AllFreeNovel
Share Us
My stomach growls and based on the way Riot’s eyes drop to it, I’d say it was as loud as it felt. “Come on. You need to eat something.”
“I told you?—“
Riot cuts me off by pressing his finger to my lips. “This isn’t negotiable, princess.”
His hand slides into my palm, linking our fingers together, and instead of sending red flags flying, my mind and my magic are calm. I let him take me across the hall, down a set of stairs into the kitchen, and to a small wooden table where he orders, “Sit.”
I do so more out of curiosity than obedience and watch Riot closely. He walks to the fridge and pulls out a basket of eggs. When he goes to the stove and turns on a burner, it hits me that he isn’t having the staff remake my lunch where I can watch. He’s doing it himself.
“Are you cooking for me?”
Riot sets a cast iron pan on the stove and stares at it, waiting for it to heat up. “Bash will have my neck if you pass out from hunger.”
He cracks two eggs into a bowl and whisks them to make scrambled eggs. When those are cooked, he puts two slices of bread in the pan to crisp and then tops each with a slice of butter when they’re done.
He drops the plate before me and grunts, “Eat.”
I glare at him as I take a bite, wanting his food to taste like ash, but the eggs are soft and seasoned with just the right amount of salt and pepper. The toast is golden, the edges a shade lighter than the center. It’s the best thing I’ve put in my mouth in days.
Riot watches me closely. My webs hum with whispers of curiosity, the vibrations intensifying with each bite I take. I lick my lips after a swallow and look at the sink. Perceptive as he is, Riot stands and pours me a glass of water.
“Vidya said I’m not supposed to be on the lower level,” I say because while thank you is in my vocabulary, I have a feeling that this man would hold the debt over my head.
Riot steals a bite of toast and smirks. “I know.”
Of course he does. I scan the room because looking at cookware and appliances is better than looking at him. It’s a similar setup to our kitchen in Divale, just bigger. Behind us, there’s a long hall connecting the kitchen to where I think the staff quarters are, but I can’t be sure. Not without exploring. “What else is down here?”
“On this floor? Just the kitchen and staff living spaces.” Riot licks his fingers, and I can’t stop myself from watching.
I grab my water and bring it to my lips. It might as well be room temperature as hot as I’m running. Remnants of Ezra’s curse must still be in my system because it’s the only explanation for the urge I have to replace Riot’s fingers with my mouth that makes sense.
“Is there more than one level?” I ask, trying to refocus my thoughts.
“Technically no, but the castle sits above a series of tunnels.”
“Where do the tunnels go?”
“A bit of everywhere. They were crafted as an emergency escape route, but over the years King Travers tailored their exits to his needs.”
I chew on my lip and read between the lines. The king wanted to go places he can’t be seen traveling to, like the dungeons or villages that aren’t supposed to exist.
Riot has given more information than I expected, but there’s a lot he hasn’t said, too. Things he might not be allowed to talk about.
“Ezra isn’t in the castle, is he?”
Riot shakes his head. “Your friend is too dangerous to keep in the holding cells but King Travers still wanted access to him.”
Him. Riot’s word choice drops like lead in my stomach. Either there are no other infected in the cells, or the Crown is targeting people. Both options make me uneasy.
“I thought you weren’t going to help me.”
“I’m not. I’m helping Bash. The sooner you’re out of Central Arcane, the better off we’ll be.” Riot takes an apple from the display bowl and bites into it.
“Why do you hate me?” I blurt, and my voice cracks. I shouldn’t care what Riot or anyone else thinks of me, but I do.
I hate that I care.
Riot’s head tilts like he hears something down the hall. I stretch my webs further, deep into the castle, until I find someone. One person gathering sheets from a hall closet twenty yards away. It takes me a heartbeat, but it clicks.
