“What?”
“Would you like to eat chicken or fish? I’m an excellent cook, but you’ll be the judge.”
“Chicken.”
He stands up and says, “Come cook with me.”
I follow him into the kitchen where he instructs me on how to help with the preparations. I can’t help but stare at the knife I’m supposed to chop onions with, wondering if I could stab him fastenough now that we’re alone. I might even find a way to sneak out of the building without anyone noticing.
I jolt at the sudden feeling of Hector’s tail as it wraps around my wrist.
“Your heart betrays your thoughts, my dear. How would you go about killing me? Slicing my throat? Poking my eyes out? Stabbing my heart?”
“Yes.”
He chuckles and removes his tail. “If these thoughts help you cope, be my guest, but if you try to act on them, I’ll make you feel the sort of pain that shatters a man’s mind. Would you like a demonstration?”
“No.” I look away, telling myself to be more careful next to him. “I have an onion to chop.”
“Then start chopping.”
*
We manage to finish cooking with barely any talking, but when we sit across from each other at the dining table, Hector asks, “How’s your training going?”
“Wonderful.” I can already feel the painkiller wearing off.
“They must be wondering what happened to the capable fighter from the arena.”
I glare at him. “If you want me strong, then let mebestrong. I can’t have my ass kicked every day at training, and then act completely differently in the arena.”
He shakes his head. “I can’t help you at such a distance, at least not at the moment.”
“What does that mean?”
“Our bond isn’t strong enough yet, but it can be.”
I sense a trap, so I keep quiet. He watches me in amusement as I eat the chicken and the creamy mashed potatoes. The fucker knows how to cook.
“Caden… don’t you want to be stronger during your training?”
I put down my fork. “I’m not interested in paying that price.”
He narrows his eyes. “What price is that? Strengthening our bond?”
“I’ve neveraskedfor this bond, so why the hell would I want to strengthen it?”
“Keep your voice down when you’re in my house.”
A sharp pain hits behind my eyes, blurring my vision. The ease with which he can do that is terrifying. “Sorry.”
“You can’t escape what you and I have; it is already a part of you. Even when you don’t feel me, I’m there. Can a lamb surrounded by wolves be picky about being helped?”
“I’m no lamb.”
“You’re a pile of bruises that is going to toss and turn all night in pain, and that pain is only going to increase with each passing day. Youarethe helpless lamb, and I am the shepherd who can lead you to safety.”
I was never a fan of shitty allegories, but I get the gist of it. I also know that whether or not we’ll strengthen our bond is not my decision to make, like it hasn’t been before. At this point, I’m almost as scared of his gift as I am of facing another day of training without it.
