that this party would slow down any time soon.
Eli shifted the drinks around in an effort to look busy, waiting for Ali so they could sneak a drink together. A few more of these and he might not feel the pain, might not mind working a while longer. No one paid him much attention. He was wondering how long he could procrastinate when Ali burst through the door, looking distraught. Her eyes were red, like she’d been crying. She crossed the room in a few quick steps and exited through the door on the other side.
His immediate flame of concern grew worse when Nik followed shortly after her, yelling her name. He looked frantic, like he felt responsible for whatever was bothering Ali.
This guy doesn’t give up, does he? If he hurt her, I will kill him.
Eli stepped around the counter to follow them but was stopped by one of the chefs. He waved his hands dramatically and pointed Eli toward the door, gently nudging him in the opposite direction. “Go! What are you waiting for?”
Eli looked at the door to the hall where Ali and Nik had disappeared. He wanted so badly to follow and give Nik a piece of his mind, but there was a short balding man in a white apron preventing him from making his move, waving his hands in frustration.
He hesitated before taking a few steps backward. He turned around to go back to the ballroom with a fresh tray of drinks, shooting glances back at the door on his way.
What if he hurts her?
Right before he reached the swinging doors, another server stepped through, almost bumping into him. The drinks swayed before settling on the balanced tray.
“Here,” he said quickly. “I’ll take that and you take this one.” Eli traded trays with the new arrival and turned back. The other servant gave him an odd look, but didn’t argue. Eli tossed the tray on the counter and hurried toward the hallway before anyone could stop him.
It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the dark hall, lit only by a few flame torches spread far apart. He heard sounds coming from the end of the hall and tiptoed toward it.
As he got closer to the end of the hall, he could make out a few words.
“I want you so badly. Please,” Ali said. “I need you.”
His stomach turned, and he didn’t need to move any further. He shouldn’t be listening to this, but it was hard to drag himself away. He’d misunderstood. Something else had upset her, not Nik. He was the one comforting her now, a task that used to be Eli’s.
Their heavy breathing washed over him. He placed a hand on his chest, his heart pounding painfully against his ribs. His blood froze in his veins. He had heard more than enough. It was very clear from the kissing and sucking noises, the ruffle of clothing and shoes against the stone floor, that Ali wasn’t done with Nik. She wasn’t done with him at all. She had flat out lied to Eli.
Eli walked back toward the kitchen with his head hung low. He struggled to swallow the lump in his throat. How could he be so blind? How had he not seen this coming? He’d noticed their flirty banter, but it never occurred to him that she would’ve gone this far. What did she even know about him?
Nothing. She couldn’t possibly know anything.
Eli moved through the kitchen. Rage coursed through him, and he swept a tray of glasses clean off the counter. They crashed to the floor, several of the glasses shattering on impact. Their shards flung out in all directions and a few people jumped away to avoid having their ankles sliced. Heads whipped in Eli’s direction as he shoved his hands through his hair.
“What do you think you’re doing?” The same short, bald chef from earlier looked furiously at him. He grabbed a broom from the corner of the kitchen and hurried over to Eli. “Clean it up. Clean it up. Unbelievable.”
The chef thrust the broom into Eli’s hands and continued to reprimand him, his words jumbled and fuming. The man’s agitation did nothing to lessen Eli’s fury. He swept the shards of glass into a dustpan and dumped them into the trash.
“Ridiculous. Completely unacceptable.” The chef pulled out more clean glasses to replace the ones Eli had broken. “Try not to break these,” he said as he placed them on the tray and filled them.
Eli just stared at him with indignation. “No.”
He was done with this. He would not do this anymore. What would they do? Beat him again? Been there, done that.
“What did you just say?”
“No,” Eli repeated and tilted his head to the side, daring the chef to ask him again.
“You don’t get to say ‘no,’ boy. You’re here to work.” The chef turned red in the face, clearly fed up with Eli’s behavior.
Eli rolled his eyes. They couldn’t force him to do anything. He’d take whatever punishment they threw his way.
