Page 47 of Love & Monsters
There was a lingering pain in my chest from everything I lost. My family, friends, and every aspect of my life on Earth. Perhaps someday, when things settled, I’d have a proper chance to mourn them. Right now, I think finding solace with Vadric would help me get through it.
I internally sighed that he was right about the castle being quiet. We only passed servants on our way to the great hall. When we got there, it was empty save for one mothman looking servant setting out plates piled high to prepare for mealtime. His black and grey moth-like wings twitched as we passed and Vadric nodded at him.
“Here, sit.” Vadric pulled out the throne at the head table for me to sit at. I hesitated, remembering what happened last night in this chair. Should I sit here? I wasn’t the Lord.
“Mina.” his tone took a firmer edge, encouraging me down. “You can sit. Please.”
Without responding, I nodded and settled into the chair that was far too big for me alone. Then Vadric dipped to the long tables and began piling unique items on a plate. His tail twitched as he moved, but it seemed more like excitement than irritation.
The doors to the great hall opened, and I stiffened. When I realized it was Ilya, my shoulders relaxed, though only a fraction. She smiled at the sight of her brother. When she noticed me on the throne, her expression fell.
Oh no, I don’t think his sister likes me.
In the past, I had human boyfriends whose family didn’t like me. This felt different. His sister could rip my head off if the thought of doing so occurred to her. Even as pregnant as she was, I imagined it would be more than easy for her.
Vadric helped gather breakfast for his sister. I tensed in the seat as I waited for him, picking at my nails. Before I realized it, they were coming back to the head table. Vadric carried two full plates and idly chatted with Ilya.
“Here you are.” Vadric put way too much food in front of me. While it was nice that we were finally in a place to eat a full meal after the scarcity of the dungeon, there’s no way I could eat all of this.
“Thank you.” I reached for something that mirrored a twisted dough as Vadric took a knee at the side of the chair. “What is this?”
“Sweetbread with citrus.” Vadric picked up something else on the plate that made me think of bacon and he held it up to my face. “Eat this too.”
I opened my mouth at his insistence, and he fed me the strip of meat. It made me so happy when the crispy slice of meat met my tongue and it, in fact, tasted like bacon. My eyes almost rolled into the back of my head.
Ilya scoffed, causing Vadric and I both to turn and look at her. She was in the same seat as last night next to us as she tore at her breakfast. There was clear agitation etched into the lines of her face as she pulled apart a sweetbread with more force than was necessary.
“Is something wrong, Ilya?” Vadric drawled, arching his brows as he regarded her.
“Do you realize how you’re acting?” With the shredded bread in her hands, she gestured between me and Vadric. “It’s a human.”
Vadric growled low in the back of his throat. Lifting his hand, he held up a pointed claw at his sister. A clear warning. “Don’t speak to me about my actions. I am the Lord, and I shall do as I please.”
“And the Lord pleases todothe human. It’s only a pet, Vadric!” she hissed, squishing the bread in her clawed fist.
Vadric rose to his feet, towering over Ilya and casting a shadow across her face. His growl increased, and his upper lip peeled back to reveal his teeth. “Mina is more than a pet and I won’t have you speak of her in that way!”
Ilya hissed back. Her cheeks split open as she snapped at her brother. I swallowed hard and shrank into the throne, wishing it would allow me to sink into the wood and vanish.
Something crashed open. All eyes whipped toward the great hall door where an armored guard slouched, breathing hard. Vadric straightened, instantly pulling on the mask of the Lord.
I felt Ilya’s eyes on the side of my face as the interruption distracted Vadric.
“Lord Ascian,” the guard huffed. He straightened up, clutching the handle of the sword on his hip. “Riders approach the base of the mountain.”
Vadric groaned and ran his hand across his face. Twisting down to face me, he quickly leaned over the arm of the chair. “Stay here, eat breakfast. I’ll return after I see to this situation.”
“Alright,” I mumbled over my stunned tongue. He tossed a glare at his sister before slipping around the corner of the table to leave.
“Be safe!” I called out before he reached the door. Vadric’s steps faltered, and he froze. His head turned, regarding me for one moment. Then he vanished through the door with the guard, leaving me alone with Ilya. The tension surged from her. I could almost see the steam rising from her elongated ears.
I picked at the sweetbread in the heavy silence. Vadric’s sudden departure left me more stunned than the interaction with his sister. Were we still safe here? Who rose toward the fortress?
There were so many thoughts in my head as I tried to ignore Ilya that I didn’t notice when she turned her head in my direction. My thoughts were on Vadric’s safety and the countless possibilities of what could go wrong.
“Why does he treat you so?” Her voice pulled me from my thoughts. A chill spider-walked down my spine. “How have you bewitched him, human?”
“I didn’t bewitch him.” Dropping the bread, I lifted my face to meet her glare. “How does he treat me?”
