Page 59 of Elven Throne

“Here.” Rebecca turned slightly toward him and offered him the plate. “It’s actually pretty good.”

His and Annie’s reacted instantly and violently.

Maxwell practically cowered away from the plate, his boots grinding in the dirt as he shifted his entire body away from her on the log and bowed his head, averting his gaze.

“No,” Annie hissed, reaching toward the plate as if Rebecca had just tried to pick up a rattlesnake by the tail.

But then the woman pulled herself back together, straightening again and lowering her arm at her side.

“That’s foryou,” she said, dipping her head, gray eyes flashing with a warning burst of silver light. “It doesn’t matter how great your people’s need, and I’ll only say this once. If you’re not the only one eating from that plate, wewillturn you out.Allof you.”

Was she fucking serious?

Glaring up at her, Rebecca made a point of lowering the plate to her lap again and said nothing.

If she moved at all, if she so much as breathed, she didn’t think she could stop herself from shoving her Bloodshadow spear straight through Annie’s belly, andthenwhere would they be?

After another brief moment, Annie’s warm smile returned. The fervent warning in her demeanor and expression and behind her eyes disappeared, replaced by the same glowing, hospitable joy she’d worn like a mask when she’d first approached.

She offered Rebecca a nod of satisfaction, then spun around and walked with a slow, determined confidence toward the center of the yard and the gathering taking place now. Shade members and pack shifters having themselves a grand time now that a hearty, home-cooked meal had been served.

To everyoneelse.

That just made her furious all over again.

Whatever was going on here, there was clearly no loophole for receiving Maxwell with the same treatment as everyone else. Or any treatment at all.

What the hellwasthis?

She turned toward him and found the shifter still turned away from her, his body facing the opposite direction, head still bowed so low, his chin nearly touched his chest. Almost as if he’d fallen asleep sitting up on this log.

“I’m gonna need an explanation for what just happened,” she murmured. “Becausethatwas total bullshit.”

With a heavy sigh, Maxwell turned slightly back toward her, his jeans rustling and snagging on the log’s bark. He lifted his head only enough to make himself heard. “Breaking pack law here, even as a guest, is one of the greatest insults possible. She was not bluffing. They will retract the offer if you do anything like that again. Try to ignore any concern for me while we’re here.”

Then he nodded with a weak jerk of his head toward their operatives scattered around the yard, with heaping servings of food on paper plates in their hands. “Theycannot afford to be turned out again.”

She knew he was right. If Shade couldn’t catch a break when they needed it most—and they certainly needed it—they wouldn’t last much longer. Honestly, they’d fall apart.

But that still didn’t cover the finer details of this situation that made no sense at all.

No, shecouldn’tjust put aside her concern for him like it was a damn outfit she could fold up and tuck neatly into a drawer for later.

“So you’re just not gonna eat it all?” she asked. “For a wholeweek?”

He still refused to look at her when he muttered, “I’ll be fine.”

Now his voice lacked every last sliver of its usual confidence or growling surety.

Rebecca scoffed. “I don’t care how good you are at what you do. You still need fuel like all the rest of us.”

“A shadow needs nothing.”

He evensoundedcompletely broken.

She knew, even before he turned away from her again, that this brief moment of interaction was over. Simply uttering those words had cost him more of himself than she could fully understand.

And now, he’d clammed up again even more fiercely than before, his jaw muscles clenching as he donned that stoney mask of apathy again and tried to act like none of this affected him.

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