Chapter 22 #2
“What do you bake?” Rynn asked before catching herself and quickly adding, “Not that you have to. You are not a servant for me. Or them.”
She pointedly looked at everyone around the table, and I couldn’t help but see how much she held herself apart from them.
I’d noticed it during my early interactions with her, and now I understood why, but I was still surprised there was so much tension between them all.
I mean, Rynn had been living here for almost a year.
I was missing something but didn’t know what.
My expression softened a little. “Actually, I really enjoy cooking. I do have one rule though, and that is that you don’t complain about whatever I make.”
“I’m pretty sure nobody here will have any criticisms if it means I’m not the one doing the cooking,” Cade said dryly.
“It’s true,” Rynn confirmed quickly. “I haven’t even been here a year yet, and he’s already set the kitchen on fire three times. Once when making boiled potatoes.”
I frowned. “But that isn’t hard. It’s just boiling water.”
“Oh”—Bastian grinned—“we’re aware. He’s been banned from anything that involves fire, even in a simple manner, which explains our dinner tonight.”
“Didn’t see you volunteering,” Cade muttered.
“Because while Warrick doesn’t like me or Ryker in his kitchen, he has expressly forbidden you from stepping foot in it, and we all know how he feels about Rynn.” Bastian popped a cube of cheese into his mouth.
“I feel it’s my turn to ask for a story.” I glanced at Rynn.
“Warrick is convinced I’m a traitor and am plotting destruction against the Alpha pack.” Rynn shrugged, seemingly unconcerned. “He’s probably not going to be fond of your existence either.”
Not surprising. Ryker might have held the reputation as the most unpredictable and violent of the Alphas, but Warrick was absolutely the most dangerous to anyone who paid attention.
“We’ll explain the situation to him when he gets here,” Cade tried to assure me, but it was immediately undermined by Bastian muttering, “Whenever he feels like showing up, that is.”
Great. More drama.
Still not the worst situation I’d landed in.
“Worst story,” I said before more awkward silence could set in. “What’s the worst, most ridiculously embarrassing story everyone is willing to share?”
More silence.
Just when I was about to launch into a completely made-up story so I could break the ice, Rynn spoke up.
“I walked through a seminar led by the head scholar at Drudonia completely naked and dripping in spoiled cream.”
Everyone stared at her.
“I’m going to need more details,” Cade finally said.
“Okay, well first of all, it was Cali’s fault . . .”
“And so that’s why, to this day, I will dry heave if I smell plums.” Bastian wiped the tears from his eyes.
A pleasant buzz flowed through me. It took a lot of steady drinking to get Velesians drunk, but we’d been sharing stories for the better part of two hours.
To my surprise, I’d even shared some truths about myself.
They were harmless, but still. I couldn’t remember the last time I hadn’t tailored a narrative specifically for my audience.
Rynn had the most hilarious stories out of anyone, mostly from her time at Drudonia.
It made me a little jealous. Even though I’d attended Drudonia, though long before Rynn, I’d never had friends like Samara and Cali, who were always featured in Rynn’s narratives.
The closest I had was Marie, but neither of us had gotten up to the trouble of those three.
“It’s getting late,” Rynn said. “I think I’m going to head to bed.” She glanced at me. “Would you like me to show you back to your room?”
For a moment, I thought about staying. But Rynn being here had provided a bit of a buffer, and I was concerned about how things could go if she left me alone with the three Alphas.
In my six decades of experience, I’d learned people flirted very differently, but men tended to be the most forward—and they were the ones most put off when you didn’t reciprocate.
I knew Rynn found me pretty; she’d blushed numerous times in my presence and I found it really sweet.
Maybe someday I’d feel brave enough to pursue it.
But today was not that day, and I didn’t want to risk all the positive progress I’d made this evening by staying behind and potentially angering the Alphas when I turned down their offers.
Assuming they’d have any. I was fairly certain Cade wasn’t interested in me. I knew he was interested in women because I’d seen him check out Rynn’s ass in our first encounter. And Ryker’s attention had never wavered; he only had eyes for Rynn.
A few times, Rynn’s determination to ignore Ryker had slipped, and when she’d looked at him, it was like the air between them had crackled. And then Rynn would look away and Ryker’s expression would fall.
The only thing more interesting than Rynn and Ryker had been Bastian’s expression during those moments. There was . . . something between him and Rynn. It wasn’t as intense as what existed between her and Ryker, but there was a connection.
And then there was Cade, who was so interested in Rynn, it was almost painful, but I was equally certain she had no idea.
He’d only looked at her when he’d been sure no one else, especially her, was looking.
Unfortunately for him, I was extremely good at catching things in my peripheral vision.
He’d smiled at her commentary at least a dozen times while everyone told their stories.
And he’d let his gaze linger before he’d catch himself and look away.
Such a strange group I’d found myself with. I didn’t entirely mind it though.
“I am feeling rather tired.” I smiled at Rynn, enjoying the way she flushed at my attention. “Sleep sounds nice.”
Ryker rose at the same time I did, causing Rynn to shuffle uneasily on her feet.
“I could use some help cleaning up.” Cade’s tone was mild, but his look at Ryker was anything but. The lycan immediately stiffened.
“No problem.” Bastian clapped a hand on Ryker’s shoulder. “More hands make less work and all that.”
The next thing I knew, Rynn was slipping her hand into mine and dragging us out of the room. I clutched my dress so I didn’t trip over it and kept up with her as we quickly made our way up the stairs to the third floor. Only then did Rynn slow down.
“Did you enjoy your first day here?” she asked.
“It was . . . not what I expected,” I settled on. “But I didn’t hate it.”
“Good,” Rynn said, relief clear in her voice.
We walked the remaining distance to my room, where she paused as if unsure what to do. “Thank you for escorting me to my room.” I smiled at her. “Princess.”
“Don’t you start.” She rolled her eyes. “Between the two of us, you definitely look more like a princess.”
“You can have the nickname.” I smirked. “Pretty sure the Alphas would be pretty firm about you keeping it.”
Her expression fell. “We’ll see. Sleep well.”
“Good night,” I said as she started to walk away. My hand hovered on the door to my room. “Rynn?”
She halted halfway to her room, her back to me.
“Am I safe here?”
Remy had assured me I would be, but my gut told me to trust Rynn. Besides, she had more experience with the Alphas.
“Yes,” Rynn replied with no hesitation before starting to walk again.
“Are you?” The words jumped out before I could think better of them. Rynn barely knew me and I was prying into things that, well, technically were my business, given that I was in the same situation as her. But I wouldn’t have answered something so personal in her place, not with any real details.
Rynn hovered for a moment, like prey who thought they sensed a predator nearby but weren’t entirely sure.
“Good night, Selene,” she finally said before slipping into her room.
I stared at the empty space in front of her room for a long moment before heading into my own and leaning against the door. What have you gotten me into, Remy?