Page 13 of Prince of Blaze and Embers (Emberveil Empire #1)

T he aromas from the table hit my nostrils as Bella pulled me from my room, my gaze hanging over my shoulder to where the tortoise named Cornelius was, and perhaps where I had left my sanity.

Rosa pulled out a chair for me without even a glance.

She’d been doing this a long time, and I didn’t think I’d ever had a chair pulled out for me in my life.

I’d normally think there was a catch, some price to repay or some secret debt owed I wouldn’t discover until later, but my gurgling tummy screamed for me to not worry and sit.

On the green table skirt were three dishes, all covered with white kitchen towels.

Rosa scooted the chair in under me and then went to remove the napkins.

What I saw before me made my taste buds tingle on the sides of my tongue.

There was an enormous mound of roast beef slathered in its own brown juices, a heaping bowl of mashed potatoes, and lastly, a crunchy loaf of bread with jars of fresh butter and jam beside it.

“Are we waiting for… them?” Bella fought to take her gaze from the food to the front door, closed shut. I wasn’t sure if the door was locked from the inside or not, but even if it was un locked, the feast before me overtook any dreams of running off into the forest, seeking out true freedom.

“Begin, begin!” Rosa waved her arms overhead.

“I didn’t work on this all day to have you two sitting waiting for the men.

One thing I’ve learned about powerful men over my lifetime is you have to expect their work will always take precedence.

” She leaned in toward me, whispering into my ear, “And to always keep some food warm for them when they do finally show up.” She pointed to two plates of food on one wood-burning stove, both covered in napkins.

“So dig in, girls! Before it gets cold! You got that dragon stench off’a ya. That’s good. Now eat.”

The bread crunched in my hands as I tore it. The soft butter slathered like pure bliss upon it before I shoved it into my mouth, letting my eyelids melt and causing another deep moan of ecstasy.

“Where did you learn to cook like this?” I squeezed the words through the mouthful of heavenly, buttery, salty bread.

“Aren’t you going to eat with us?” Bella asked between shoveled spoons of whipped potatoes.

“I’ll eat later. Too much to do now. You two girls enjoy."

“You think it’s poisoned?” Bella whispered to me.

“Definitely poisoned.” We both laughed, and I nearly choked on the not-chewed-enough bread. Bella clapped my back.

Five minutes in, after the first round was shoveled down, Rosa returned from the kitchen and laid two carafes of deep red wine on the table with four glasses.

Bella and I exchanged bewildered glares. All the wine I’d ever had I had to steal from my masters, and if they found out, my ankles and back were sure to be left healing for days after.

“Go on,” Rosa said, throwing her hands up again and clapping them down onto her flour-covered apron.

“Why are you doing this for us?” I asked, lightly touching the carafe.

“It’s my duty. ”

“We’re slaves,” Bella responded.

I poured wine for both of us, not wanting to wait until the world changed its mind about all the treats being offered to us.

The second the wine hit my lips, I realized that all the other wine I’d had in my life was far inferior to the silky, delightful one that I sucked into my mouth, swishing it around to consume my whole mouth in the taste.

“Slaves,” Rosa scoffed under her voice.

Bella and I shared a confusing glance at one another. Why’d she say it like that? It was almost as if she detested the word.

But isn’t she a slave? Or is she here of her own free will? Why would anyone choose to be here in this secluded place with such dangerous men?

Rosa walked back to the kitchen without finishing her thought.

“Thank you,” I said between shovels of bites.

Another five or ten minutes passed. The meat was as tender as anything I’d ever had, and a smeared piece of bread with jam hit my tongue last, letting the sweetness take me.

After our stomachs were full and our mouths wiped with delicate lace napkins, we both sat back in our chairs, curious about our new situation, and surely the near future.

I gazed around the room. Books by the hundreds lined old wooden shelved built into the round walls.

Everything from history to fables to books titled in words from a language I never heard of.

Thick curtains hung heavy on both sides of the glass windows.

The glass was old enough to stretch over the many years.

The glass was thick at the bottom, like slightly melted candles oozing hot wax.

A haze hung in the air from the cooking Rosa had done in the kitchen.

From my full belly, slowed mind, I felt as if I may be in a dream—being in such a magical, enchanting place.

The footsteps on the other side of the door only gave us a faint second to realize Prince Cade and Hunter were back. The door swung in with fury, and the two men were deep in the middle of a heated conversation. I looked at him, obviously, but he didn’t even glance my way.

Why would he? I mean, look at him—dripping with sexuality, a towering man with all the wealth, power, and rugged good looks deserving of a prince. And then there was me… all I’d been told my life was how worthless, undeserving, and not special I was.

“She’s not going to stop,” Hunter followed Cade into the room, a flicker of a glance shot our way. “No matter what…”

“I know, I know,” Cade shook his head; anger tracing his words.

They were both quickly in the kitchen, picking up both plates. Cade touched Rosa’s shoulder ever so gently, and she bowed her head.

“We can’t hide here forever,” Hunter gave us another glance, seemingly curious about our own expressions by the pursing of his lips and his narrowed eyes. “Even with the old magic in these woods, it won’t stop her from finding this place.”

“I know. I’ll figure it out. I just need time,” the prince turned and made his way for the front door.

“We don’t have time, Cade. She’s going to want answers, now.”

Cade groaned. “Not before I get my answers first…”

His head dipped toward his shoulder, and his gaze focused on mine. It was steely and cold.

Even him looking at me a little made me want to melt into the floorboards. He, looking dark and angry, tightened my chest like a ball of yarn squeezed taut. Those eyes, those lips, I couldn’t help but want him to walk up to me, take me in those strong arms of his, and kiss me.

What the fuck is wrong with me? I’m infatuated with a mass-murdering psychopath!

But the more I watched him, the less I was sure I believed my own thoughts. He’d done nothing to show me he was the evil man from the tales.

As they approached the door, both with their plates in their hands, still covered with napkins, the prince stopped. He turned and angled toward us at the table, both frozen in our thoughts.

“Do not leave this place. Do you hear me? Stay put.”

I gulped down the last bite of bread and jam in my mouth. He was so firm in his words; all I could think to do was nod. So I did, and that seemed to be enough for him.

He and Hunter left the room, closing the door hard behind them. I felt crushed. For some reason, I thought they’d sit with us, enjoy their food, and I could get to know the real prince. But that didn’t seem to be on his ‘important—to-do list—get to know his new Gold-Marked slave.’

“What do you think they were talking about?” Bella put both elbows on the table and leaned in toward me.

“We can’t hide here forever,” I muttered, as much to myself as to her. “They’re going to take us somewhere else.”

“They said she’s not going to stop.” Bella pursed her lips and cocked an eyebrow. “Are they talking about you? Or the queen? Or someone else?”

I thought about that for a long moment. “At first, I assumed they were going to take us to the Blaze Queen and Raven’s Bane Castle. But now they’re talking about us hiding here?”

“Hiding? From what?” Bella said in a hushed breath.

Rosa came and began pulling plates from the table, completely uninterested in our whispers. She even hummed to herself.

“Do you know what’s going on?” I asked her, deeply expecting an answer.

“I don’t gossip with guests.” Her hands wiped the crumbs before me onto my empty plate.

“So we’re guests now?” I grabbed my plate, and she tried to tug it away. Her cold gaze hit mine. “What is going on here? Why are we here?”

Rosa snatched the plate from my vice-like grip with far more strength than I expected from the aged woman.

“You think I made it this far in my life by gossiping and betraying Prince Cade’s orders?

Think again.” She leaned in so close I could smell the tobacco on her breath.

The feeling made me feel sick. “You may think you know the world and know what Allovan is like. But you have no idea what is going on behind this war. There are things I hope you never have to see and know. I pray that for you girls. And I pray the prince can figure out what needs to be figured out. Time is not on his side, and for the sake of all of us—I pray he succeeds.”

“Succeeds in what?” I asked, pressing my gaze even closer to hers. Our noses nearly touched, and I could feel her deep groan.

Her fingers grabbed me by the chin forcefully, squeezing. “Presumably, figuring out how to keep you alive.”

My life? Why would he be trying to save me? I thought he was just taking me to the capital? And it didn’t seem like he was trying to do anything except avoid me and be a dick.

“What do you think?” Bella hunched over her elbows, leaning toward me.

“I think we’re in way over our heads, and I feel terrible it’s all because of me. If only I could use this magic somehow to get us out of here. Get us new lives somewhere else. Somewhere far, far away. But I can’t…”

“Don’t talk like that.” Her hand hit my shoulder . “We’ll figure it out. They don’t seem… completely awful. Better than Garris at least…”

“We don’t know that… yet.” I popped my knuckles under the table, staring down at where my plate had been. “This new life has just begun, and I have this terrible feeling something awful is going to happen.”

“Why do you say that? ”

“Ever since that thing spoke in my head, I just feel like there’s something out there, lurking, waiting. Something so powerful and dangerous that it somehow spoke to me from somewhere so distant that they’d have to be a god or something. Or… I’m losing my mind.”

I thought about the turtle… or tortoise, rather. My head sank into my hand, and I shook it.

“You’re not losing anything,” Bella sighed. “We’ve got each other. That’s what matters most. We’ve been all each other has had since we were kids. We’ll get through this. Just hang in there.”

My gaze crept over my shoulder back to my room, and where the huge tortoise had been.

Did I make that whole thing up in my head? There’s no way that thing was real. I mean, how in the Infernal Depths could that huge thing get in there and then just… vanish?

“Maybe we should get some sleep.” Bella yawned, complacent from a soothing meal after such a long trek upon the dragons’ backs. “Who knows what tomorrow is going to bring?”

I nodded, and her hand left my shoulder, with her fingernails skirting down my arm.

We went to our rooms while Rosa scrubbed dishes, muttering to herself with her back turned to us. Bella and I exchanged brief glances, but with a great yawn, she disappeared behind her door.

I did the same. “You in here?” No response. No tortoise. “You sure you’re not in here?” A minute later still nothing. “That’s it. I’ve officially flown the coop.”