Page 77 of Campfires & Canines
“Father,” Jasper greets him.
“Darling!” Sienna kisses him and runs her hands down his arm. He settles at the head of the table and she sinks down beside him. “I’m so glad you could break away. You’ve been working so hard,” she simpers.
“As have you,” Ferris responds without anyinflection.
“You remember Hazel,” Jasper says.
Ferris studies me with those cold, gray eyes. “Happy to have you here.”
“So, how’s the wrist feeling?” Sienna turns her siren eyes on me, turning my blood cold. I press my tongue to my teeth. She ignores my silence. “So unfortunate. I hope you’ll be more careful.”
Ferris grunts in agreement. I wonder if he even knows what happened.
“Hazel, this is my sister, Ember,” Jasper says.
“So you’re the human.” A scathing sneer sharpens Ember’s features.
What do you say to that? Sorry to disappoint you. The silence stretches, and Sienna’s smile becomes murderous as her eyes narrow and her perfect, straight teeth flash.
“How are you liking everything?” Sienna asks, the threat in her tone unmistakable.
I hold my ground.
“She’s just-“ Jasper starts to say.
“She can speak for herself,” I snap, “But considering I’m here against my will, I don’t feel like making small talk.”
Sienna’s pinched glare transforms into a spiteful grin. She must be thinking of all the ways she’ll hurt me after this.
Jasper’s hand moves from the back of my chair and brushes under my hair to grip the nape of my neck. He leans close. His breath is warm and I shy away, but his hand on my neck holds me in place. “Please, play nice,” he whispers, “I don’t want you hurt.”
Two servers step through the other doorway. They set plates before us. Slices of roast, a dressed baked potato, and a stack of baby carrots.
The conversation pauses while everyone is poured wine and takes their first few bites. I angle my fork with my left hand awkwardly. The meal is bland compared to Crickett’s cooking, but I keep my opinion to myself.
I sip my wine, gawking as Ember takes a long drink. She’s a teenager, but apparently that’s the drinking age here.
Jasper squeezes my neck, his expression prompting.
“Dinner looks lovely,” I say. I want to gag.
“Thank you, dear,” Sienna responds.
There, I managed some small talk. I look at Jasper as if to say, Happy? His hand stays in place but the pressure eases.
“So Hazel, tell us about yourself,” Ferris asks.
“She earned a bachelor’s degree in business,” Jasper offers.
“What a boring subject to study. At least with economics or finance, you get something specific,” Ember drawls. Those are big opinions for someone who probably hasn’t finished high school.
“What are you going to study?” I ask her.
“Psychology.”
“Isn’t that pretty general too?” I can’t help myself.
Ember’s brown eyes are darker than mine, almost black. She looks down at my chest and back up, raising an eyebrow at me.
