Chapter 7 – Sera
Chapter Seven
SERA
“I’ve been waiting for you.” The voice comes out of nowhere and I shriek. My tray heavy-laden with dishes slips from my fingers and crashes to the floor.
I turn to glare at Alex, standing with arms crossed in one of the many alcoves that line the palace’s main hallway.
“Gods above, what were you thinking scaring me like that?”
Regret flashes across his face, and he immediately kneels, picking up the shattered dishes and leftover food I was carrying to the kitchens.
“Please, my lord, you’ll cut yourself. Stop!” I command, dropping to my knees to take over.
“It’s fine, and why do you keep calling me that?” he asks, picking up a half-eaten biscuit and placing it back onto the tray.
“I’ll be damned if anyone catches me addressing you informally,” I grit out. “What would the other lords and ladies think? Or the other servants? They would dismiss me in an instant.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Rae would never let anything happen to your position here. I still don’t think you should be working at all.”
I pause and glare up at him, resisting the urge to scream. The absolute last thing I need is to have no external purpose to distract me. “What do you need, Alex?”
“I, uh, wanted to talk. You know, after yesterday.”
Of course. If only I could get this damned man out of my head, but knowing now that he’s my mate? No. I have to be mistaken. I can’t believe the gods would fate me to be with a human from another realm. I had to have misread something.
In my haste to clean, I slice my finger on a rather large shard of glass. Ouch. Hoping he didn’t notice, I grab the last few items and reach for the tray when Alex beats me to it and rises from the floor.
“You can’t ignore me forever,” he quips.
Watch me.
“I can take it from here, my lord,” I reply.
His grin makes him far too attractive for his own good. “I don’t mind. I’ll walk you to the kitchens and explain the broken dishes are my fault.”
“That’s quite all right. I can handle it,” I retort, grabbing at the tray, but he’s too strong.
“You’re bleeding!”
Hells. “It’s nothing. I’ll be fine.”
Alex’s brow furrows. “You’re being ridiculous. You need to get that taken care of. I’ll drop this off and then escort you to the palace healers.” The vexing man walks toward the kitchens, leaving me to trail behind, worthless with my empty hands.
“Gods above, you won’t ever take no for an answer, will you?” I mutter.
He peeks over his shoulder, flashing his brilliantly white teeth at me. “Nope. You should know that by now.”
“Irritating male,” I grumble.
“What’s that? ‘Thank you’? Oh, you’re quite welcome.”
“You really don’t need to be doing any of this,” I say, catching up to him while squeezing my hand in my apron, hoping to staunch the blood flow. It’s not appropriate for him to be escorting me anywhere with the disparity in our station. We were lucky no one saw us kissing yesterday.
Gods, why can’t I stop thinking about that kiss? If I kissed him again could I prove he’s not my mate? I purse my lips. You’re being ridiculous, Sera.
“I just want to make sure you’re all right. It’s my fault you cut yourself after all,” Alex says, granting me a short reprieve from my absurd musings.
“Why in the ever-loving hells did you surprise me like that?” I snap.
“You act as if it’s easy to get your attention,” he huffs. “Until yesterday, we hadn’t spoken for weeks!”
“I’ve been a little preoccupied, you know, with turning into a swan every evening.”
Alex mumbles something unintelligible, and we make the rest of the trip to the kitchens in uncomfortable silence. I keep waiting for him to bring up the kiss and the fire again, but he stays quiet. It’s probably for the best.
Thankfully, no one seems to pay us any heed as we dispose of the broken dishes and scraps of food.
It’s so different working here compared to my previous position, where I knew each and every member of the staff like they were family.
Despite having been at the palace for months, I’ve only gotten to know a few people.
“I’m honestly surprised you dropped the tray,” Alex muses as he guides me toward the infirmary.
My finger does smart, so perhaps it’s better to get it looked at and sewn up if needed, as much as I would rather be anywhere else. Alex’s scent winds its way up my nose and makes that fundamental need to claim my mate throb within me, but I can’t let that happen.
“Why are you surprised? Do you have a lot of experience scaring maids?” I choke out, needing to distract myself.
He chuckles. “No, but I remember seeing you dance at Lou’s Tavern. You were so graceful, I couldn’t take my eyes off you.”
The tips of my ears heat, and I’m grateful for the glamour that hides them along with the flush of warmth his words have wrought on me.
“Are you sure you’re talking about me?” I quip. “I hardly think the likes of you would be caught dead in the taverns I patronize.”
“Why do you keep doing that?” he asks, frowning as he slows his steps.
“Doing what?”
“Acting like I think I’m better than you. Have I done something to offend you or implied in any way that you’re beneath me?”
“The very fact that you even have to ask that is more than enough reason for you to be on your way. We clearly got too comfortable on the trip down south and forgot our places. We live in very different worlds, and I’m not interested in being some pity conquest of yours, especially with this unnecessary responsibility you’ve taken upon yourself to find a cure for my curse. ”
He sputters. “Pity conquest? Unnecessary responsibility? What the hells, Spitfire?”
We make it to the infirmary, but before he can follow me in, I place a hand on his chest. Damn. I shouldn’t have done that. Too quickly, memories of yesterday replay themselves in my mind. Again.
“Do you want to take me to bed?” I ask matter-of-factly.
Alex looks mortified and intrigued at the same time. “What?”
“Do you want to take me to bed?” I ask again, stepping closer against my better judgment. His pulse quickens beneath my fingers, and I observe the sudden hitch in his breathing. Gods he smells so good, the notes of honey, citrus, and sandalwood overwhelming my senses.
Alex is clearly scandalized at my direct question, and I relish the victory as he’s rendered momentarily speechless.
“It—ah—it would be a lie to say I haven’t thought of it,” he admits. “Especially after—”
“Well, I’m not interested,” I interrupt.
I shouldn’t be interested. It would only make everything a million times more complicated between us.
He stiffens but leans in toward me. “Liar.”
“You’re not my type,” I say, ignoring the statement and gently patting his chest. “I can take it from here.” Before he can reply, I slip into the infirmary.
When the door clicks shut behind me, I sag against it. This has gotten all too complicated. It’s bad enough I have to deal with becoming a swan every night, but now I’m stuck in a palace with a mate I can never be with? The gods are so damned cruel.