Page 45 of Dark Prince's Captive

She lets go of my hand to run her fingers through the blades.They twist around her fingertips, and sensing that it’s not their usual food, they return to their erect state.

She laughs.“That tickles.”

I take the blanket from the basket and spread it out near the shore.When I’ve set out our breakfast, I ask, “Are you hungry?”

She pads over and plops down next to me, sitting with her legs crossed.“Aruan, we have to talk.”

Yes, but… “Food first.”

She huffs.

I halve a smallthoskacake and heap a generous helping of hardboiled, mincedyehuykon top.Lifting it to her mouth, I say, “Open.”

She takes the savory cake from my hand.“You don’t have to feed me.”

I can’t help the teasing smile that stretches my lips.“What if I like to?”

That earns me another huff.She shoves the entire cake into her mouth and chews enthusiastically.

“Oh, wow,” she says around the food.“This is delicious.”

The warm sensation in my chest increases, knowing I’ve pleased her with a treat I prepared for her.“It’s baked with flour we grind from the bark ofthoskatrees, which is very nutritious.If the bark is steeped in water, the infusion can be used for digestive problems.”

“What’s the topping?”she asks, licking her fingers clean.“That was so yummy and creamy.”

My gaze homes in on her action, my body tightening in response.“Snake eggs.”

Her eyes grow round.She spits on the ground and wipes her mouth with the back of her hand.“Ew.Seriously?That’s gross.”

“It’s a delicacy and a rare one at that.”

Shooting me a cutting look, she says, “You could’ve warned me.”

“Here.”I pour a little juice from the flask into a bowl and hand it to her.“Drink this.”

She takes a big swallow and asks belatedly, “That wasn’t anything gross like frog pee, was it?”

“Frog?I don’t know that animal.”

“It’s a cold-blooded, slimy amphibian—” At my frown, she adds, “Sort of like a reptile that leaps and croaks.”

I chuckle.“It’s just a sweet wine made of fruit and herbs.”

“What about you?”She leaves the bowl on the blanket.“Aren’t you eating?”

I’ll eat when I’ve taken care of her needs.“Would you like to try somescrivka?It’s a porridge made with seven grains and eaten cold with honey.”I take the dish out and, after removing the cloth that covers it, place it in front of her with a spoon.“This has to be cooked overnight.Otherwise, the grains are indigestible.”

She dips the spoon in the porridge, takes a tentative lick, and then finishes everything in a few big bites.When I offer her a second helping, she tells me she’s had enough.

I’m preparing the sweet part of the meal, which are cubed pieces of fruit fried in fat and caramelized with honey, when she gets to her feet and kicks off her shoes.

“Elsie.”

I drop the stickyjimkiaand reach for her ankle, but she jumps out of my reach.

“I want to feel the grass under my bare feet,” she calls with a mischievous grin over her shoulder as she runs to the edge of the lake.

Dragons!This woman will be the end of me.

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