Total pages in book: 182
Estimated words: 171176 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 856(@200wpm)___ 685(@250wpm)___ 571(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 171176 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 856(@200wpm)___ 685(@250wpm)___ 571(@300wpm)
“Whoever is making Granny’s coating is doing it at the expense of their personal health,” I told Finley. “They will need large quantities of something to reduce the sickness, or Granny’s people would be dying. And honestly, maybe they are. If we can figure out the general vicinity of the production area, large shipments of elixir should lead us to the target.”
Finley turned to me with an unreadable expression, and, for some reason, the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.
Chapter 24
Vemar
Later that night, I joined a bunch of others at the impromptu pig roast. Captive Lady sure could cook. Hadriel’s raving hadn’t done her justice—not even close.
Calia walked over to me, the roll of her hips indicating she believed herself the prize of the party. She sure was pretty.
“Hello, Kind Lady,” I said, a name I’d given her when we met in the demon dungeons. “What can I do you for?” I popped a bite of pork into my mouth. I offered her a morsel from my plate.
She hesitated, probably running through the rules in her mind. If a wolf or other shifter offered food, accepting it meant you wanted to head to the sack—or to eternity—with them. When a dragon did it, we were just being polite. We didn’t need to trade food for sex—we got laid just by being us.
She gave me the sort of smile that said she wouldn’t be opposed to heading to the sack this evening, and reached for a bite. I wouldn’t say no.
She tossed it into her mouth. “Everyone has been somewhat tight-lipped about what happened yesterday when the new . . . castle inhabitant shifted for the first time.”
“Yup. King’s orders—”
“What . . .” Her brow furrowed and she stared at my plate. “What is this?”
She looked around at the crowd of people gathered. There were more people here than Aurelia had been expecting. She’d planned on doing just one pig, but it seemed my little buddy, Hadriel, had correctly surmised the word would get out. Aurelia had prepared more food accordingly.
“The Captive Lady did a little cooking for the friendlies.” I put another bite into my mouth.
“Aurelia did this?” She reached for pork this time, watching me as she chewed. “This is delicious.”
“Yes, it is rather good.”
She took a root vegetable and looked it over for a moment before eating it. “Mmm.” Her gaze turned intense. “The first was pork, but what is this?”
“That I do not know. Something edible that grows around here in great supply, apparently. I’ve never had it before.”
“How’d she know about it?”
I shrugged. “Apparently she went through long periods of not having enough food and figured out a solution. She knows a lot about foraging and natural foods. I’m sure the locals know what it is, but the castle cook isn’t the type to go traipsing through the woods looking for vegetables.”
She grabbed another type of vegetable, surveying it first and then sliding it into her mouth. She sucked on her finger, and I started salivating.
As was usual for this female, she didn’t voice what she was thinking, her gaze far away while her wheels clearly turned. She issued a soft grunt, coming to some sort of conclusion, before refocusing on me. I continued to eat, and she continued to help me clear my plate.
“I got wind of an emoting situation,” she told me. “Yesterday, I mean. She emoted very strongly. So strongly that very loyal dragons turned on their king.”
Who’d been talking, I wondered . . .?
“I didn’t turn on anyone,” I said.
She studied me. “I remember you from the demon parties. It took a lot of magical effort on their part to get you to . . . perform.”
“That is because I don’t like people pulling levers in my brain without my say-so.”
“You killed a lot of their demon guards.”
“Not as many as Micah, but I did all right.”
She paused for a beat. “Aurelia doesn’t affect you.”
I wasn’t supposed to talk about yesterday, that was true. None of us were. The king wanted to keep the Captive Lady’s talents close to his vest. She was valuable to a kingdom because of her bloodline, her power, and now this new magic. Granny had been keeping a tight leash on a very interesting sort of shifter. It spoke to Captive Lady’s talents and intelligence that Granny hadn’t capitalized on her beyond making the drugs. Aurelia was turning out to be a treasure, and the king was a political animal. His mate might want to bring this lady to justice to appease her people, but he wasn’t so considerate. If Aurelia wasn’t careful, she’d become a pawn in the scheming of kingdoms.
So no, I wasn’t supposed to talk about yesterday, but no one said anything about any other time I’d spent with her. I wouldn’t sandbag her ability to have a better life.