Page 73 of Tortured Royals

My senses heighten as I take in the dimly lit dining room, and the clan leaders all seated around a large rectangular table with Ivar sitting at the head. Moving in unison with the other servers, we all circle around the table, stopping a short distance from one of the clan leaders.

Ivar beams as he watches us. “And now, my friends, let us eat our first dish,” he says, projecting his voice. “Smoked Dasdende fish.”

On cue, the servers all step forward, and my mates and I copy them. I lean down, carefully placing the plate in front of Scyro from the Zetar clan.

The burly male sniffs me as I move toward him, and he lifts his hand as if he’s about to touch me. “Mmm and are the she-demons on the menu, too, Ivar? I’ve never cared much for fish, but give me a different kind of meal…”

My mates all tense.

“If he dares put one finger on you—”Alaric growls, but before Scyro gets the chance, I move back to my position a couple paces from his chair.

Scyro frowns, clearly not used to being denied, and he lowers his hand. I expect him to protest, but he only lets out a bellowing laugh. Everyone is staring, and I peer at Ivar, wondering if I’ve already ruined our cover. Before I can worry too much, Ivar smiles.

“I regret that the servers aren’t trained to perform those kinds of duties,” Ivar says. “But if you’d like, we can see that you’re well-tended to after our dinner has completed.”

Scyro continues laughing. “Sounds like a deal, demon.”

“I dare say, I don’t think Scyro realizes how close he came to losing a hand,”Dante muses.

“If he tries it again, he’ll lose more than that,”Alaric snarls possessively.

Satisfied that he’s diffused the situation, Ivar addresses the clan leaders. “Please enjoy.”

I’m surprised when Ivar is one of the first to pick up his fork and start eating.

“It’s not in this course,”I point out, annoyed.

I was hoping we could get this over sooner rather than later, but we stand there dutifully with our hands clasped behind us, waiting as the clan leaders eat their meals. As they enjoy the food, Gloria speaks up. “I still don’t understand why you’ve gathered us all here so soon after our last discussion.” She hardly touches her food, and I have to suppress my smile. The she-demon is smart and lives up to her reputation.

Ivar gives her a broad smile. “Well, my dear Gloria, that would be because this is a celebration.”

“A celebration of what?” she asks shrewdly.

The other leaders continue eating, but they peer at Ivar, equally interested in his response.

Ivar’s thin lips stretch wider. “As we speak, a group of assassins are infiltrating the castle and taking care of our little…problem. So it seemed a good time for us to discuss the next steps before we move forward.”

I tense, not sure whether Ivar is speaking the truth or not.

“You’ve alerted the king already,”Dante says to me.“He will be fine. Besides, the witch said she’d send the assassin after Ivar had taken care of the clan leaders.”

“That was before she knew we were listening,”I remind him. I want to believe Dad is safe. There was a time when I’dthought the demon king was near invincible, but that was before he became sick.

A few of the clan leaders look unsettled by Ivar’s news, especially Gloria. I can’t help but wonder if she was hoping Ivar wouldn’t be able to find an assassin to get the job done.

The moment everyone has finished the first course, we move with the servers, collecting the empty plates and returning to the kitchen. By the time we get there, the second course has just finished being prepared, and we’re soon on our way back to the dining room.

“Why would Ivar drag this out?”Mason asks as we move through the hallways, delicately made salads balancing on our plates.

“Ivar loves a good party,”Dante replies.“Perhaps, he’s enjoying entertaining the clan leaders this last time.”

“Or he’s gettin’ cold feet,”Nate says.“Let’s face it. It’s the witches who want all the clan leaders dead. Maybe he’s second-guessing their relationship?”

“It doesn’t matter,”I say.“He’s in too deep now. He knows he must kill them or the witches will likely kill the leaders and him as well. Maybe the first course was to build their trust and ensure everyone eats the next dish?”

“Blake, I have Scarlett and her mates following me through the city,”Shade’s voice breaks into the conversation.

I think of Scarlett’s three possessive mates. I’m not sure if it’s a good idea to have them around for the interrogation, but I can’t blame them for wanting to be with their female.“Great job,”I tell Shade.“So you didn’t have any trouble getting them to follow you?”

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