Page 23 of Magic Claimed
My stomach hollowed out.
“Quick, get over here. Gods above, you’re so slow. Take this and get it up there now!” Cook jolted me out of my thoughts, and I somehow moved to the tray on the bench. Cook stood back as though I had a communicable disease as I gripped the handles of the tray. It was so heavy it took all of my strength to lift the damn thing. I’m sure she could have made three trays out of this, but nobody else would want to help me deliver this.
By the time I hefted the damn tray up three flights of stairs, I was sweating and my mind was whirling. Gilda on Esoti’s side. The idea was ridiculous, but there was no reason for Esoti to link me to the wolves. He had to know something. But what? And how?
The guard opened the door to me and I stepped into Esoti’s meeting room. The air was weighted with pure wolf Alpha that made my skin tingle. The combined scents of oak and cinnamon, pine and clean earth and smoke and whiskey made my nose twitch. Languid heat unfurled within me and the place between my legs pulsed. I’d never felt like this before and I didn’t want to now. I grit my teeth as the wolves watched every move I made.
I studiously avoided their gazes and set the tray on the table, unloading plates and then the tray of sandwiches despite my hands shaking so badly I didn’t know how I could grip anything at all.
The sides of my vision were filled by massive chests and leather-clad thighs. I felt the weight of Jarom’s stare the most. I bet he was loving seeing me serve them. Loved that I couldn’t say a word back to him.
Eike moved his thigh against my leg as I arranged plates on the table. Tingles erupted through me and I jumped back, rubbing the spot where we’d touched. My gaze jumped to his face, my mouth falling slack when I read the concern in his gaze. That was unexpected.
“Well, keep going. I want to eat before nightfall,” Esoti demanded.
I worked as fast as I could, arranging plates and setting the bowls in the middle of the table. When I’d finished, I stood back with my hands behind my back, as Esoti liked me to do.
“Where is the salt?” Esoti speared me with a dark gaze. My eyes flew to the table. There was no salt, which he demanded with every meal. Gods, if there was no salt I’d be in for it. I’d been so flustered with my thoughts in the kitchen, I couldn’t remember if I’d put it on the tray or not.
“I was sure I put it on the tray. Look under the napkin,” I said, hoping like hells it was there.
“How dare you tell me what to do.” Fast as lightning, Esoti struck the side of my face with the back of his hand. The next thing I knew I was sprawled on the ground, black dots in my vision. Alerick stood, his chair sliding back across the floor, his huge form towering above Esoti, his attention riveted to me, his eyes dark and dangerous. Jarom and Eike wore similar expressions. Jarom gripped the edge of the table in a vice-like grip while Eike’s hand rested on a dagger tucked into his waistband. Tension thrummed from them in waves.
I gasped, my fingers clawing the carpet. There would be no more wolf Shifters if Esoti sensed their aggression. It would save me a whole lot of trouble, but my heart hammered in my chest and it felt as though my soul was splitting in two at the thought. I wanted to be rid of them, but not this way.
“Ah, here it was all along.” Esoti lifted his napkin to reveal the canister of salt. His gaze slid between the shifters and then landed on me, cold and calculating. My chest tightened and the air stilled in my lungs and my entire attention was locked on Esoti and what he’d do next.
“Sit down, Alpha. No need to be concerned for a slave,” Esoti said.
Alerick sat slowly, making the chair look too small for his large frame. Although it cost him effort, I was thankful he did. His eyes glittered with rage and he turned his eyes on Esoti. He…he wasn’t angry at me.
Esoti gestured to the mess on the carpet Ben had made. “Clean that up, vermin. You’ve caused enough disruption.”
I scrambled out of the room, returning when I had the cleaning supplies, the side of my face throbbing with each beat of my frantic heart. I cleaned the mess from the floor and tidied the table when they finished eating, forcing myself not to look at the wolves. I was hyper aware of their glances and the cursed reaction of my body. The more time I spent around them, the stronger the bond would be until it would be undeniable to ignore.
Their heady scent surrounded me, reaching for me, enticing me. Inside me, their presence pressed against mine. I slammed the door shut, unwilling to let them in. Sweat slicked my body as I ignored the tension that thrummed through me.
I stacked the tray and scampered from the room, glad to have the excuse of dirty dinner plates. I slumped over the tray when I stepped into the hallway, catching my breath. I descended the steps to the kitchen on unsteady legs, placed the tray on the bench and on the bench was the salt canister I’d forgotten to take up with me. But – it couldn’t be. Esoti had used it. It had been under the napkin. I had packed it up.
Heart notching up pace, I unpacked the dishes to see a replica of the salt canister on the tray. There was no way there could be two of them. No way at all. Long ago, a craftsman had made a matching pair of salt and pepper canisters for Esoti as a present and the silver top was decorated with an intricate, delicate design of Esoti’s brand. He insisted on using the salt canister for every meal. It was one of a kind and now I held two of them exactly the same.
I left a canister on the bench and thrust the other in my skirts. I darted from the kitchen, making a beeline to my safe place. The only place I could think of going. I ducked inside and shut the door of my hidey hole behind me and only then withdrew the canister from my pocket.
It felt and looked exactly the same as the original. There was no way there could be two - and yet there was. It was impossible, but the proof was in my hands.
A knock sounded at my door. Gilda! Just the person I needed to see. I hesitated, moments passing as my stomach sank to my toes. I hated to think Gilda had told Esoti anything about the shifters, but I’d never know until I came face to face and confronted her. Not knowing was worse than knowing, which was why I opened the door, expecting Gilda to climb through, but Alerick’s handsome face filled the doorway and there was no escape.
Chapter Thirteen
I scrambled into the back corner, shrinking away from his long reach. This was my safe place, and now he knew where it was. “How did you find me?”
My body filled with the urge to fall into his arms and seek the comfort and safety of my mate. I clenched my hands into fists and did none of those things. I hated he had this power over me. Not just as a wolf Alpha, but as his mate. My wolf whined inside me, begging to come out, but I knocked her down hard as I ignored the pull he had over me.
His knowing gaze settled on me before flicking about the inside of the small space. Well, big enough for me, but much too small for him to fit into. Something like disgust crossed his face before his attention came back to me. I stiffened, chin lifting. If he didn’t like it, then that was tough luck. It was the only place I had.
“I’ve brought you something.” He lifted a plate capped by a domed, silver cover. The aroma of roast chicken and potatoes filled my space, making my mouth water and my stomach cramp.
The temptation to rip it from his hands and dive into the meal was almost too much. If I took anything from him, it would only cement the bond. Instead of eating, I narrowed my eyes at him. “Where did you get that from?”
