redith.
There was sothing deeply wrong with my tongue this morning.
I could barely taste anything on it. It was numb, dull, like it had died in the night and left with nothing but texture and bitterness. Which, of course, made sense—after all, I had drunk a whole glass of that herbal concoction last night... and another this morning before breakfast.
My stomach was still digesting the betrayal.
Still, the hunger remained. Fierce and unrelenting. Like sothing inside had clawed through my dinner and decided it wanted more.
I stepped into the hallway, barely suppressing the hundredth yawn, when I nearly bumped into Dennis.
He grinned. "Perfect timing. I was just coming to find you."
"For what?"
"My noble diplomacy succeeded. Your swim lessons with my brother have officially moved to the morning," he announced, wiggling his brows.
A smile pulled at the corners of my lips, relief washing through . "Really?" I didn’t think Draven would easily agree to it.
For a fact, I thought he would be up for an option that would frustrate . But I guess I was wrong.
Maybe he’s no longer petty?
Dennis gave a mock bow. "You may thank later by going through our lessons quickly so we can finally go on a ride."
I rolled my eyes and gave a grateful nod before heading for the dining hall, as the thought of driving a car on the express, gave a mont to forget my hunger.
Breakfast was already underway when I arrived. The savory scent of pepper sauce and fried at wrapped around my senses. My stomach growled in betrayal—again.
If this kept up, I might actually eat soone, maybe, one of the Oatrun brothers’ whole.
My plate had been set. A large turkey blanket, deep fried and smothered in glistening pepper sauce. I didn’t bother with cutlery—I picked it up with my hands and tore into it like I hadn’t seen food in days.
Every chew felt like salvation.
I was halfway through when I caught it—that weight of soone’s gaze crawling across my skin. I lifted my eyes and t Wanda’s.
Her expression looked like she was watching a beast eat raw at. Disgust carved across her painted face.
I didn’t care. Let her look. Let her chew on it. And if she can’t endure it in the end, she could go slam her head on a pillar.
From beside , Dennis chuckled under his breath. "You might want to slow down before you inhale the plate."
I tore a piece of at off the bone and glanced at him. "Why? Is the plate edible too?"
And then, I made the mistake of glancing up again—this ti catching Draven watching with an unreadable expression. One brow was slightly raised, his lips neutral, but I could see the question simring behind those eyes.
He must be wondering if I was possessed, a word he used once on and I had refused to let go of it.
He looked away.
Whatever.
I took the last bite, chewed, swallowed. The hunger didn’t leave.
I wiped my fingers on a napkin and raised my hand slightly. "Can I have another one?"
The server nodded and returned with a fresh plate. I barely heard the scraping of silverware around anymore.
My body wasn’t full. It felt like sothing had co unhinged inside , like the concoction was doing more than just muting my scent—it was awakening sothing else entirely. And it was ravenous.
This wasn’t how I used to feel back ho. This was an entirely different experience.
I grabbed a glass of orange juice and downed it in one gulp. Juice slid down my throat, cooling the pepper’s heat. Then, I reached for my second turkey blanket and sank my teeth into it.
The butler politely stepped forward with a fresh glass and replaced the greasy one I had grabbed with oily fingers. I offered him a quick, grateful nod.
Then ca the voice.
"Do we starve you here?" Draven asked.
It was very obvious he couldn’t tolerate my eating habits currently and had to say sothing in the end.
My chewing slowed. I t his gaze from the corner of my eye and shrugged, still eating. "I don’t know." My words ca through a half-full mouth. "I’m hungry. And I don’t know why I can’t stop eating."
I was lifting the at to my mouth again when another voice cut in—sharp, smug.
"Are you pregnant?"
The words hit like a slap.
I froze mid-bite, my fingers clenched around the turkey. Slowly, I turned to look at Wanda.
"What?" I asked, lowering the at to my plate. My voice was cold. If words could strike, mine would have left her with a gash across the cheek.
Wanda only smiled and added, "There. You’ve stopped eating."
My jaw clenched.
I was ready to tear her apart with words, but then Draven’s voice ca low and laced with warning.
"Do I have to tell you what you should and shouldn’t say?"
Wanda turned to him with that sa damn smile and said, "Relax. I was just trying to help. And it worked, didn’t it?"
I was still chewing what little was left in my mouth, searching for a blade of a sentence to throw back, when Dennis spoke first.
"No one here likes your jokes, Wanda," he said smoothly. "And just so you know, I actually enjoyed not seeing you at breakfast yesterday. You’ve got a horrible presence."
Wanda’s smirk didn’t waver. She didn’t even seem offended by his comnt. "At least my presence makes an impact."
Unbelievable. She acted like she was proud of her toxicity.
Draven, of course, didn’t dignify either of them with another word. Instead, he turned his eyes back to .
"You won’t be swimming today," he said flatly. "But be prepared for tomorrow morning’s session. And do try to co on ti. And dressed properly."
I stared at him. "Will you let drown if I don’t do as you say?"
He watched for a good three seconds. Then— "I will drown you myself," he replied without missing a beat.
I huffed, grabbed my napkin, and muttered under my breath, "I knew I wasn’t wrong about you when I concluded that nothing good cos out of your mouth."
But for so reason, my stomach wasn’t growling anymore.
And I wasn’t sure if it was the food... or the fire that little exchange had lit in .
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