Page 184 of The Queen’s Shadow

I was in Olkuyrbe, and I was free. Rycon had saved me. I held a hand to my chest to steady my breathing as I got my bearings, just as there was another aggressive knock on the door.

“What!?” I snapped, annoyed at the incessant thumping, and even more irritated that I still didn’t seem to be able to access my magick. I stared down at my palms, reaching deep within myself to the pool of power that I knew still ran deep in my chest. It was as if there were a dam preventing it from flowing to my hands, and try as I might, I couldn’t seem to overcome it.

“It’s me. I brought you…tea.” Rycon’s muffled voice came through the door. He sounded off. Like he was forcing himself to be… chipper? I frowned. He had tea?

I debated telling him to fuck off, but curiosity got the better of me. I had to see if he had actually made tea. It just seemed like the most un-Rycon thing to do. When Raven had been struggling through the death of her mother, he had raided Amon’s liquor cabinets and gotten drunk with her every day. What on earth had possessed him to make me tea?

“Come in.” I said hesitantly. He opened the door, thankfully wearing a shirt and pants that didn’t show off his dick print, unlike the last time I had seen him.

Sure enough, he was holding a steaming wooden mug, and a small plate with what looked like a bacon and tomato sandwich on it.

He stood awkwardly in the doorway, staring at me, and I frowned at him.

“Well?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. “What do you want?”

He cleared his throat and his eyes dropped to the foot of the bed before flitting back up to my face.

“Mind if I…sit?” He asked, and I felt my frown deepen. Who the hell was this guy? He was asking me permission to sit? I had never heard Rycon ask anyone permission for anything in my life.

“Why are you being weird?” I asked suspiciously, and he stiffened, a muscle in his jaw ticking in agitation.

“I’m not being weird.” He snapped.

“You are. You’re being super weird.”

He snarled at me, and I inadvertently jumped a bit at the sudden movement.

For Origin’s sake, I needed to get a grip…

Happily, Rycon didn’t seem to notice. He bulldozed on, looking hilarious while still clutching the teacup and sandwich, shaking with barely restrained anger.

“Can I fucking sit or not?”

I narrowed my eyes on him. “Sure, weirdo. No need to have a freak out.” I grumbled, gesturing to the end of the bed. He slumped down onto the bed angrily, somehow managing not to spill a drop of the tea. He thrust the mug in my direction without looking at me, that strange muscle in his jaw still pulsing.

“Here,” he said abruptly, and I took the cup from him, being careful not to spill. I cradled it close to my chest, realizing suddenly I was only wearing a t-shirt and some cotton boy shorts. I discreetly pulled the blankets up higher around myself, despite the fact this was more or less what I had been wearing when he had held me through the horrible dream I had suffered from the night before.

He slipped the plate to rest on top of the blanket over my crossed legs and looked at me, taking a deep breath, as if he was trying to calm himself down.

“Eat this.” He ordered, and then winced, before plastering a creepy smile on his face and gritting out, “please,” as if the word pained him to say.

I took a sip of the hot tea, regarding him over the rim of my cup, still confused as to why he was acting like someone had slipped drugs into his breakfast.

“I’m not hungry.” I said blandly, glancing down at the offending sandwich. The thought of taking a bite made me want to gag.

I watched as he clenched the bed sheets in his fist and that weird muscle pulsed in his jaw again.

“Kasha…” He seethed and I glared at him.

“I said no.” That seemed to be the final straw. He snapped out of whatever opposite day spell had clearly possessed him and he leapt up from the bed to run his hands through his hair angrily.

“You are the most infuriating female I have ever fucking met!” He snarled at me, and I bit back a smirk, enjoying the fact that I had been able to get under his skin. I think I was just glad he wasn’t using that freaky chipper voice anymore and seemed to finally be acting normal.

“Then why did you force me to come here with you, if I drive you so crazy? I would have been more than happy to go with Raven and Dossidian.” I had already poked the panther; I didn’t see why I should stop now. Besides, when he was yelling at me and throwing a temper tantrum, I didn’t have any room in my head to fall back into the horrible sea of memories that seemed to want to eat me alive.

“Oh yeah? You’ve been sleeping pretty much since we got here. You wouldn’t have had much time to get in your seventeen hours of naps if you were out trekking through the fucking desert with them, would you?” He fumed, but I just shrugged and looked away. I knew he was right. I knew deep down I wouldn’t have been able to keep up, or even be of any use to Raven without my magick, but I was still pissed off that they hadn’t given me the opportunity to make that decision for myself.

He made an exasperated sound and dragged his hand down his face like he was asking one of the many shifter gods for strength. I didn’t blame him, I knew I was a pain in the ass, it was probably why my parents had sold me in the first place… well, that and the heaps of gold and property they probably got in return for handing over a chameleon to Ash Nevra.