AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Please. Eat.” Marienne said, and I reached for the closest thing, a pot of jam and a plate of warm bread rolls.
I pulled open the bread and smothered the warm crunchiness in what smelled like fresh raspberries.
When I bit into it, I groaned. “Wow. That’s amazing.”
Marienne smiled. “Our cooks are talented.”
I took another bite and managed to swallow before saying, “I’ve worked in restaurants for ten years, and this is top quality.”
“Try some of the meat,” Anthony said, gesturing to the platter not far from me. “It’s impressive.”
I dug in, eating as much as I would on Christmas Day, enjoying both the flavors of the food, and the simple questions they asked about my work and my family.
“So, how far is my apartment from here?” I asked, glancing at Anthony, then Marienne. “I mean... assuming I believe your story about dragons and flying me here, which I can’t believe I’m saying out loud, but how far is it to home?”
I laughed to show I was joking, and Marienne looked at her husband with a secretive smile. “She sounds just like Lucy.”
“Who’s Lucy?” I asked, taking another heavenly bite of roasted sweet potato.
“She’s a human who married the king in a neigboring kingdom,” Marienne explained. “She was pretty shocked to find out that we existed.”
Um... okay. “And did her king save her from a bad guy too?”
Erik snorted and I looked at him in surprise.
He coughed to clear his throat. “No... Stavrok stole Lucy from her doorstep.”
“He... stole her?” I repeated. “Like, kidnapped her?”
Lucy... Lucy... that name sounded familiar somehow.
Marienne giggled. “Yes, exactly like that. She tells the story the best, so we’ll have to take you to visit her soon.”
I glanced at Anthony, then back at his mom. “Well, that would be nice, but aren’t you taking me home today?”
King Erik stared at his son and I glanced over at Anthony, a sudden sense of dread seating itself in my gut. “Anthony?”
Anthony put down his fork. “I was hoping you would stay here for a while. As my guest.”
“Well, I’ve gotta get back to work,” I said. Surely he understood that?
“Do you?” He spoke softly, though a little stiffly. “I mean... after the attack, can’t you call in sick for a few days, or something?”
I didn’t like being told what to do, though he was probably right. If I was home, I probably would have been dealing with hospital bills and police right now.
“Ah...” I glanced at the queen. “You want me to stay?” It seemed so improbable. Why would they want me here?
“We’d love you to be our guest,” Marienne gushed. “We have a telephone in the main office, and a computer if you need to give someone notice or let them know you won’t be in.”
I could call the restaurant and tell them I was hurt. Find out about Barry...
“I suppose I could. But I can’t guarantee they’ll give me the time off.” And I had bills to pay, just like everyone else.
Not to mention the fact that I still wasn’t sure I believed any of the stories I’d been told so far.
“Please stay,” Anthony said. “I’ll show you our town.”
I stared at him, the mixture of joy and hope that I always felt around him rising up to smother the dread.
