Page 65 of Manacled Hearts

“Oh wow!” I can practically hear the drool pooling in Madds’ mouth.

Can I blame him? Food is nothing more than sustenance to me, no matter what it tastes like, it’s all the same to me, because it serves only one purpose. But this smell… Christ, what is that?

We advance and head straight to the kitchen, the aroma drawing us in like hypnosis, and we’re powerless to its charms.

“Hey guys!” Morrigan spins in the barstool to face us.

We both wave, but Madds goes straight for the cake sitting on the kitchen island. What is that flavor? It smells divine.

Divine?

What the fuck is wrong with me?

It’s just cake.

Mamaw June comes out of the pantry, and my fellow giant only has time for another quick wave before he cuts a piece of the dessert, slaps it on his plate, and digs in. The moan that follows raises some brows in the room and a chuckle from Morrigan.

“I can die happy now,” Madds mumbles through bites.

“Eat like that and you’ll definitely die.”

“Shut up, prude. Go back to your plain oatmeal like a damn heathen. Who eats plain oatmeal?” He shakes his head.

“It’s just food. It does the job it was meant for.” I shrug.

Yet, I can’t take my eyes off that cake. It looks so good, but the smell it infused this house with is downright decadent.

I’m exaggerating. It’s just cake. It will taste like cake. Nothing special.

Okay, maybe just one bite?

“Go on, Finnigan. I know you’re not a sweet person, but it won’t hurt to try it,” Morrigan coaxes me.

“Fine.” I pretend to agree reluctantly, because honestly, when I actually see the cake up close, I couldn’t stop myself even if I tried.

Mamaw June cuts a slice and slides it over on the kitchen island. I dig the dessert spoon into the sponge, bringing it to my mouth still thinking it likely smells better than it tastes, but the moment it touches my tongue, I’m seeing fucking stars. Walnut, coffee, and something I can’t quite pinpoint fills my mouth with something so akin to ecstasy, I burst into goosebumps.

Jesus Christ, this is incredible. The soft and light coffee cream, the walnut sponge, the crunchiness of the actual walnuts… it’s unreal.

Is rum the mystery flavor?

I take three more bites, one bigger than the last, and confirm in triumph. Definitely rum.

“I have never, ever, seen you enjoy dessert quite this way.” I hear Morrigan’s remark next to me, just as I swallow another bite and repress an embarrassing moan.

“Mamaw June.” I look up at the woman across the island, wiping the top. “You have outdone yourself. I’ve never eaten anything as good as this cake.”

The woman laughs and shakes her head. “I can’t take the credit, son, it’s all Evie.”

I must have been chewing too loudly and not heard right, because I think the woman said Evie baked this cake.

But then she turns her attention to her left, somewhere beyond me, with an all-knowing look in her eyes.

No, this is not happening.

“Hey Evelyn,” Madds greets her.

I’m too stunned to move. Or chew. The only shift in me is the blood rushing in all the wrong places, like my damn head because I’m getting a headache. But then there’s my chest, and the sudden hollowness in my stomach… the anticipation, the curiosity.

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