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“Oh,” I exhaled.
“I don’t think the guys would appreciate that as an excuse for why we blew off the meeting, though, as much as I would like to.” E.Z. grinned mischievously. “And Kaia Shortcake, you haven’t eaten enough. I need to feed you.”
“I’m back to being food,” I grumbled.
E.Z. leaned down and nibbled on my lips. “Stop your pouting. It makes you even more delicious looking.”
Thank the Goddess E.Z. hadn’t brought this level of charm last night. I could only imagine my reaction had he thrown in his usual dirty talk and expert-level charm. I may have embarrassed myself more than I already had— with all the panting and moaning and begging. My cheeks flushed just thinking about it.
E.Z.’s grin grew as he watched my face warm. He leaned in, kissed my nose, and detangled himself from the covers. Slipping out of bed, he rummaged in our pack and returned with a pair of rations.
“Hey,” E.Z. said, catching me watching him eat rather than eating myself. “You’re not eating. Don’t make me feed it to you. I will.”
I laughed. “Ok, sorry.” I took out a handful of dried berries and shoved them in my mouth, smiling wide and talking with my mouth full. “Eating.”
“Kind of wish you had made me feed you. I feel like that would be fun.” The grin implied a specific type of fun.
I flushed red. Even after having E.Z.’s hands roaming all over me, I was still not immune to his words.
There was a knock on the door just as we were finished eating. E.Z. placed his burlap ration bag on the bed, stood, and looked through the peephole. “Who is it?” he asked in a deeper voice than his own.
“The valet, sir. The room change you requested has been prepared. It is ready for you if you’d like to move.”
“What floor is it on?” E.Z. asked.
“The top floor, as you requested,” the man replied. He sounded young and had a different accent than the merchants and revelers from the fair.
“We will be right out.” E.Z. turned, his eyes raking over me. “That’s the signal. They’re ready for us.” He paused, taking in my pale face and my fingers tightly gripping Father’s chain. “Do you still want to do this? If you don’t feel comfortable or have changed your mind, I —”
“I’m doing this,” I cut E.Z. off, grateful for his concern but resolute in my decision. “I’m getting answers, no matter what I must do.”
He nodded, holding out his hand to help me from the bed. “Then let’s get you some answers.”
We both quickly put on our boots and met the man in the hallway, locking the door behind us.
“Sir. Ma’am. This way, please,” the valet greeted us. His words were polite on the surface, but something was off in his tone. It was almost mocking. He took off down the hall to the left without hesitation or consideration for if we were following.
E.Z. and I exchanged a glance. His warm palm rested on the small of my back as I fell in step with him. I did not know whether he did this under the guise of the Keeper facade or for more personal reasons, but it was a comfort, nonetheless.
At the end of the hall, the valet checked that we were following before pushing open the door to a flight of stairs and climbing them at a steady pace. He opened a room on the top floor with a key and pushed inside.
When we stepped into the room behind the valet, two men stepped into our path, blocking our entrance. E.Z. stepped around me, putting himself between me and the apparent threat. His arm reached back and curled around me, keeping me tucked behind him.
Putting my hands on his back, I peeked around his large frame.
“Milo requested them,” the butler explained, shouldering between the two men guarding the door and pushing them out of the way so we could enter. He gestured for us to follow, walking further into the suite.
E.Z. dragged us forward, drawing us into the space but keeping me tight to his side. His back was straight, his eyes sharp, like a caged animal.
The suite was much larger than the room we occupied downstairs. Two men and a woman sat at a small dining table, having an animated discussion over a stack of parchment. Forgoing the second seating area, another woman leaned against the far wall, not conversing with the others.
“Kaia and Ezra,” the valet introduced us to the room at large with a grand sweeping gesture of his hand and a mocking smile on his face, giving up all pretenses of being a valet.
The woman against the wall stood up straight and watched me with a focus that made me take notice of her. The tall brunette was stunning with her bright green eyes. She wore a form-fitting dress that hugged her curves through the waist, then flared around her hips before trailing to just above the floor. She would have stood out as overdressed compared to the men— who all appeared to have given no thought to their appearance except for the fake valet— except it was a simple dress. On another woman, it may have even been called plain. It was a light gray, classic v-cut made from cheap material. Ordinary. On her, it drew attention.
Maybe it was the boobs. The woman had really nice boobs, and they sat there so perkily on display.
Unlike the men looking between E.Z. and me with curiosity and apprehension, this woman’s attention and animosity were focused solely on me. She shot daggers at me with her eyes before sensually gliding across the room and disappearing into the doorway to the far left.
