Page 7 of An Empress of Fire & Steel

“That’s because I slept in Emara’s bed,” he said nonchalantly, ripping at the apple with his teeth.

A crash came from the sink as Gideon dropped a glass bowl against the ceramic, and Emara’s head whipped around to where he stood. Naya rushed over and placed a hand on his shoulder, moving him back from the broken glass.

“Relax, brother.” Torin threw a look towards Gideon’s back and Emara swore it was an imaginary punch to the back of his head. “That is all we did.”

Gideon whirled around and looked him in the eye. “I am glad you felt the need to clarify that.”

“Oh Gods,” Kellen whispered as he shrunk against his pine chair. “Here we go.”

“Well, I did want to clarify that for you.” Torin’s gaze was unmoved from Gideon. “Just in case you had a little cry about it.” Torin flashed an icy grin and chomped into his apple, unfazed. “We can’t have you tearing up before breakfast.”

Whatever had been going on whilst Emara gained her strength was now creeping into breakfast. Immediately, she wondered how many of Naya’s meals had been ruined due to a Blacksteel brawl. Probably too many to count.

“Couldn’t you have asked Kellen to stay with her?” Gideon’s chin dipped, his brows matching.

“Why would I do that when I can do it myself?” Torin’s brow furrowed; they looked so alike as they battled each other. A war between fire and ice. The scar between his brows, that had been so smooth during his sleep, was now menacing.

“Because…” Gideon began, his cheeks burning with rage.

Torin put his hands in the air. “I’m sorry, did I miss the part where father died, and you were anointed commander? Does my rank fall under you now? Oh, that's right; I don’t take orders from the commander's little spy.”

“You’re a horrible prick.” Gideon gave off a terrifying glare as he bared his teeth.

“And you are a coward that lingers in Viktir’s shadow.”

Gideon moved forward, fist raised.

“Enough!” Naya Blacksteel’s voice cracked like thunder through the room, and her hand swung up to stop Gideon from lunging at Torin. “This is not the tower. You are not in the Huntswood Markets, and this cottage will not be treated as such. This is my home. You will stop these verbal jabs at once.” She eyed down her boys. “Emara is sitting right there, and how you are speaking in front of a woman is downright disrespectful! I am sure the last thing she wants to hear is silly bickering between boys who should be acting like men.” She threw a firm warning look towards Torin and then Gideon. “Gideon, after breakfast, you will take to the spare room and try to get some sleep. I am sure Emara will not mind offering up that room for you to take some time to get your head down. Kellen, you will wash up, and Torin, now that you have fully rested”—her tone mocked him—“you will make sure Emara knows the grounds of this cottage. Help her get some fresh air.”

Emara stared wide-eyed at the small woman who bossed all three warriors without hesitation. And she was even more shocked when the boys sheepishly nodded back in response.

“Yes, ma’am,” Kellen whispered, brows raised.

Her authority morphed into softness again as she brought over a bubbling pot of camomile tea whilst Gideon placed out teacups. Gideon couldn’t quite hide the frustrations on his face the same way his mother could. With rage infused in his cheeks, Gideon placed a bowl filled with salted eggs onto the table, and Naya dished out warm bread on a separate plate. Torin grabbed a few slices of bread and then piled a massive amount of eggs onto his plate.

Emara scowled at the overloaded plate.

“What?” he said as his white teeth ripped the bread apart.

“Nothing,” she replied, taking a small piece of bread.

“Are you judging the size of my plate, Clearwater?” Torin’s brows lifted.

She looked over at everyone else’s decent-sized plates and then to him again. “Absolutely,” she scoffed, breaking up a little piece of bread and placing it into her mouth. She tried her hardest not to show how much her stomach was rejecting the food. She swallowed hard and it reluctantly went down. It would be incredibly impolite not to eat what Naya had prepared for her, especially since she hadn’t eaten anything she had brought her in days.

A corner of Torin’s mouth turned up in amusement and relief spread through her. This was a far cry from the pitying looks he had given her last night, when he had taken her into his arms.

She blushed a little.

“Maybe you should try some eggs. You are going to need to gain your strength back if you want to continue training.” Torin took the spoon and added a little pile of eggs to her plate. It was no match to the mountain on his.

Acknowledging that he was the only one treating her like she wasn’t about to break at any moment, she couldn’t help but appreciate the gesture. It was true that she might explode any minute, but she liked that Torin made her feel as normal as possible. It was a welcome change from feeling so lost, numb, and broken.

He slipped another piece of bread onto her plate with a grin, and she rolled her eyes.

Torin let out a laugh. “Oh, how I have missed that.”

“What?” She choked on the swelling of her throat.

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