Setting my glass down, I raise my head and lock eyes on the person who’s standing in front of me. I blink when I realize it’s not the girl, and my jaw slackens when I find myself staring at my youngest brother’s grinning face.
“Hah!” Shadow exclaims. “I knew it was you. How the hell have you been, Shayne?”
Chapter Thirty-One
Robin
The trays are kind of heavy, so I focus on carrying mine correctly as I follow Katie out into the ballroom. She weaves through groups and offers plates without speaking. It’s simple enough to do the same as she paves the way forward.
The nerves I’m starting to feel aren’t showing.
I’m not sure anyone would even notice if they were.
Omegas and Alphas are mingling at the tables and by the side of the dancefloor, and most of them seem pretty tied up in conversations. My tray is still full by the time I follow Katie to the bar and set it down beside hers.
She talks with the girl behind the bar, and I take a second to glance around the room.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious about the guy I recognized earlier, and his handsome friend, but I don’t see them when I look around now. It’s possible they had to leave, I guess.
It’s a little disappointing, but it’s not like it would have been okay for me to talk to either of them.
I’m not here as a guest. I’m working.
And they … They must have been here to look for an Omega.
“Okay,” Katie says, turning back to me. “We can get away with standing around out here for a bit. Then we need to put the food on tables and go back into the kitchen to get more.”
I nod slowly. “Does anyone actually eat at these events?”
She laughs. “They do. No one wants to be the first to take a plate, but once the tables are full of treats, everyone starts to snack.”
She leans in and picks a fancy looking treat from one of my plates.
“And we can eat while we work. It’s one of the perks of the job.”
I watch as she pops the pastry into her mouth.
“Mmm,” she murmurs as she eats.
The bar maid takes one off Katie’s tray and does the same.
“Those are the best,” Katie tells me. “Try one.”
I hesitate. Years of knowing my master’s food was his, no matter how much was wasted during his lavish parties, makes taking anything here that’s been made for other people feel completely wrong. Even if it’s something they always do, I don’t think I can do it.
“I’m really not hungry,” I murmur.
“Well, don’t eat dinner before the next social,” she says. “You’ll eat better than you ever could. The chefs’ only make stuff this fancy for these events.”
I don’t doubt what she’s saying, but still, I can’t imagine taking something from one of these plates. It was hard enough to convince myself the food in my suite’s fridge was really mine to eat.
“Okay, I guess it’s time to start putting out food for the guests,” Katie says, picking her tray back up, and looking around before deciding to start at the back of the table filled area.
I pick my tray up and go straight back to following her lead.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Shayne
