Page 65 of Tales of a Deadly Devotion
Emrys took the seat next to me, forming a blockade between me and his brother. ‘I didn’tforbidyou.’
Gideon scowled over his teacup. ‘I’m pretty certain there was an implication of bodily harm.’
Ignoring the brothers’ prickly exchange, I dug into the breakfast that covered the table. Suddenly ravenous as I movedthe sliced ham, cheese and a pastry onto my plate. Emrys poured me a lemon tea before I realised I needed one. Then added another pastry to my plate as the brothers continued to bicker mildly.
Only it seemed the drama of the morning wasn’t over just yet.
‘Isn’t this cosy?’ Thean greeted as they entered the room wearing breeches that left little to the imagination. A corset sinched over a large white shirt that made their waist appear miniscule and forced their breasts up. Displaying a summoning rune on the curve of their bosom.
‘What do you want?’ Gideon scowled. Much to Thean’s delight.
‘I wouldn’t mind a crumpet,’ they grinned, sitting down next to Gideon, taking two crumpets off the plate and reaching for the butter.
It was only then I realised their familiarity. Gideon knew Thean just as well as Emrys did. Of course – Thean had known Emmaline too.
I was disturbed from that line of thought as William entered the room with a rattle of the tea tray, catching my attention, still flushed.
‘Good morning, William. I thought I heard a racket upstairs.’ Thean smirked.
‘Poor William walked in on Kat dressing,’ Alma added sharply as she followed behind him, giving the voyav a look that could have flayed skin.
‘A locking charm wouldn’t have gone amiss,’ William grumbled, taking a teacup off the tray and holding it out to me. ‘Here, Kat, I made a new nettle healing tea.’
‘Thank you.’ I swallowed my mouthful of breakfast and took the cup from him. Anything to make him forget what he’d seen.
I took a tentative sip; the taste of soil hit my tongue and I almost retched.
Bloody ancestors.
I painfully swallowed the sour gritty chunks. William’s hazel eyes were watching me cautiously.
‘Perfect.’ I smiled painfully, hoping the mixture wasn’t smeared on my teeth. William let out a relieved huff, starting to plate up his own breakfast.
Emrys’s fingers slipped around mine as he raised the cup to his own lips, blowing gently for a moment before taking a sip. The strange intimacy of it made my cheeks burn as those dark eyes never left my own.
‘Is there mud on my teeth?’ I whispered quickly while William was distracted asking Thean for a scone.
‘No Croinn.’ His eyes were soft with some amusement as he pulled away. Giving me the teacup back, ignoring the chill across my fingers with the absence of his touch. I looked down to see the liquid less murky. I took another sip, this time it was sweeter and I could taste other, more pleasant herbs in the mix.
‘How did you do that?’ I asked as he leant back, draping his arm across the back of my chair.
‘Witchcraft.’ He smiled. ‘Drink it, Kat.’
Puzzled at what incantation he’d used and annoyed he wouldn’t share, I drank the healing tea.
‘Well now, you’re here. We need to start correspondence with the lords that held loyalty to this house.’ Gideon pulled an envelope from his jacket pocket and tossed it onto Emrys’s empty breakfast plate. ‘I’ve written down the ones still alive, and the others barely clinging to sanity.’
William choked. Emrys went still and Thean let out a short breathless laugh.
The lords. The lords from the houses that formed the uprising against the King almost two decades ago.
‘I see you’ve chosen violence this morning, dearest Gideon.’ The voyav dropped a lump of sugar into their tea.
‘They haven’t cared before,’ William added around a mouthful of scone.
‘Indeed. Let’s summon them so they can sit idly back once more?’ Emrys’s voice held a warning edge.
‘Their souls are on the line, Emrys,’ Gideon offered. ‘Your bargains to keep them from being possessed by the promises they made to that darkness are void if Montagor has a relic.’
