I was talking to his mother, I reminded myself.
“I know exactly how Kael would’ve been.” Elsie got to her feet, grabbing a large ceramic bowl before sifting flour into it, then cracking eggs and adding milk. The batter was whipped furiously with a whisk, perhaps indicating her mood. “My son… He never knew his father.” Her brows draw down sharply. “The Duke of Harlston. Never has a more arrogant man walked the earth, though my son seems determined to try and surpass him.”
A knob of butter was dropped into a frypan, the sizzling sound filling the silence. Batter was poured in and then the bowl set down.
“I…” She dared a sidelong look at me. “I just hope he’s kinder than his father was. If he ever crosses the line, you tell me. I don’t care if he’s my own blood. No man should ever try and force a woman.”
“Force?” I let out a nervous little laugh. “No, nothing like that. Assuming that I’ll fall at his feet just because he crooked his finger my way? Perhaps.”
“Gods…” Elsie shook her head and then flipped the pancakes before pulling out another plate. “I should apologise for that too.”
“Not at all.” I drained the rest of the tea, then washed the mug in the sink. “You’ve been nothing but kind and opened your house to us with no warning, so what you should do is put me to work.”
“Oh no, I couldn’t?—”
“Please.” Coming to stand beside Elsie, she looked up at me and then smiled. “It’d make me feel better and perhaps ease this damned headache.”
“Got a hangover, do you?” Her grin was a welcome sight. “I’ve got what you need. Grab down all of those plates if you’re keen to help. The cutlery is in the drawer. There’s lemons, sugar, and syrup in the pantry…”
Following her instructions helped dispel the last vestiges of awkwardness. When I was finding my way around a strange kitchen, I wasn’t thinking about last night. Didn’t need to try to work out how I felt about it. The two of us fell into a nicerhythm, talking about smaller things, until the front door was jerked open.
Dain looked like he was about to storm inside, but then froze mid-step when he saw me. Our eyes locked, my heart rate picking up instantly, which had the pain in my head spiking. He looked like he was feeling the exact same thing if his expression was any indication. His lips parted, his throat worked, but right before he said anything, the thunder of footsteps alerted us to the fact that some of the other occupants had also awoken.
“Pancakes!” one of the younger children said, launching herself at Elsie. She swept the little girl up into her arms and kissed her cheek. “Can you make mine look like Argent? No, ‘Fang?”
“Are you going to make pancakes for the dragons?” an older boy asked. “Can I take them out to them, please? Please, Mum?”
“You can go and wash your hands and face, is what you can do, Ian.” Her firm tones stopped the boy from arguing, especially when she pointed imperiously at the downstairs bathroom. “All of you can.”
“But Mum…” another child said.
“We’ll see if there’s any leftover batter after you lot eat. If there is, I’ll make pancakes for the dragons.”
“As if you wouldn’t make a batch just for them.” Kael’s voice was a little scratchy, and somehow those deep tones had me shivering. I could almost feel the weight of his arm around my waist, the feel of his fingers on my nape. Perhaps because he pressed a kiss to his mother’s cheek, then approached me. “Sleep well?”
Those heavily lidded eyes seemed to see far more than I intended, if that’s what that dimple popping meant. His smirk was back as he swooped closer. I pulled back instinctively, but his hand was there, cradling my head, right before he kissed my forehead. There and gone again, he left my skin tingling. “Or did you spend the night wishing my arms were around you?”
“Wish?” My reply came out too sharply and without thought. “Make that thankful I was able to sleep in peace.”Gods, not only was I being terribly rude, I was doing it in his mother’s kitchen. “Elsie?—”
“Don’t worry about me.” She smiled as she poured more batter into the pan. “Any woman who is going to take my boy on will need to work hard to keep him in line. Speaking of which.” The woman turned to her son. “Why aren’t you getting your lady some pancakes before this horde gobbles them all up? I taught you better than that.”
“Right you are.”
He grabbed my plate and as I tried to protest, he piled it high then set it before me, before pouring a mug of tea for me.
“I’ve got this.” Lorien sat beside me, pouring mine from the white tea pot. “Willow is in the blue, right, Elsie?”
“As always,” she replied, flipping the pancakes.
“Going to need some of that before we fly out. Lance?”
“I didn’t drink as much as you lot did. Wanted to keep my wits about me.” The lieutenant grabbed a jug off the table, which earned him a frown from Kael. “Did you want some syrup on your breakfast.”
“Ahh… yes?” I said.
He pulled the plate away from Kael and then decorated the pile with swirls of sweet smelling syrup.
“Need to eat up.” Kael put the plate back in front of me when Lance was done, then started cutting up his own food. “You’ll need your strength for today?”
