Page 90 of Carnal: The Beast Who Loved Me

When dusk grew heavy, the boy who kept the ale coming brought oil lamps. It would have been too cold to sit out, but a thick red ale warmed bodies with a glow that felt both invincible and immortal. For a time. Rosie wasn’t affected by alcohol, but enjoyed observing Carnal become more and more relaxed as the evening wore on.

“Can I ask you a question?” she said.

“You’ve been asking me questions for hours.”

“I know, but this one’s different. Do you not like Dandy?”

“Why would you think that?”

“You always say as little as possible and act like you want to get away as soon as possible.”

Carnal sat back and sighed. “She’s my brother’s Promise. Being around her reminds me that he’s… not here and that…”

“Makes you sad.” She finished the sentence for him. “That makes sense. I just wondered. We need to get a check,” Rosie said.

“What’s a check?” Carnal slurred.

“It’s the bill. So we can pay for dinner? Please tell me you have money.”

“Money? Noooooo. We don’t need money. Dinner is complimentary for Exiled. All part of the service.”

“A perk?” When he opened his mouth, she said, “Never mind.” She assumed that meant it was a gratuity in acknowledgement of the service Exiled provided in terms of defense of the city.

Rosie pushed her chair back and stood up. “Alrighty then.”

“Where you goin’?”

“We’regoing home, big fella. I’m not sure how yet. ‘Cause you’ve had too much ale to drive a motorcycle and it’s too far to walk.”

“First of all,” he waved,” I’m not drunk. Second of all… what was the question?”

“Yeah,” she said. “Come on.”

She held onto Carnal’s waist as they made their way back to the street. The market was deserted, the stalls closed for the night, and the avenue was just as quiet so far as Rosie could tell. She waited for Carnal to get on the bike in front of her, but while he was fumbling for the ignition, she got on and whisked them for a short ride through the passes. When Carnal looked up, they were sitting in front of the Extant’s house.

“See? I told you I’d get us here safe and sound,” he said.

“Yep. And here we are. Let’s get you inside. That ale must be really different from what we serve at the Commons because I’ve never seen one of you drunk before.”

Carnal almost fell down when he missed the first step at the porch.

“Shhhh. You’re going to wake everybody in the house.”

He laughed. “Stop acting like I’m drunk.”

“Youaredrunk.” He leaned toward her, his intent unmistakable. “No kisses when inebriated.”

“I’m not ineeeee…,” he seemed to stop and think for a few seconds before deciding to finish the sentence with, “…bated.”

“Uh-huh.”

She opened the door as quietly as possible, but Carnal sounded like a bull turned loose in a tea room. She noticed the kitchen light was on. She wouldn’t have expected it at that time of night. They’d talked for hours at the restaurant and it was late.

Heading toward the kitchen, she hoped Carnal would manage the stairs and get himself to bed.

She knew instantly when she reached the kitchen threshold that something awful had happened. Free, Serene, and Charming sat at the kitchen table. In front of them two objects sat on the table, an open box and a handwritten note. Serene looked like she’d been crying for a long time.

“What’s happened?” Rosie asked.