Page 6

Aliya

I COULDN’T STOP SEEING that hideous beast in my mind while I was preparing food for our dinner. Not even gutting the chicken was able to distract me.

All my life, I’d heard stories of the black wolves, our enemy from generations past. They were said to be ferocious yet beautiful creatures. But that... thing was far from beautiful. It was more like something out of my worst nightmare.

Its skin had been a sickly bluish gray, like the rotting flesh of those who’d died during the plague.

The color of their corpses before we’d burned them.

Its back was humped and arched unnaturally, with strange spikes down its spine.

Its limbs were spindly and knobby, ending in razor-sharp claws.

And that face... a shiver coursed over my spine at the memory of drooling fangs and red eyes.

A cusith. Jax and Tannin knew what they were and had obviously fought them before, but I’d never even heard of them. Where did they come from?

And the way Jax had slain it so easily, so swiftly.

.. I sighed with a mix of gratitude and awe.

His combat skill and strength had been incredible to witness, and I was so grateful to him for saving my life.

He may be a smartass and kind of a jerk, but he’d defended me when he didn’t have to, and I adored him for that.

What would I have done if he hadn’t been there, if these men hadn’t come at all? That thing would have eaten me alive. Now, more than ever, I had to convince them to stay. I needed them, but I also wanted them more than I could explain.

Even when Jax had been rude to me in the hen yard, I’d felt drawn to him, compelled to win him over and get closer. I ached to touch them both, burned to do even more than just that. No potential suitor, or any man for that matter, had affected me like this in the past.

Was it only because they were the first people I’d seen in fourteen months? Was it because they were both so heartbreakingly gorgeous, and I’d first seen them in all their brutal naked glory?

Remembering their exposed bodies made my core throb and my thighs clench as I took the chicken out of the oven, nearly dropping it in the process. I was being ridiculous. I had to control myself or I’d scare them off.

I carried the roasted chicken, vegetables, and apple pie to the dining room, then went about setting plates and silverware to make everything look perfect. The table in here was long, meant for the times when we hosted many people, but I focused everything around the three chairs at one end.

Willow had popped her head in at one point but had quickly assessed the situation and vanished again. I made sure her bowls were filled with food and water so she could come and go as she pleased.

It was a little strange that she was so stressed about our guests, but they were strangers after all. And she was probably as shocked to see other humans as I was.

When I had everything set and as perfect as it could be, I found the men huddled in quiet discussion in the den by the fire. They stopped their conversation at my entrance and looked at me expectantly.

I cleared my throat. “Dinner is served in the dining room. I prepared roasted chicken, vegetables, and apple pie for three of us.”

Jax arched a brow, but Tannin smiled.

“Sounds delicious,” he said, then rose from the couch, slapping Jax’s arm with the back of his hand to encourage him to follow.

I ushered them to the dining room and took the seat at the head of the table, patting the spots on either side of me for them to sit.

Jax rolled his eyes as he sat to my right with obvious reluctance, and Tannin politely settled into the chair on my left, beaming at the meal before him.

“This looks and smells very good,” Tannin said as he reached for the large knife beside the chicken and began to slice off one of the legs. “You are so kind to do this for us.”

To my surprise, he set the leg on my plate instead of his, and my heart melted.

“You should have seen her trying to catch the chicken,” Jax said with a laugh, pulling off the other leg with his bare hands.

“She’d still be chasing them around the yard if I hadn’t swooped in and caught one for her.

” He took a big bite out of it as he scooped a giant helping of vegetables onto his plate.

I clenched my jaw at his derision, struggling to remain silent and just take it. It really helped that he was so fucking handsome. Maybe if I just looked at his face, I could ignore his words and attitude.

“Forgive my friend,” Tannin said, shooting a warning glance at Jax as he carved himself a piece of the breast. “He’s not used to being in the presence of royalty.”

“Ha!” Jax barked a laugh with a mouthful of food.

I picked up my knife and fork and cut a small bite from the chicken leg. “That’s alright. I’m not used to being in anyone’s presence, so who am I to judge. I’m just glad to have company.”

Tannin offered me a sad half-smile before focusing on his food, and an uncomfortable silence fell over us.

For a seemingly endless few minutes, no one said anything, and the quiet was unbearable. I didn’t know what to say or how to start a conversation. So many times I opened my mouth then closed it again, thinking better of what I was going to voice.

“Oh, for God’s sake, will you just spit it out already?” Jax complained. “You look like a floundering fish, and it’s getting really annoying.”

Embarrassment burned in my chest and up my neck. I bit my lip, feeling foolish.

“And stop biting your lip like that,” Jax muttered under his breath.

Tannin glared at him before turning to me with an apologetic frown. “Ignore him. I know it must be difficult to converse after so long in silence, but you can talk to me about whatever you want.”

He put his hand softly on my arm, and a warm tingle saturated my skin at his touch, making me gasp.

The way he blinked at our point of contact told me he felt it too.

But he didn’t remove his hand right away, instead letting it linger for several seconds then slowly pulling away, lightly dragging his fingertips across my skin in a way that made me ache.

I looked up into his soft green eyes, and he held my gaze for a moment. I wanted to disappear into them, and I found myself leaning closer until Jax loudly, rudely cleared his throat.

I rested back against my chair and chose one of the many questions racing around my mind. “When you came here, you said you were heading to Rodak. That’s the outpost town in the west, isn’t it? Why were you going there?”

Tannin took a bite and nodded while chewing. “We’re from a very small village in the north. Life became unbearable there, so I guess you could say we were on a sort of pilgrimage, looking for something better.”

My heart jumped up into my throat with excitement. They had nowhere to go. They wanted a new home. This could be their new home!

I swallowed against the eager tightness in my throat. “Well, as you can see, there’s a lot of room here. You’re welcome to stay as long as you want.”

Tannin’s responding smile seemed bittersweet, and I wondered if I offended him somehow. Was I being too eager? Did I sound desperate?

“I think that sounds like a fantastic idea,” Jax said suddenly. “Especially if meals like this are going to be a common thing. You may not be good at catching chickens, but you’re fairly decent at cooking them.”

I smiled, deciding to take that as a compliment. Mama always said the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach.

“Well, if you like the chicken, then you’ll love the pie.” I got out of my seat and stepped around Jax to get to the dessert, which was just past his plate.

He scooted his chair out to give me better access to it, and the gesture surprised me. Maybe he wasn’t a complete asshole after all.

I cut into the pie and set slices onto each of their plates.

“Thank you,” Tannin said, licking his lips as he eyed the caramelized apples spilling from beneath the crust.

I giggled at his response, then tripped on my skirt as I made to return to my seat and fell awkwardly into Jax’s lap.

“Whoa!” His arms closed around me, his hands firmly gripping the sides of my waist.

Just as with Tannin, Jax’s touch sent a hot shiver through me. I looked at his face over my shoulder, finding concern in those icy blue eyes as well as heat.

Smoldering heat that threatened to incinerate me from the inside out. “Are you okay?” he asked, his fingertips pressing into me.

I nodded dazedly, distracted by the telltale bulge nudging at the bottom of my thigh. I knew enough about the bedroom to understand what that was and what it meant, and a thrill throbbed between my legs.

“Mm-hmm... just tripped,” I muttered. “Not used to wearing dresses anymore.”

I pressed my buttocks into his lap, and the quietest yet sharpest gasp escaped his lips. I wanted so badly to kiss them.

Suddenly, he lifted me off him and set me back on my feet beside him.

“Try not to be so clumsy, please,” he scolded, looking pointedly away from me, scooting back into the table with blatant irritation.

But his jagged edges didn’t cut me because I knew the truth, which he was reluctant to admit. He wanted me every bit as much as I wanted him.

I glanced at Tannin as I made my way back to my chair, and the two of them were glaring at each other in a different way than before. In challenge.

Was Tannin jealous? Did he want me too? That would be crazy.

The sinful, frenzied dreams that had haunted me all night came back to me, shooting sharp desire through my center, and I closed my eyes against its potency. The idea of having one of them was almost too much to bear. But both of them... was that even possible?

“No, that would be crazy,” I muttered to myself.

“What?” Jax asked, looking quizzically at me with one eyebrow raised.

“Oh, nothing,” I blurted, internally kicking myself. “I, uh... talk to myself sometimes.”

Dammit! Why did I say that? I’m just making it worse!

Jax made a derisive snort, and I sagged into my chair. Attraction or not, I’d be lucky if they even wanted to stay at this point.

Suddenly, Jax pushed away from the table and stood. “I need some air,” he grunted, then stomped out of the room.

I deflated even more, as much as my tight corset would let me.

“I’m sorry about him,” Tannin said. “I know he can be an asshole sometimes, but he’s a good guy under all the bravado and ego. I’ll go talk to him. Thank you so much for the food.”

He gave me one last smile, then stood up and left too.

No. No, no, no. They couldn’t leave. I had to do something. I could not go back to being alone in this castle. I would die first. And truthfully, I would die without them if more of those cusiths came.