Page 90 of Kingdoms of Night

She swallowed hard, but her throat had already turned thick. More tears pressed against the backs of her eyes, stinging like nettles.

“They’ll probably be glad I’m gone, really. I think they were afraid I’d make a scene. Nothing could ruin the big day. I make things uncomfortable for people. And I don’t know how to not. At least I was lucky enough to get sucked through a portal without causing a disturbance. They’ll still probably blame me. But it doesn’t matter really.” She nodded toward the bark bowls. “Here, now drink this. It’ll help soothe your stomachs and neutralize any poison.” She folded her arms. “This works on any blood- or bile-based poisons. And it’s the best cure out there for food poisoning.”

The wolves eased forward. Hawthorn took a tentative sniff as Buttercup tasted it. Then both drank the contents of the bark bowls.

She rubbed her arms as she stepped back. Her wrists and forearms ached as did the soles of her feet. Once they were safer, she needed to see to that. Once Lalko was safe.

The energy here from this world was similar to hers but just different enough to be uncomfortable, especially as she kept using it. The snake vines had been a warning. Whenever one was on a new world, one had to get acclimated to the world’s energy, to its voice and patterns. She’d been careless, mostly because it had been so similar to her own. But if they were going to be here for any length of time, she needed to get smarter about this.

Chamomile and peppermint were some of the easiest herbs she could summon up. So easy they and others like them barely took anything. Yet the creeping vines had been far more difficult. Maybe this world was mocking her and calling her a tea maker as well.

She lifted the lid of the teapot to peer inside. There was still about half a pot. It seemed to be holding the tea at the perfect temperature. Another good thing. Lalko would love this teapot. And of course she’d ask her to make tea. Of course she would. Why wouldn’t she?

It would be worth it if she was back safe and sound. More tears forced their way through. She tried to choke them back, but they refused to be denied.

Someone cleared a throat behind her.

She turned sharply. Feron.

He’d gotten dressed, his garments frayed and marsh stained. He rubbed the back of his head, his expression more sheepish than she’d ever seen it. “I didn’t mean to be so rude.”

No! He couldn’t see her cry.

She turned away from him and dashed her hands across her eyes. “I don’t want to talk with you right now.”

“I don’t think you’re just a tea maker. I mean you did just make vines come out of the ground, which was helpful, even if I have no love for magic. And I’m sure your tea is good, to people who like that sort of thing. You aren’t a failure.”

She recoiled. She hadn’t been shouting or talking loudly. “How did you hear that?”

Still rubbing the back of his head, making his ash-blond waves dance, he looked away. “I’m a werewolf,” he murmured. “And Hawthorn and Buttercup were worried about you.”

A—? She blinked, trying to process this. Hawthorn and Buttercup were wolves, and he was a shifter. “What’s a werewolf? It’s not a shifter?”

“I can Change into what my people call a werewolf, or Change some of my features to a wolf’s.” He stared at her as if this should be obvious.

Well, it wasn’t.

“So you heard what I said?” Heat flashed through her. Even worse than his seeing her crying was hearing everything she’d just said. Served her right for talking out loud. What had she been thinking? Of course there was a chance he could hear!

He nodded, his expression a little more sheepish. “I didn’t intend to eavesdrop. I can just hear from a much greater distance than humans can, whether I want to or not. And Hawthorn and Buttercup were worried. They told me you were upset.”

“Told you?”

That was—it figured, but this was too much. She turned her back on him, picked up her bag, and strode away. More than enough humiliation for one day, thank you.

“Where are you going?”

“I need to be alone for a bit.”

“Just—don’t go off mad. Or sad. Is it because I didn’t drink the tea?”

She waved him away and continued toward one of the greener hills in the forest. Why couldn’t he take a hint? She might not be able to walk far without triggering the spatial loop, but what space she could have she wanted.

But no. That was too much to ask. He couldn’t even give her this.

“Idalno, it’s dangerous. Wait.” He followed after her, the magic teapot in both hands. The wolves trailed behind him. Talking, probably. Somehow.

She wasn’t going to look back, though. Eventually they’d get the hint. She continued on, moving past the thicker clumps of trees and out into the greener clearing. Whatever was on the other side of that hill, she’d get there, take stock, calm down, and determine a better course of action.

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