Page 106 of Wilds of Wonder
“I have to apologize. I have to tell him how I feel.”
“After dinner, right?” Driscoll asked. “I’m really hungry, and I don’t want all the drama to cause a delay.”
“Driscoll!” I grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the door.
“What? You heard Aron. El does not tolerate tardiness. And I get grumpy when I’m hungry, so can you just wait until after dinner to make your big declaration of love?”
Dinner. It was in just a few minutes. Everyone would be there. Well, not everyone. Just those of us who’d arrived today, plus El and Aron. I hadn’t actually seen any of the other residents who lived here. Just heard them.
Maverick wanted to question El about the bolt. Maybe Driscoll was right. My declaration of love could wait until we found out exactly why El was harboring Spirit Sky’s lightning bolt.
Chapter Fifty
MAVERICK
When they said “feast,” I’d expected a little more. A long snake lay in the middle of the table, cooked, split open, its green scales glinting under the light of the twilight sky, visible through the glass ceiling above.
We sat around a long table, easily big enough to seat thirty of us, but with our small numbers, our group gathered at the very end, El heading the table.
The sleek black thrones that sat behind her were cracked in half, toppled to their sides, the stairs leading up to the dais broken and splintered. Overhead a chandelier hung sideways, threatening to tumble down at any moment.
A green, murky pond sat next to the thrones, laid in the ground, swans flapping their wings, splashing the water. Emory had been right. The king’s swans were still here, and they seemed so... normal. No sharp teeth or enlarged eyes or warped bodies. They looked and acted like swans, and it made me wonder about their lifespan. I hadn’t realized swans could live so long.
The chandelier swayed, creaking, and Emory gulped, gaze flicking upward.
Aron leaned over and whispered to her, “It hasn’t fallen in sixty years, so you should be safe.”
She gave him a small smile but glanced up at it again. I sat on her other side while Annalee and Driscoll sat across from us. Emory’s snowy alpine scent wrapped around me, and I balled my fists under the table. It took all my self-control not to reach over and place my hand on her leg. Our adventure earlier had been fun, but it had also reminded me far too much of our time as bone collector and white rabbit. Back when we had no chance.
“Snake.” Driscoll grimaced at our dinner. “How delightful.”
“Our resources are limited here,” Aron said.
El raised her hand, folded it in half, then shoved it up in the air.“You’re welcome to shove it up your ass.”
El might not have been able to speak, but she had no problem getting her meaning across.
Driscoll looked from Aron to me. “She just cussed me out, didn’t she?”
Aron cleared his throat. “El said that no one is forcing you to eat.”
I smirked, and Emory sent me a knowing look.
Aron reached forward and stabbed the middle part of the snake, using his bent fork to pry the meat from its body. Driscoll gulped, a look of horror on his face.
I shrugged and lifted my fork, stabbing into the snake as well. Roasted snake was common in Gilraeth. Not so much in the other courts. Those from Elwen preferred deer and bear, so Driscoll was definitely out of his element.
I plopped a huge chunk of the snake meat onto my plate while Driscoll just continued to stare.
“We have other options I can find for you,” Aron offered. “But you probably need your strength after our rigorous activities this afternoon.”
I choked on my bite of snake while El just rolled her eyes. Well, this was a new development. Driscoll and Aron. Together. Annalee shot me a sympathetic look that I hated. I didn’t need my baby sister feeling sorryfor me. I could be happy for others finding love, even if my own love life was in shambles.
“I think I’ve lost my appetite.” Driscoll pushed his plate away, then caught Aron’s eye. “Not for sex, just to be clear. We can have all the sex you want, Wolf Man.”
A faint smile lifted the corner of Aron’s lips. “Noted.”
“This is the weirdest dinner conversation ever,” I mumbled, and Annalee hid a smile behind her hand. “And it’s about to get weirder.” My gaze landed on El. I didn’t care if it was impolite to talk about this while eating. I couldn’t wait any longer. “We know you have the lightning bolt.”
