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“Resisting only painfully prolongs the inevitable,” she added, her eyes wandering back to Famei, “I found that out myself the hard way…”
I wondered what the story of their union had been as I brought the branch to my nose, filling it with the ereni blossom’s divine and delicate floral fragrance. Pomona walked off, disappearing inside the tent just as Famei turned towards a cauldron that hewilledinto existence between us. Boasting a variety of exotic, freshly picked vegetables in his hands, he set to work as his gaze darted upwards to find me watching him. A smile curved his full mouth, bright and luminous against his dark skin that seemed to have a glow all its own. His accent was thick, his voice a warm baritone.
“Hungry? I’m going to make a traditionalYatólstew. Simple and quick but delicious and nourishing.”
My stomach grumbled in response before my mouth could, making Famei’s grin widen. Gentle giant, indeed. Similar to Roderick, he radiated warmth and kindness. So much so that he was unintentionally, disarmingly charming. It made it hard for me to imagine him doing anything other than nurturing those around him. Though I knew better than to assume such a thing.
“Do you mind if it’s spicy? I find thatYatóldishes aren’t quite the same without it.”
“I love spicy food.”
I tucked the petite ereni branch into the blouse of my dress as Famei set his vegetables down in a pot before turning back towards his miraculous garden and picking off a large, otherworldly-looking purple and yellow fruit. As he neared, its sweet, tangy, and floral scent had saliva pooling in my mouth.
“Here, you can snack on this while you wait,” he said, carving off a large piece of its tender flesh, dripping juices at my feet.
“Thank you.”
I plucked the piece from his fingers and popped the whole thing into my mouth. Its flavour - sweet, creamy, tangy, and floral - exploded on my tongue, causing me to groan.
I laughed both in surprise and complete awe. “Oh my gods.I’ve never tasted anything so divine.”
Famei beamed all the brighter, popping a juicy piece into his mouth before carving me a few more and slipping the large seed at its center into a pouch that hung on the side of his hip. “This fruit is calledbujera. It grows only in the mountains ofYatól, in the densest parts of the forest. It is my favorite.”
“I’m moving toYatólnow,” I joked, wiping juice from my face as I chewed.
Nakoa’s strumming was instantly cut short, eyes narrowing in my direction.
Famei’s laughter was warm and unrestrained, causing a pang of longing to spear through me… I could probably count on one hand the occasions I’d laughed so freely in the last… however many years.
Each of those occasions with Malekai.
Roderick, still in his lykos wolf form, appeared from between the trees and dropped a full-grown deer at Famei’s feet, who rewarded him with an affectionate side-pat.
Roderick padded over and, to my surprise, plopped down directly in front of me and placed his enormous head in my lap. His nose nudged my hand, only stopping when I finally began to run my hand over his head and ears.
Akash, his fur is like silk.
Roderick’s eyes slipped shut and I swear he grinned.
Nakoa’s gaze dropped at the sight of Roderick’s lykos head resting in my lap. His eyes narrowed at him before flicking up to mine.
Famei chuckled, rescuing me from his accusatory glare.
“How do you feel about that, brother? Perhaps she will find a good Orisha male who will be more than happy to remove those binds for her,” he taunted Nakoa with deceptively innocent mirth filling his bright eyes.
Nakoa’s gaze burned into me with an intense but unreadable expression on his face.
“If she wishes for someone’s death, she need only ask.”
“You can’t be serious,” I huffed.
Nakoa, carrying me in his arms, hummed his pleasure at my protest. Again, it was a lighthearted sound… Making me wonder, if we weren’t each other's greatest enemies if this is what he would be like. Lighthearted and playful…
He strode into his canvas tent, a large but singular pallet of furs lying in the center of it.
“What’s the matter, princess? I don’t mind how loudly you snore.”
“I do not snore.”
