Chapter 22
Chapter
Twenty-Two
Leda
A desperate desire to eavesdrop on Bokkan’s conversation with Guldan filled me, but I didn’t get the opportunity.
As soon as Masu saw me in the doorway to the kitchen, she rushed forward and wrapped me in a hug. Her arms were almost as strong as Bokkan’s.
“I am glad you and the master are both well,” she said, holding me tightly for a moment before releasing me. “Are you hungry?” she asked.
Without waiting for my answer, she went to the daemon equivalent of a refrigerator and began pulling out food. “Of course you are,” she muttered. “You haven’t had a meal in hours and hours. I’ll make something quick for you and the master. You both need to eat.”
As she fussed with vegetables and meat, I walked over to the pitcher of water she kept on the counter and poured myself a glass.
The liquid was refreshing against my tongue.
I drained the glass in a few swallows and poured myself another.
I’d been so focused on Bokkan and my safety that I hadn’t realized how thirsty I was.
I edged toward the door to the hall, straining my ears for the low rumble of voices coming from Bokkan’s office.
Unfortunately, Masu decided to continue our conversation.
“I am pleased you and Guldan were able to have the master freed. It was unjust to jail him for defending you from that cruel ass.”
I blinked and focused on the imp. “You know Karaj?”
“Oh, I do very well,” she answered as she added oil to a large, hot pan. “His parents were once my masters before the general. I left their estate when it became clear they were not going to protect their staff from their son’s brutality.”
“How was he brutal?” I asked, moving closer to Masu.
She dumped chunks of meat and vegetables into the sizzling pan. “He would punish the staff when they made mistakes. But most of those mistakes were created by him through lies or maliciousness. All he wanted was an excuse to torture the poor souls that worked for his family.”
“Did he torture you?” I asked. I couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to hurt Masu. Despite her gray skin and red eyes, she was sweet and bubbly.
“Only the once,” she replied, not looking at me.
I decided I was going do my best to stab the asshole the next time I saw him. Maybe more than once. He deserved that and worse for hurting a sweetheart like Bokkan’s cook.
“I’m glad you were able to escape his home.”
“Me, too, child. Me, too.”
I sipped my water and watched her cook, straining to hear the low voices of Bokkan and Guldan in the office, though I couldn't make out their exact words. It was clear I would have to ask Bokkan about it later. In private.
The food was finished a few minutes later, and Masu plated it up in the same wide shallow bowls daemons used for every meal, whether it was stew, porridge, or a sort of meat and vegetable stir fry mixed with black noodles, which was what she’d just made me.
I dug in without hesitation. Masu made it clear that she had found out what herbs and foods humans needed to avoid in Penumbra and that she would no longer use them in meals. I probably shouldn’t trust so easily, but I trusted her. She seemed to genuinely care about my comfort.
After my first bite, my stomach growled loudly. I carried the bowl to the table and sat down, giving the meal my full attention. Between my hunger and the deliciousness of the food, I couldn’t focus on anything else.
When I finished the last bite, I looked up at the imp. “That was the best thing you’ve made for me yet, Masu.”
She shrugged, and her gray cheeks darkened slightly as though she was blushing. “It’s nothing fancy. The sort of dish mothers make for their children when time and money are short.”
“Then their children must be full and happy, because I could eat this almost every day.”
The imp was definitely blushing now. “I’m glad you liked it.”
I moved to get up from the table and carry my bowl to the sink, but Masu beat me to it.
She came forward and grabbed the empty bowl. “Are you sure you don’t want more?” she asked.
I rubbed my stomach and shook my head. “No. I’m full.”
“How about a cup of berry tea?”
“That sounds good,” I said. “I can make it, though. You’re busy and—”
She waved off my words. “This is my job, and I enjoy it. Let me do it.”
With a sigh, I leaned back in my chair, still rubbing my stomach. I’d eaten way too much, but I hadn’t been able to stop. The noodles were chewy and flavorful, and the sauce she’d created for the vegetables and meat was so good that I wanted to drink it.
“How did you get the master out of the holding cells?” she asked as she put the kettle on to boil.
“I told the magistrate that he was my potential mate and that we were testing our compatibility.”
A thick mug slipped from Masu’s grip and crashed to the floor, cracking in half. With a low curse, she picked up the two pieces and tossed them onto the counter.
“You seem surprised by that,” I said to her as she reached for another.
“I am. You said you wanted to return to your home.”
“I do, but I can’t let Bokkan be punished for protecting me.”
“So, you’re staying in Penumbra?”
I shook my head. “No, I still want to return home. Guldan said I might need to stay longer in order to convince the magistrate that Bokkan and I are considering a mating, but it won’t raise concerns if I decide we’re not compatible after all and wish to return to the human realm.”
Masu stared at me for a long moment, her normally cheerful expression absent. When the kettle began to whistle behind her, she turned around, muttering to herself. I couldn’t understand everything she said but caught the words “idiotic males who have no business getting involved.”
She didn’t say anything else to me as she poured hot water over the dried tea leaves and fresh berries, letting them steep for a few minutes.
Masu brought my tea over to the table and set it in front of me before she spoke again. “I do not want you to leave. I will miss you.”
I realized I would miss her, too. I’d only been here for a few days, but the imp had already become a friend. It was impossible not to like her. “I’ll miss you, too,” I admitted.
We didn’t continue the conversation because the door to Bokkan’s office flew open and Guldan stomped out. Today was the first time I’d seen the commander visibly react to anything. He’d been grim when he convinced me to go to the magistrate’s office with him. But now he was clearly angry.
He didn’t speak to either of us as he marched through the kitchen and out the back door.
Masu shook her head as she stared after him. “Meddling fool.”
“What?”
“Drink your tea, Leda. It’s been a long day, and you need nourishment.”
I didn’t repeat my question. Mostly because Masu disappeared into the pantry, moving things around and muttering beneath her breath.
When I finished my tea, I was exhausted. The sun was still up, but I was already sleepy enough to go to bed. My concerns and questions could be answered tomorrow when I was thinking clearly.
I let Masu know I was going upstairs and left my cup in the sink as she requested.
My head ached, so I took a cup of water upstairs with me and decided to take a hot bath. Getting kidnapped, fighting for my life, and finding myself in the care of a huge, terrifying, yet strangely sweet and nurturing monster was more than I had ever endured in a single week.
The door to Bokkan’s office was closed when I walked by. I was tempted to knock on the door and ask him if we could talk, but ultimately stuck to my decision to wait until tomorrow.
It wasn’t as if I would be able to go home anytime soon anyway.