Chapter 53
Silan left after that for some reason, muttering something under his breath about having to do something that didn't have to deal with us, and Ilas stayed put, not saying a word.
"Hmph," Jonah said and pursed his lips in annoyance. He looked in the direction that Silan went before he looked at me and then at Ilas. "Can we..?" He trailed off and raised an eyebrow in question while he looked at me again, and I shook my head and grimaced.
"I do not know why Silan is acting like that," I said and moved a hand across my face, biting back an annoyed sigh. "That is a bit worrisome, don't you think?" I asked and raised an eyebrow in question.
Silently, I told him that it wasn't safe to talk about Silan and Ilas and how the real Silan was sitting in front of us with a new name and a new face.
Jonah pursed his lips further in annoyance before he slowly nodded.
"Hmph," he said again before he cleared his throat and shifted in his seat.
"I am sure that it is worrisome, but it isn't something that you can't handle, Marini," he teased while he winked playfully, and I rolled my eyes and pressed my lips into a thin line while I stared at him.
"Right?" He raised an eyebrow in question.
"I will be able to handle it; I am sure, Jonah," I said before I took a sip of my drink before I cleared my throat and shifted in my seat, placing my cup down again.
"However, I do not think that it is something that I should have to handle at such a young age, correct?
" I gave him a pointed look, and Jonah grinned in amusement and leaned back in his seat.
"Well, there is a lot of stuff that you shouldn't have to handle, but you do, anyway," he said and shrugged, nonchalantly.
"I do not know how you can handle it, but I am glad that you can, at least for the time being.
" He gave me a pointed look after he winked and smirked, and I shrugged and grimaced, pressing my lips into a thin line.
"It's not much that I can't handle, Jonah," I said before I cleared my throat and shifted in my seat before I finished the rest of my food and leaned back in my seat.
"Let's just thank the Great that I am able to do this because there could be a chance that if someone else was in my position, then they wouldn't be able to do it. "
"That's true," Ilas said and nodded in confirmation, and we looked at him, "but I am sure that there are those that will be able to do it, too." He winked teasingly, and I rolled my eyes and scowled. "However, not as good as you have done from the beginning."
"Hmph." Jonah leaned back in his seat and folded his arms across his chest. "I wonder if Silan is feeling well," he said randomly, tapping his fingers on the side of his arm in some sort of code. "I don't think he even finished his food."
He looked at the food near him and pursed his lips in annoyance. "Maron is not going to be pleased."
"No, she won't," I said and shook my head while Charles appeared out of nowhere to collect the empty plates. I nodded in greeting before I turned my attention back to Jonah. "However, I don't think she will give Silan an earful."
"Correction, she's not going to find him to give him an earful," Jonah said, giving me a pointed look, and I bit back a small snort but nodded in agreement. "Maron will give him an earful when she sees this and once she sees him." He gestured to the food that was beside him.
"Well, you haven't finished your plate either, Jonah," Charles said and started to collect my plate as well as Silan's plate. "Are you not hungry?" He reached to take his plate from in front of him, and Jonah swatted at his hand.
"Get your paws off of my plate, Charles," Jonah scolded while Charles took his hand away from the plate, snickering. "What is wrong with you, Man?"
I bit back a small amused snort and shifted in my seat.
"I am sure that there is a lot wrong with him, especially since he has been working for you for years, Jonah," I said, and Jonah flashed me an annoyed look.
"You could be like our friend and have his plate covered with his body.
" I gestured to Ilas, who in fact was covering his plate with his body so that Charles wouldn't take it, eating what he could stuff into his mouth.
Jonah frowned and narrowed his eyes a little while he studied the other male. Worry flashed through his eyes, and I could tell that he was worried about his old friend. He didn't even say a word at what I said because he was too worried about him.
"Jonah," I said, praying that I would pull the older male's gaze from him before he broke character and let them know that we knew that Ilas was Silan but they transformed him into someone else.
Thankfully, Jonah looked away from him and looked at me with his eyes shining brighter like the fire that was still in his soul.
I licked my lips and cleared my throat, shifting in my seat. "Stop," I said in his tongue, my voice wavering a little because I had no idea if he would try to talk to me like this when he knew that I couldn't speak his tongue.
Jonah bit back a small smirk. He dipped his head closer to his chest and raised both eyebrows before relaxing them. "Hmph," he said with a small chuckle in his voice. "Stop what?" he asked and raised an eyebrow in question, switching his tongue as well. "What do I need to stop?"
I scowled and narrowed my eyes, pressing my lips into a thin line. I didn't say a word while I stared at him, praying that he wasn't going to have me talk like this because I couldn't say many words.
Jonah dipped his head a little closer to his chest and bit back a small chuckle. "Well?" he asked and raised an eyebrow in question, and he cocked his head while he studied me. "Say something else, Marini."
I bit back an annoyed sigh and shook my head, feeling very annoyed and defeated. "I can't say a lot because you don't allow me to or allow me to learn, Jonah," I said and shook my head again, switching back to the language we all understood. "You know that, Jonah."
Ilas looked up from his food, furrowing his brows. "What's this?" he asked, furrowing his brows further while he looked between the two of us. "What's going on?"
"Don't worry about it," Jonah said, biting back a small snort while he shook his head.
He cleared his throat and shifted in his seat before he looked at Charles.
"Go ahead and take the plates that you have in your hands back to the kitchen," he said.
"Also get some dessert for us, will you?
" He winked, and Charles bit back a small smirk and nodded in confirmation.
"J-"
He waved his hand to silence me, and I closed my mouth and pressed my lips into a thin line, annoyed.
"Two of them or three?" Charles asked and raised an eyebrow in question. He looked at Ilas before he looked at Jonah again.
"Three," Jonah replied with a nod. "Please."
Charles nodded and finished gathering the plates that weren't in use before he walked away again.
I folded my arms across my chest and leaned back in my seat with a small scowl on my face while I stared at Jonah, who had been watching Charles leave.
"Hmph," he said and turned his attention back to me. He blinked and blinked again, biting back a small smirk. "What?" he asked and raised an eyebrow in question when he saw that I was scowling at him. "What's wrong?"
"I'm going to need fire again before I eat the dessert," I said and folded my arms across my chest before I scowled and narrowed my eyes. "I don't know why you decided to get me one."
Jonah chuckled and shifted in his seat. "Because you need it, and it is on the house," he said and gestured to the kitchen, and I looked that way before I looked at him. "You can go ahead and start to make your way there, Marini," he said. "Ilas and I will be fine by ourselves."
I scowled and narrowed my eyes, the hair on the back of my neck standing up at attention. My whole body grew tense while I stared at Jonah, not knowing what he meant and why he wanted to talk to Ilas alone.
Ilas chuckled and patted my hand, and I hesitated before I looked at him, pressing my lips into a thin line, breaking eye contact with Jonah.
He smiled sadly and dipped his head closer to his chest, his eyes filled with pain and sadness.
"It'll be ok, Rinnie," he said, softly. "Go ahead and do what you need to do. "
"But..." I trailed off and shifted in my seat while I looked at the kitchen before I looked at him again.
Will you still be here..?
Ilas bit back a sad small smile, and he had a small look in his eyes that said he wouldn't be, even if he wouldn't say it himself. He didn't say a word while he looked at me, keeping that same sad smile on his face.
"You still have business to attend to, anyway, Marini," Jonah said, and I looked at him with my lips pressed into a thin line, "and so do I." He dipped his head closer to his chest, silently letting me know that we had to talk before I had to go.
"I also have some business to attend to, too," Ilas said. His head rolled to one side and then the next, but he kept his gaze on me with a "bright" smile on his face. "It's none of your concern, of course." He flashed me a small wink, and the smile turned into a small smirk while he looked at me.
I scowled and narrowed my eyes while I stared at him without saying a word. I did not like that he wouldn't tell me what he was going to do, especially since he was under someone else's control and not his own.
Ilas's smirk turned into a grin, and the grin grew wider with the grin almost taking over his whole face.
"Again, Rinnie," he teased. "I am an adult.
I am able to take care of myself even under certain.
.. circumstances." He gave me a pointed look, and I knew that was his way of saying he would be able to take care of himself, and I didn't have to worry as much as I was.
I rolled my eyes, and my scowl grew deeper. I didn't say a word while I stared at him, silently telling him that I was still going to worry about him, no matter what age he was or how he acted.
Ilas chuckled but didn't say another word. He patted my hand before he placed his hand on the table and looked at Jonah. He still didn't say a word while he and Jonah talked silently, something that I didn't need to know but needed to find out, and needed to find out soon.
I narrowed my eyes and scowled before I cleared my throat, and they looked at me with blank looks on their faces. "What is this that's going on?" I asked and raised an eyebrow in question while I looked between them. "What are you talking about with each other?"
Jonah bit back a small smile and shook his head, gesturing to the kitchen. "Go ahead and go," he said before he cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. "Go ahead and get some dessert from the back and let Charles know that you need fire so that he doesn't bring out another one."
I hesitated and looked towards Ilas before I looked at Jonah again. "But..." I trailed off and cleared my throat while I shifted in my seat and furrowed my brows, pursing my lips in annoyance.
Ilas bit back a small sigh and took my hand in his, and I looked at him with wide eyes.
He smiled sadly and squeezed my hand reassuringly while he dipped his head closer to his chest. "I'll be fine, Rinnie," he said softly, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Go ahead and go do what you were told to do.
" He cleared his throat and squeezed my hand again.
"I might not be here when you get back from what you are doing. Ok?"
I hesitated before I slowly nodded, knowing full well that Ilas wouldn't change his mind. I squeezed his hand before I took my hand out of his, my heart breaking into two. "Stay where they can see you, please? I don't know why you decided to leave."
"Hmph." Ilas bit back a small smirk before he slowly nodded. "I will make sure that I stay safe even if I am outside of the area, ok?" He raised an eyebrow in question and gave me a pointed look, and I rolled my eyes and scowled.
"Fine," I said, biting back an annoyed sigh before I looked at Jonah, silently telling that him we were going to talk about everything later.
Jonah chuckled and leaned back in his seat, amused.
"I'll stay put, Marini," he said and winked, teasingly.
"Now, go and do what you were told to do.
" He shooed me away, and I rolled my eyes and scowled but did what I was told to do and left, leaving my basket behind and praying that no one would look through and that Ilas continued to stay safe. ..
I didn't know what I would do if he wasn't...