Page 71 of Dark & Dreadful Brutes

“We’re just friends. Barely friends,” I said quickly.

“I was going to ask if he’s been feeding you.”

Oh.

“He usually stuffs me so full of food that I’m sick. We just got back here, though, so he’s still trying to figure out the dynamic.”

“Then we get the pleasure of feeding you,” Jern winked at me.

Ravv growled into my mind, and I fought a snort. “Tell me about your farming.”

Jern started throwing some food together for me. I hadn’t watched anyone cook since I was a child, so I found myself watching his movements. Something about the motion was familiar and peaceful, though it brought back memories.

So many memories.

I tried hard to focus on their stories, but my thoughts were going back to the damn past again.

I could nearly envision my mother in Jern’s place, cooking as she told stories with a smile on her face.

My throat swelled with emotion, but I forced myself to act like nothing was wrong.

Jern and Gora didn’t know my story. They didn’t know what had happened to my family, or how I had ended up in the cellar. I’d heard them whisper about their own pasts together, but it wasn’t something I’d ever discussed with either of them.

Still, I was fine.

Everything was fine.

Their food couldn’t compare to what the chefs in Jirev made, but I appreciated it anyway. They had to buy their own ingredients and figure everything out themselves, and I respected that.

I’d need to learn how to cook, too.

And get a job.

Veil, what would the fae let me do? I didn’t have any skills, and my magic was more of a liability than anything, especially around things like plants, which could burn. There was no reason ice fae would need a human with fire magic. I certainly wasn’t a warrior, either.

My bittersweet memories pushed that worry away for another day while I continued chatting with the couple as if nothing was wrong.

Eventually, I reached out to Ravv, to make sure he was doing alright. “Is your ass numb yet?”

There was no response.

Fear clenched my stomach as I thanked the couple and slipped out of their house. That fear heightened when I found Ravv sitting a few feet from the entrance, with his back to the house and his head on his shoulder. I dropped to my knees beside him and put a hand on his throat, checking his pulse.

It beat rhythmically against my fingers, and I let out a relieved breath.

Sleeping.

He was just sleeping.

“Ravv.” I brushed my hand against his face, but he didn’t stir. “Ravv,” I said a bit louder, speaking into his mind again.

He finally lifted his head, cracking tired eyes at me and frowning. “What happened?”

“You fell asleep.” I brushed a few of his messy curls off his forehead without thinking, and then withdrew my hand quickly.

My gaze darted around us, but I didn’t see anyone else. That didn’t necessarily mean they weren’t there or watching.

“You can show me my house another day,” I told him, pulling my hand back and standing up.

---