Page 17 of Reap the Night
“Do I need an occasion to host a small dinner party?” Ezekiel said smoothly.
“You never do anything without one.”
He smiled thinly. “You know me too well.”
I waited for him to elaborate, but he didn’t, so I set to loading up my plate with some food. Eating with the knots in my belly would be a feat that I could focus on to get me through this meal because the way Ariella was looking at Ezekiel, all googly-eyed and enraptured, made me want to puke. She’d been here less than a heartbeat, and look at her acting as if she owned the place, as if she owned him, and now, she was touching his sleeve with her slender fingers. Looking up at him from beneath her lashes.
He responded by covering her hand with his and smiling down at her.
Oh God, how was I going to get through this bloody meal?
I stuffed bread into my mouth and chewed with determination and desperation, then gulped some wine to wash it down
“Hungry?” Ezekiel said, a hint of amusement in his tone.
“Starving.”
Hemlock cleared his throat. “Try the spiced rice.” He leaned across the table and spooned some onto my plate. “It’s delicious.” His gaze snagged on mine, and for a moment, my inner turmoil was silent, but then anger flickered to life, becausehow dare he ignore me all the way here and now act like he cares?
“It is delicious,” Ariella said, as if she’d cooked it herself, and oh God what was wrong with me? That poor girl…She hadn’t done anything to deserve the awful thoughts I was having about her.
I needed this meal to be over so I could get out of here.
“So how have you been spending your time these past weeks?” Ezekiel asked.
“Working,” I said around a mouthful of rice, uncaring of etiquette.
“And…”
“And…none of your business.”
His eyes narrowed. “Everythingyou do is my business, Miss Lighthart.”
“Not anymore it isn’t.”
His mouth tightened, a flash of annoyance lighting up his features before leaving them dark and forbidding. “Of course,” he said, “you're my watcher, not the other way round, and I may be needing your services in the coming weeks.”
“Oh?” The thought of having to spend time with him again evoked a cocktail of contrary emotions.
“My dear Ariella wishes to see New Town. I’ll be taking her to the Royal House for dinner and some late-night shopping.”
Her cheeks grew pink, and he smiled, showcasing teeth in a real smile in her direction.
I spooned more rice into my mouth, chest burning. Indigestion probably.
“Well?” He fixed his golden gaze on me, waiting.
I swallowed my mouthful. “Sure, just tell me when and the boys and I will be there.”
“Good. Tomorrow night. At seven.”
So soon. Dammit. “Fine, I’ll be there.”
But his attention was on Ariella as he lifted her hand to his lips while holding her gaze. Her chest rose and fell faster, a sure sign that she was affected by his touch and his proximity.
Would I ever forget what that had felt like?
“Ariella needs friends also,” Ezekiel said smoothly. “You will fill that role.”
