Page 5 of No Honor Amongst Shifters
He rolled his eyes at how dramatic he was, but his heart still raced when there was a quick knock before the door opened.He didn’t have the time to wonder if it was Misha.A man stepped into the room, carrying a tray.
Alcott recognized him.He would’ve recognized Roslin even before Misha started dating Roslin’s brother, but it had been important to him to know who Olsen and his family were after that.From everything he’d found out about them, they were nice people.
He supposed he was about to find out.
Roslin looked around the room.He was visibly curious, at least until his gaze stopped on Alcott.Alcott was in his usual spot in the window seat, pressed against the glass.He didn’t move.He stared at Roslin, wondering if the man would get angry.Maybe he didn’t want to be stared at.Alcott hoped that the fact that they were brothers-in-law meant that Roslin wouldn’t hurt him, but he couldn’t be sure.At the very least, he expected Roslin to ask him why he’d done what he’d done or to berate him for it.
Roslin put the tray down on the dresser next to the one that held Alcott’s breakfast.Roslin’s frown deepened when he saw that Alcott hadn’t eaten much.Alcott had tried, but he just wasn’t hungry.
“I wouldn’t have eaten, either,” Roslin commented.“That doesn’t look appetizing.”
Breakfast had been scrambled eggs—no bacon—and toast.It had already been cold by the time it reached Alcott, so he’d nibbled on half of the toast and left the rest.There hadn’t been anything to drink with it.Alcott was used to that, so he drank from the tap in the bathroom.
“Lunch is better,” Roslin continued.“And I filled your plate myself, so you don’t have to worry about anything.”
Alcott swallowed.He hadn’t been worried about anything before, either, and he wondered if he should have now.He was kind of afraid to ask.He wasn’t sure he wanted to know if anything had happened to the food he’d eaten.It hadn’t been poisoned since he was okay, and that was all he needed to know for his own sanity.
“Is there anything specific you’d like to eat in the next few days?”Roslin asked, turning to Alcott again.“I don’t do much cooking, but I can come up with something.”
Alcott stared, wondering why Roslin was doing this.“I’m a prisoner,” he croaked.His voice sounded rough.He wasn’t using it much, and he was sure that Roslin could hear it.
“Even prisoners need to eat.”
“They eat what they’re given.I don’t think anyone has ever asked a prisoner what they wanted to eat.“
“I don’t know about that.I mean, people used to imprison kings and queens, right?I can’t imagine they were treated like every other prisoner.”
Alcott had no idea what was going on.“I’m sorry?”
“Like that English king’s wife.She was imprisoned before she was killed.Do you think she ate the same thing as the guards and everyone else?She was the queen.”
Alcott wasn’t sure what that had to do with him.“I’m not a queen,” he said quite stupidly.Obviously he wasn’t a queen.
“No, but you’re human.Everyone deserves a bit of decency.”
As far as Alcott was concerned, he’d already been given a lot more than a bit of decency.He was alive and in his bedroom instead of dead or stuck in a cell.It could’ve been much worse.
It still could be, depending on what happened with the coven and the cockatrices.Alcott didn’t want to think about that, though.He’d have to deal with the consequences of his actions soon enough.It would be of no use for him to obsess over them while there was nothing he could do about what was happening to him.
He wished it was easier to stop thinking about it.
* * * *
ROSLIN COULD SEE THATAlcott was confused.He didn’t blame him.He was being confusing.
The two of them had never talked before.Olsen and Misha had gotten together recently, and there hadn’t been time for an official meeting of the families.Misha only had Alcott, but still.
Roslin wished he knew Alcott better.He wanted to help him, but he didn’t know how.From what Misha had said, Alcott had refused to talk to him.When Misha visited, Alcott stayed silent.Roslin had gotten a few words out of him, though.Maybe that meant he was finally ready to talk, or maybe he just didn’t want to talk to his brother.
Roslin could understand that.Sometimes, the only thing he wanted to tell his brothers was to fuck off.Of course, he had three of them while Alcott only had one, but still.Brothers didn’t always understand.They could be annoying and persistent, even when Roslin wanted time alone.Maybe that was what Alcott wanted.
“Is the boy talking to you?”Kenny asked as he drifted inside the room.
Roslin had stopped jumping when a ghost appeared in front of him a long time ago.It was a good thing because it meant he didn’t look like an idiot every time it happened, which was way more often than he wished it did.
He kept his attention on Alcott.He’d trained himself to ignore ghosts, mostly so he wouldn’t look like he was nuts when he was in the company of other people.He didn’t have enough fingers on both of his hands to count the many times a ghost had ruined an evening out or a date.
But this wasn’t a date.Alcott already knew that Roslin was a psychic, so he probably wouldn’t think anything of him talking to Kenny.Still, Roslin ignored Kenny and kept his attention on Alcott.
