“No worries. When we get back to the West Bastion, I do not doubt that Nixx will make you feel at home. And if you'd like to help in the kitchen, of course, you can do that.”
“Hello beautiful stranger, my name is Udill, I am Zull's brother and I have come to thank you in person for saving my niece. My brother must have already told you, as well as our chief, but I'll tell you personally; you’re welcome here and for as long as you want.”
The newcomer is rather handsome. A plucking identical to that of his brother; eyes full of warmth. And a more cheerful character than my dark angel.
“That's nice, thank you. My name is Sarah. And I'm glad your niece is safe. Loony is a lovely little girl.”
“Yes, she's fooling her world. A rambunctious little monster that looks like a charming child. My brother and sister-in-law have torn their wings off more than once because of her mischief,” adds Udill with an affectionate look. “I see Lokk is introducing you to the joys of our table. Can I take over or does he keep you all to himself?”
“It's okay, I'll take over!” Nixx intervenes in a flat tone, startling me with his sudden appearance.
He backs up his words with a cold look at Udill, who takes a step back, raises an eyebrow . . . and nods.
“Nice to meet you, Sarah. Have a nice evening.”
And Udill walks away, without further explanation. So that's how it is? Nixx barks and the others submit? And then, where did Sally the bitch go first?
Oh no, I said, back to the professional profile and down with the enamored midget.
“Lokk told me that I could visit the kitchens of your territory and even cook,” I say.
“Of course, you can inspect our territory at your convenience and learn to cook if you want to.”
“I think I'll be fine. You have the basic ingredients; I just need to link to the equivalent ingredients on my planet. And then I can follow recipes from my world, with your ingredients. I'm sure it will be interesting.”
“As you wish!” he replies with a skeptical look.
It looks promising. But I am not discouraged. These men, like those from all the worlds we have visited, like to eat well. I do not doubt my ability to make them discover new flavors. The meal is quite fast and people leave the room little by little.
The sun has set and a few rare torches light the room. I notice that the walls reflect their glow quite a bit, increasing the luminosity. But we can see that these people are rather tuned to the rhythms of nature. On a nod from Nixx, I follow him to the guests' apartments.
Nixx follows me into the room where I got ready earlier. It's not lit at all, but the glow of the moon is enough to see the big bed. No doors, no windows, I'll have to get used to it!
Nixx moves the screen in front of the opening of the room. So, two things strike me: 1) there is a door or half-door I should say. 2) Nixx stayed in the room. So, he's planning to sleep here?
I see him unbuckle the belt that holds his weapons and place them next to the crossbow he had already placed in a corner of the room before the meal, then remove his sandals. He points to the bed with his hand.
Ouch, yes, it looks like he plans to share this bed with me.
Come on girl, professional and detached, we say.
I take off my sandals, offered by Tanny and lie down on the bed without a word. There's no way I'm going to get any more undressed!
Ah well, I did well, I would have covered myself with ridicule otherwise, I think, seeing Nixx also lying on the bed, without having removed his loincloth.
He lies on his back, closes his wings around his body and closes his eyes. Okay! Well, I'll never get a wink of sleep at night with that vision. I turn my back on him and try to get some sleep.
Alas, the session of his bath in the lake comes back to hit me hard again. It was impossible to forget his fiery gaze at that moment and even though I quickly turned my back, I still surreptitiously noticed that he was not indifferent either.
Double whammy, the other scene with the bitch also comes back to me and I know I shouldn't fool myself about her intentions. Too bad I don't have my iPod and its mini speaker. I wouldn't have said no to a little Bon Jovi[4]before bed.
I sing the song “It's My Life” in my head, hoping to find sleep.
But the lack of cover is quickly felt by a small human like me who is wingless. And it is that their homes are not heated either.
I end up shivering quickly . . . then shaking outright. Impossible to sleep in these conditions.
As I think to myself that this night is going to be painfully long, an arm wraps itself around my waist, brings me back against its chest and wraps us between his wings.
