Raven Chapter 27 A Five-Course Meal With A Side of Cardiac Arrest 334 #2
I nod and tuck in. The first bite of the well seasoned broth is amazing, but then I find the true treasure. They're like wonderful gooshy flavorful balls of what I think is some sort of cheese mixture. I look up to ask her what they are, but she already has a smile on her face, ready to answer.
“Those are cornmeal dumplings that are filled with a special cheese."
I inhale those with the vigor of that starved man from earlier, before making grabby hands at the next bowl, only for Anik to put his hand over it.
“This one is for last, little one,” he says, his voice leaving no room for argument. A wisp of shadow curls possessively around the bowl’s rim. I just pout a little.
With all this delicious food in front of me, I just can’t find it in me to fight him. Besides, he’s never steered me wrong in the arena of food before. I grab another bread looking thing, and Selena is the one who chimes in this time.
“Sopa paraguaya. It's my favorite. It's like a cornbread, but it has a bunch of cheese and onions in it." She bites into her own piece before humming happily and motioning me to do the same.
When I do, I am once again reminded why my choice to make her my sister was the right one.
I’ve also decided to adopt Miriam. The knowing glint in her eyes tells me she’s in on a joke I know nothing about, so I’m just going to ignore it, hope I’m not the butt end of it, and keep on shoveling this delicious food in.
We go through a few more food items, and then I’m leaning back in my chair, sated and stuffed to the brim. Sadly, once again, in a very non-sexual way.
I point to Miriam. “Just so everyone knows the score, she is totally my favorite right now.”
Forrest chimes in then, cutting me with a stare I thought he had put away after my little breakdown in the guy’s gym.
“So you have favorites?” He asks, an accusation in his tone.
I just roll my eyes, “Not like real favorites. Just like in-the-moment favorites.” I point to Kieran, “He’s known since day one. There’s no way he hasn’t been trying to get into the favorite spot every day since I crashed into this existence.”
Ro-ro's narrowed eyes shift between us, then slide to Anik for some reason before he, blessedly, backs off. Kieran just grins before he’s sliding my stolen bowl to me with a glint in his eye.
“Here, Wisp. Try this one.” I ignore whatever weird energy is coming off of him because, well… food, obviously, and I dig in.
I can’t help another loud moan as the slice of whatever this is hits my tongue. It’s sweet, rich, and falls apart in my mouth. I look to Miriam to demand an explanation for this witchcraft.
She, like the beautiful witch she obviously is, anticipates this and already has an explanation ready. “It’s papaya that is simmered in sugar water and some other spices for a few hours.”
"What the hell is a papaya?" I ask with my mouth full.
Once someone feeds me, I pretty much turn into a remora—shout-out to Em's nature documentaries for that little gem. You know, those little fish that latch onto sharks for a free ride? Except my ride is to Flavor Town, population: me, and my payment is undying loyalty.
At this point, I'm convinced I'd happily die for this woman. Especially if she keeps feeding me like this.
Well, maybe not right away. I have lists to see to. Specifically, an extensive sex list.
Ki-ki leans over then, putting his lips right to my ear. “Those sounds ye make are more delicious than any of this food, Wisp.” The shiver that overtakes me as his mouth brushes my ear is otherworldly. “It only makes me think where else ye’d make those sounds.”
My thighs clench as his words make their way straight to that perfect little pleasure nub. I hold back a groan at the fact that I might have to ask Miriam to do laundry because I did not pack enough underwear for this to be a thing regularly.
My eyes flick to Em only to be met with a burning stare. Another shiver works its way through me as I beat down the urge to order everyone out of the dining room so I can be ravished on this table until I can’t remember my own name. Which, coincidentally, happens to be on my sex list.
Desperately needing a distraction, I clear my throat and look to Miriam. “How in the nine realms did you pull this much food together in just a few hours?” I ask because again, I’m still not convinced she’s a shifter.
She just laughs, “Oh dear, I knew the boys were coming, and they eat as much as a small country some days.” That glint from before flares in her eyes again, and I brace myself.
“If I had known they’d be bringing their ne’?ngue in the flesh, I’d have prepared even more.
” A fork clatters somewhere, but I ignore it, happy to not be the butt of a joke.
“I see now why the sage and offerings did not work.”
“Haud on a minute. Is our Wisp the famous ning-noogie?” He says, butchering the word per usual.
“It makes sense.” Forrest says, and I tense, waiting for a scathing lecture regarding blatant privacy breaches.
“The last time Miriam visited was over five years ago, which was, more than likely, before Raven started,” He pauses, and my mouth falls open at the fact that he’s taking the time to think about his words and how they might affect me.
“Tagging along.” He looks to me like he’s wanting me to confirm or deny this.
It takes me a second to collect my words, but I’m able to once my face relaxes from the manic smile it had burst into at his earlier pause.
I’ll settle with being compared to a persistent gnat over a liability in humanoid form.
One is annoying, while the other gets you contained in a magic-nullifying cell.
I nod, “I started tagging along maybe a week after her last visit. Y’all were at Hell’s Bend trying to figure out a murder or kidnapping or something.” I sigh wistfully. “You can’t blame a girl for following around backsides that look like yours do.”
There’s silence for a minute, and I look around at various expressions that range from amused to smug, to absolutely blank, before realizing I’ve made it super weird and turn my attention back to my one true love, food.
"So this sugar papaya creation." I'm already reaching for more. "Recipe. Now."
Kieran nods vigorously. Anik's eye twitches.
"No."
I stare at him. "You know, for someone whose kitchen I've respectfully only set on fire twice—"
"Three times." Kieran helpfully corrects.
"Three times, which is basically a miracle considering no one told me meat juices are flammable—"
"Ye did put a meat pie in the toaster," Kieran adds.
"I was learning! And the grilled cheese was YOUR fault. You said bourbon would add flavor, not that it would add flames."
"Weel, technically, it did add flavor. Smoky notes."
I turn to Anik's family. "And the peanut butter on the ceiling? That wasn't even our fault. It just... wanted to live there. Who am I to judge?"
Selena finally breaks, a small laugh escaping. "The peanut butter?"
"It had dreams." I shrug. "Anyway, that's why I need this recipe. It’s something I can't accidentally set on fire. Probably."
“I don’t give out recipes.” Miriam says with a smile. “I need a way to ensure return visits.”
I nod. “Smart. Blackmail. I like it.” Then I look around at the guys.
“I vote we move in.” When no one answers me right away, I add, “I’m serious.
Let’s move in so we can eat the food wizard’s magic all the time.
I don’t want to have to deal with a sky sausage every time I find myself craving a dulchi mama or whatever it’s called. ”
“Dulce de mamon.” Anik corrects me as he snags the hand that was inching towards his thigh before gently setting it back in my lap.
I can’t blame my wandering hands. I mean, these guys are just so touchable, and I’m a sensory starved mole rat blindly reaching out to remind myself I’m here and corporeal after a hollow lifetime of solitude.
The past two weeks, I haven’t had the mental capabilities to do anything but survive. Now that I’m rested? My hands are back to being the sneaky little wanderers they are. Anik seems to be against this new development.
The rejection stings—a quick, sharp prick to the heart of this lonely little mole rat.
But it doesn’t last long, because I realize, at some point, Selena had disappeared during my melodrama, and the dishes were somehow whisked away.
When she settles in across from me with a bottle of something and a few glasses, I raise a brow.
Forrest grunts, and my eyes dart to him, watching him eye the bottle suspiciously before declaring, “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
Pressing Ro-ro’s buttons is truly a highlight of my existence. “I’m game,” I say, wanting to do whatever the hell it is specifically because a certain grumpy gargoyle doesn’t want me to.
I see his jaw tighten, the muscle feathering. It’s the same look he gets when he’s mentally rewriting a clause in a contract—or deciding the best way to pin a disobedient subordinate to a wall.
Um, yes please?
My stomach does a weird, happy flip as a little bit of hope trickles in that maybe, finally , I’m scaling that giant wall he has around himself.
She laughs, “You have no idea what this is or if you’ll like it.”
I wave her off, “Nonsense. My sister has great taste in everything. Hand it over. Let’s go.”
The guys, even Forrest, chuckle at that. Note to self: the guys have a soft spot for Selena, as they should.
Miriam waves Ro-ro off stating, “We need champagne to celebrate! It’s not every day my son finds his fated mate, after all.”
Anik goes stock still. I stare at him, eyes wide.
Hold on. Was he out meeting some fated mate while I was trapped in a training room with an emotionally unwell gargoyle?
I want to stab Forrest. And I want to stab the bitch who stole my grumpy giant.