AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I wasn’t sure what to say to that, so I kept my mouth shut, even if the wolf was urging me to ask for help now. To hurry. But I couldn’t do either. Not yet. The fey took words very seriously, and I didn’t want to say anything or ask for anything that I didn’t have to. At least not yet.
I dunked the towel back into the bowl and was surprised to see the water just as clear as it’d been before. Where did the dirt go?
I glanced up at the fey woman. She was just watching me. I was sure this little bit of magic wasn’t anything to her, but it was impressive to me. I quickly finished washing my hands, and as soon as I was done, the fey woman clapped her hands.
Platters of food appeared, covering every inch of the table. My stomach rumbled, and yet I didn’t grab for the food. There were bowls of creamy things, yellow things with chunks of white and green. Roasted yams and carrots and other vegetables. Some other pickled cold vegetables. Cheeses and nuts and dried fruits filled one great copper platter. And then a pile of breads—sweet and those that I thought smelled faintly of garlic and cheese and spinach—were piled high in a large bowl. But no meat. Not anywhere.
“You may eat,” she said.
I considered her for a second. It would be rude to ask for meat when all of this was offered to me and I was a guest, but I was also a werewolf. We needed more calories and more protein than any other species in the mortal realm. But if I was going to ask a favor, I was going to need more information.
“What do I call you?”
“Rayvien.”
“Ray-v-ehn?” I asked to make sure I was saying it correctly.
She titled her chin down one time. “That’s right.” And the smile was back. The evil one.
“You’re intimidating me on purpose?”
“Not exactly, but it is a fun side effect.” She leaned forward and grabbed a piece of bread, swiping it through a creamy sauce. “Go ahead. The food at this table is okay for you.”
I looked at the rest of the tables, almost all of them had at least one or two platters on them. Most of it meat. “But the food at the rest of the tables?”
She put down the bread. “I’ll give you one free piece of advice because I find you amusing.”
“And what will that cost me?”
She leaned back in her chair. “Ah. So, Cosette has been teaching you.”
I didn’t say anything. I didn’t dare. I wasn’t sure where I stood with her, but I knew this was all very tentative, and I needed to save my favors for the big ask—more power.
“You don’t have to answer,” Rayvien said. “I know her, and even if she did cause quite a stir here a few years ago and I wouldn’t exactly call her a friend, I still would like to avoid her wrath. So, I’ll do my best not to kill you unless ordered otherwise.”
“Funny. I thought you said otherwise.”
She gave me the tiniest of shrugs. “It was fun, but I still can’t say much, except that not everything here is as it looks. You’d do best to pay attention to all of your senses.” She tapped her nos
e, and I would’ve understood her even without the completely obvious hint.
The smoke was intentional like I’d thought. It wasn’t as strong here, but I still couldn’t scent things fully. Everything in here smelled faint and dull and I had trouble telling one note from another. Was it yogurt or milk? Garlic or cheese? Safe or poisoned?
She glanced around the room and waved a hand. I twisted to see a server coming forward with a platter of meat.
Finally. This. This is what I’ve needed all damned day. The wolf had me reaching out before I could think twice, snatching a drumstick as soon as it was within reach, but just before my teeth ripped into the tender, juicy, perfectly spiced morsel, a scent hit me. It was barely there, but it was enough to make me pause. Enough to make my wolf pause.
I lowered the meat and looked to Rayvien.
Disappointment warred with laughter on her face—a unique combination I’d never seen before—but she finally tipped into laughter.
I smelled it again. It was almost sour, but meat didn’t sour like dairy. “Poisoned?”
“No. Not exactly.”
I didn’t know what not-exactly-poisoned meant, but I didn’t need to know. I dropped it on the table and reached for the water bowl and towel again.
“Wise choice.” Rayvien stood from the table. “Enjoy the food. I’ll be back. Do not move from here until I say.”
