Tasting Drakness

Chapter 36

I waited, thinking someone was coming in, but I heard whoever it was moved back to their room. Rubbing my arms at the coldness of the room, I made my way to the fireplace to see if I could light it. Kneeling in front of it, I got a sense of deja -vu, which sent a shiver down my spine and made me glance a t the door.

No one came in and I turned back to the fireplace. I looked for the flint and started trying to get the fire going. Stacking the kindling in and some wood. Just as I was almost about to attempt to light it. I heard the door. My heart skipped a beat as it unlocked, and Kalen stepped inside.

He looked upset as he carried a tray in his hands. The smell of hot food wafted to my nose, and a few seconds later, Darius walked in behind him. He tossed at fireball at the fireplace, and I jumped when it rushed past me before he sat down in the chair.

“Can’t she stay in our room just for tonight?” Kalen pouted at

him.

“I prefer to be in here,” I told Kalen before Darius could answer. Kalen dropped his head and walked over to me while Darius moved to sit on the small armchair in front of the fire. Kalen placed the tray in my lap.

“You should eat,” He said, and my stomach growled hungrily as I looked down at the plate, which contained vegetables and some steak. Real food, and it smelt delicious. Yet when I went t o take the knife off Kalen to dig in, the plate was removed from me along with the knife. I sighed before looking at Darius, who then cut up the meat, and I rolled my eyes and looked over at the fire.

“Seriously, Darius,” Kalen whined at him. Darius ignored him before handing the plate back to me but keeping the knife. I took it from him, feeling like a child that I wasn’t even allowed to use a knife like an average person. He placed the knife on his lap.

“She could do just as much damage with a damn fork, can’t believe,” My fork was suddenly plucked from my fingers,

pointing that out,” Darius growled

mean for you to take it from her,”

go

expect her

in the woods · anyway, no cutlery there,” I told him. Before picking up a piece of broccoli off the

watched m e eat and talked to me. He was very talkative, and I preferred this sunny side of Kalen as he animatedly

time in the woods?” Kalen asked, and Darius scoffed, making me realize he had sat up to listen t o our conversation. I plucked another piece of meat off the plate. The sauce making my fingers

find a human settlement or

“Why a human one?”

running out of

asked, and I glanced up at him from my plate. His expression darkened, and

wasn’t boyfriend if that is what you were

the tone

overheard him speaking on the phone in the

helped

to help him break them if he gave me a lift into the city, that is all. We parted ways at the bus

where did you

shrugged. “I had $43 and that was it, no money, so I told the bus driver to get me as far as he could