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Once more, I knew I should say no, but I didn’t bother arguing with myself. What was the point?
“We might need a bigger table,” I said, standing aside. “Another chair, too.”
“On it,” Mad Dog said. “Lemme set these down, and I’ll grab those.”
It shouldn’t have been a big deal, and yet it was so nice, just the three of us sitting around two tables pushed together, enjoying each other’s company as we ate. Everyone was stuffing their face, of course, but Mad Dog and I were outpacing Darla, as was usual for shifters.
“I’m in love with the food here,” the psychic said as she pushed her plate away from herself. “I’d marry whoever cooked this on the spot if they asked.”
“Oh, really?” I teased between bites of a meaty pastry. “Poor Oren.”
“Are you kidding me? He’d want to marry them, too. Maybe we could be like the north and have one of those multi-partner marriages.”
“Why not?” Mad Dog asked. “As long as they cater both your weddings, I doubt any of your friends would be mad about it.”
“Exactly.”
They continued to banter back and forth while I sat back, still eating plenty. I hadn’t noticed it before, but Darla was now dressed in casual clothes—nothing too fancy, like the traditional dress I’d seen her don once or twice, and not her uniform.
But naturally the psychic caught my eye and smiled. “I’m going to see about sneaking my way into Merrik proper to shop for something nicer. Appearance seems to be pretty important here, and if I’m going to be useful to our captain, I think I’m going to need to look socially adept.”
I nodded, but then she continued.
“Would you like to come with me? We’ve never gone shopping together before.”
I knew she was fully prepared to argue if I refused, the gears in her head already turning, so instead I just smiled. “Sure. Sounds fun.”
“Look, I know you think… wait, what?”
“I said sure, sounds like it’d be fun.”
Darla stared at me like I’d just announced I was going to become a cabbie in the capital, and Mad Dog broke into large peals of laughter.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone blindside our psychic outside of a life and death situation,” he said once he calmed down. “Oh, if only you could see your face right now.”
“I don’t need to see my face, I can feel it,” Darla said before recovering. “But great! Maybe we could head out in an hour or so? After you shifters finish inhaling your impossible amounts of food.”
“Hey, we’re just happy to not have to ration ourselves. Do you really think we’d eat our full outside of celebrations at the fort? There’s no way they’d be able to keep up with demand considering how many shifters there are.”
“I guess I always assumed you were all eating your fill every meal.”
“Not by a large margin.”
“I did with some meals,” I said. “But usually only if I hadn’t eaten the rest of the day.”
“Huh, the more you know.”
I nodded, and we continued eating up until I couldn’t resist asking a question of my own. “Have either of you seen Kai or Oren today?”
If I was being honest, I’d fully expected Kai to end up in my room, at least just to kiss me good night. But nope, I hadn’t seen hide nor hair of him since he arrived. Everyone was finally listening to my long-ignored pleas to be left alone, and ironically, it was disconcerting.
“I haven’t seen either of them yet. But once I do, I’m gonna get a clear explanation of what my orders and duties are here. We’re supposed to be helping Fort Canid and the war in general, right? Can’t see how by just sitting around lookin’ pretty.”
Darla and I exchanged looks but didn’t say anything, which allowed the conversation to naturally drift out. When Mad Dog and I finally finished our food, Darla looked at me.
“Ready to go?”
I nodded but was surprised when Mad Dog cleared his throat. “I recognize this is probably a girls’ trip, but would y’all mind if I walked you out of the palace grounds at least? Give me a chance to spread my legs and get the lay of the land without just walking around and gawking.”
