As I turned around and started loading my plate with all the goodies on offer, I caught the formidable head cook looking at me with a small smile, lifting her full lips. I couldn't help but look for the spatula Lilah had mentioned, but Darma's hands were empty, and I was ready to dismiss it as a joke when I saw it tucked into the pocket of her apron.
Did she really go around swatting people for not eating what she'd prepared?
Next to me, Shovia was stuffing morsels of food into her mouth while regaling several staff members and cadets with the story of our treacherous crossing of the makeshift bridge.
From where I was sitting, I had a clear view of Alar, who chose to sit at the next table over with his back to the wall. Codric and several other male cadets were sitting with him, and so was Morek. Occasionally, I caught him flicking his gaze in my direction, and each time I met his eyes, the coldness there made me look away quickly.
What had happened to the man who had kissed me with such tenderness in the cave?
"What did he do?" Shovia asked.
I hadn't even noticed that she'd finished her stories and had turned her attention to me.
"Who said he did anything?"
She chuckled. "The tension between you two is so sharp that it could cut down trees. So, what gives?"
I'd never heard that expression before, but coming up with unique and oddly appropriate phrasing was one of Shovia's many talents. I could imagine a metal string stretching between Alar and me, pulled so tightly that it could serve as a garrote.
"Nothing." I busied myself with stuffing my mouth with a piece of perfectly roasted potato.
"Right." She rolled her eyes.
"I think he's jealous," I finally said.
"Ah." Understanding dawning in her eyes, Shovia nodded. "Commander Tall, Dark, and Brooding can make most men insecure in their masculinity, so you can't really blame poor Alar for feeling that way."
I'd told her about Ravel and my strange reaction to him, but Shovia hadn't thought it was strange at all. Her words had been, "I would do him in a heartbeat. He's mouthwateringly yummy."
I hadn't told her about my ability to communicate with Ravel's dragon, though. Did it mean that Ravel and I were meant to be together? Or was it just a fluke, and I could communicate with other dragons as well?
I nodded miserably, taking a bite of the tender roast. It was perfectly seasoned, but I barely tasted it. "It wasn't like that. I felt a connection, but it wasn't romantic."
"Right." She seemed amused. "Because you are just too sanctimonious to feel what every other hot-blooded female in your place would."
As always, Shovia was spot on. "I couldn't help the attraction, but that doesn't mean I wanted to take it any further thanthat." I rubbed a finger over my pulsing temple. "That strange connection is so damn confusing. I'm getting a headache."
"It's that damn tea," Shovia said. "We are experiencing withdrawal symptoms."
It was my turn to roll my eyes. "We didn't get addicted to the tea, so we can't experience withdrawal."
A giggle from across the table drew my attention to a petite girl with a riot of brown curls that had a reddish hue to them and eyes that were a startling shade of green.
"Sorry," she said. "I'm Neera, and I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. I agree with your friend. Commander Ravel could make even Darma blush."
"See?" Shovia nudged me. "It's a perfectly normal biological response and nothing to feel guilty about."
"I'm not feeling guilty." I took a deep breath and smiled at Neera. "I'm Kailin, and this is Shovia."
"Nice to meet you, Neera," Shovia said.
As the two launched into gushing about how hot Ravel was, I found my gaze drawn back to Alar. He was engaged in conversation with a blonde cadet, a pretty girl with high cheekbones and a musical laugh I could hear across the dining hall.
Watching her touching his arm, her long fingers resting occasionally on his bicep, something uncomfortable twisted in my stomach, and suddenly I understood how Alar had felt about Ravel whisking me away on his dragon.
"That's Vessa," Neera said, following my gaze. "Second pilgrimage of this year. Enviably, she has both beauty and brains, and she's Captain Odinah's favorite."
The twist in my stomach tightened. Of course, Alar would be drawn to someone like her, a top-of-the-line candidate.
