Page 34 of The Rising Dark
“You’ve got a kid?”Michelle asked.
Messalina nodded, her eyes filling with pride.“A daughter.Messalina, the sixth of her name.”
“How old is she?”Michelle ventured tentatively.Lavinia thought back to her facial expression when she’d told Michelle about her little brother’s age and smiled to herself.
“Eight years old now.She’s still so small but getting stronger every day.She wrestles with cousins twice her size and wins.She might make an excellent warrior someday.”
“Minerva be willing,” Vesta said.
“Minerva be willing,” Messalina agreed.“What about you, Michelle?Do you have any children?”
“Oh, no,” Michelle laughed.“Unless you count all the ones on the ward.I’m a paediatric nurse.But I never really thought much about having any myself.”
“Neither did I, until I met my Gus,” Messalina said.
The door behind Lavinia clicked open, and Proserpina shuffled in.The table fell quiet for a moment and then burst into cheers.
“She’s up!”Octavia exclaimed.
“About fucking time,” Quintia grunted, but a crooked smile softened her words.
With a groan, Pina lowered herself slowly into the dining chair.She looked like hell.The bandage around her chest was stained with blood, and her olive complexion still looked sallow.Her usually bouncy, curly hair lay flattened against her head, and Lavinia could see the tremor in her hand as she held up her plate for Lavinia to ladle some stew onto.Still, looking like hell was miles better than being unconscious and impaled.
Mrs.Frost appeared at Pina’s elbow and silently placed a glass of water in front of her.“Thanks, Mrs.Frost,” she said.“I feel like the queen with everyone serving me.I should get stabbed more often.”
The table erupted in laughter, breaking the tension.
“Alright ladies,” Luce said from the head of the table.“Bless the moon and stars that we’ve survived another damn night.Let’s eat.”
This was all the incentive everyone needed, and the Sisters attacked their meals as if half-starved.
“I meant to thank you, Michelle,” Pina said, gingerly stabbing a potato with her fork.“Not that I was awake for any of it, but the doctor told me of your assistance.He spoke highly of you.Without you, one of these idiots might have just ripped the stake out of my chest without any precautions.”
“Hey!”Quintia exclaimed, her mouth half-full.
Pina levelled her eyes at her.“Doyouknow anything about medicine?”
Quintia swallowed.“Nah.I just know not to get stuck by the pointy end.”
“Dickhead,” Pina murmured, but it sounded like a term of endearment.“Still, thank you.”
“That’s alright,” Michelle answered with a blush.“I didn’t do that much.”
“Oh, she’s humble.I see why you like her, Vin,” Pina said.In a conspiratorial voice to Michelle, she continued, “Lavinia here is also terrible at taking any kind of praise.I think you two are a great fit.”Michelle’s blush deepened.She gave a sly little smile to Lavinia.The red of her bite mark peeked from beneath the maroon of her jumper.Lavinia suddenly recalled Pina’s words on the first night she’d brought Michelle here.You like her, she’d said.She had been right, of course.Pina was always right about this kind of thing.Still, there was no reason to be so smug about it.
“Stop it,” Lavinia said, shooting a warning glance to Pina that said,don’t push it.
Pina waved her fingers in the air.“Just saying.I can’t help but notice that you’re looking exceedinglyhealthytonight, my dear Vin.”
“Pina,” Lavinia said, this time cranking up the threat in her voice.
“You fed?”Vesta asked.“Goddess, Vin, finally.You were getting increasingly grumpy.”
“I wasn’t.”Lavinia refused to lift her eyes from her plate, not meeting the teasing glances of her Sisters.
“You were almost as bad as Quintia.”
“Hey!”Quintia said, not having been part of the conversation but realising immediately she was being made fun of.When Vesta explained, she said, “Actually, fair enough.”
