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Her throat burned from all the cuss words she was holding back. “I guess, being a mixologist who makes seven figures a month doesn’t qualify as someone who can sit at a table with such affluent people. After all, what does it matter that I’ve beaten some of the best in tasting and can probably get a bottle of ’20 before any of you were told it existed. I’m sorry, I wasn’t born with a silver staff shoved so far up my ass I can taste it.”
The silence was so thick it could be cut with a knife after she’d finished her small tirade.
“W-what?” Jake sputtered as he searched for someone to save him.
“Not many would say such work is something worth respecting.”
Someone said from the end of the table, drawing everyone’s attention. The speaker had hazel eyes and pitch-black hair. “But I find that my bartender has been my councilor, friend and business partner when I needed it the most. I would rather have someone steal my car than give him up.”
“Arwin, you’ve got to be joking.” This time it was a woman with brown hair and moss green eyes who spoke up. She shot Oye a disdainful look. “She has to be lying.”
“I think this entire conversation has grown boring.”
Another person cut in from the opposite end, it was Robert Renson. The rigid way he sat with his nose held high and his strawberry blonde hair swept back from his forehead reminded her of an unfriendly British lord. Giving Jake a disgusted look he added, “We should instead be talking about the activities the Napier family planned for us.”
Flustered, the guest quickly assented.
Oye relaxed only to pause when she noticed the look on Castian’s face. His eyes weren’t on Renson but Napier. The blonde was laughing at something one of his guests had said next to him. Absent-mindedly she thought he was handsome, but the more she observed him the less she felt that way. The way he looked at the woman he called fiancé put her off.
His fiancé wore her raven-colored hair in a low ponytail. She hadn’t moved or spoken the entire time they’d been eating. Every once and while she would look up, but like a skittish cat she’d drop her gaze back down to her latte.
Oye could immediately see she would be the one she could target for questioning; it was obvious to her that she and her fiancé didn’t have the greatest relationship. But even with that, it didn’t explain the way Castian was looking at him.
“Oh yes, I thought we could first do some horse-riding tomorrow. Followed by a tour of the undergrounds.” Napier said with excitement. He acted like a dog that was ready to serve his master. “I heard that you wished to have a party on the lake, so I had one arranged as well.”
“Tsk.”
Oye, laid her hand over Castian’s. She felt him flinch before he looked at her. She leaned over and whispered. “What’s wrong? You’re looking at him like you want to kill him.”
He leaned over and brushed his leaps across her cheek. Oye refused to acknowledge the tingling feeling that remained on her skin.
“Sorry, it’s nothing,” he said.
Drawing back he cleared his throat. “Tillon, is this the 17thcentury? Will we also be playing archery?”
“Torik, behave,” Tabitha warned even as she expressed her amusement with a small chuckle.
Castian ignored Tillon’s angry gaze. “My apologies, I just thought I wouldn’t be bored to death like I was in Veil City.”
“Maybe, it’s because of the company you keep that you’ve lost the taste for the finer things.” Tillon argued, attempting but failing to keep his tone clear of anger. “If you’re looking for drugs and whores—”
“Stop,” Renson commanded.
Tillon immediately closed his mouth, his cheeks flushed and eyes bright.
Castian squinted at him, before he slowly stood. The air around him was menacing even though he was smiling. “It looks like I’m not feeling the best. Let’s go to our rooms to get rest, Oye,” he said, putting his hand out for Oye to take.
“We will see you all at the horse-riding event,” Castian said as together they left the dining room.
“Torik,” Oye said, seeing that they’d left the other behind.
He didn’t answer. Irritated, she said his name again, “Torik.”
Once again he didn’t react as they walked up the steps. Fed up with him ignoring her, and sure that there was no one else around she snatched her hand out of his. “Castian.”
He finally stopped and slowly turned to face her. “What?”
She took a step back at the sight of his black eyes. “Are you okay?”
