“I don't care if he does or doesn't,” Kel said and headed for the dining hall. “I'm disappointed for myself. And I'm fucking starving.”
“Me too,” I followed his twitching tail. “We'll have to scrounge for something in the kitchen.”
“I'm good with that,” Vex said as he joined us.
The other men tagged along too, because warriors need to refuel after a mission. And we hadn't eaten much at the party. But when I headed for the kitchen, Vex grabbed my arm.
“I'll get you something,” he said. “Just sit down and relax.”
“Oh. Uh.” I glanced at the others, but they were pointedly looking away.
All but Xae, who nodded at me. Right. It was a Ladrin thing—feeding your lover. It was part of claiming them, especially when done in front of others. In essence, Vex was saying that he wasn't going anywhere. He wanted to join the team.
“All right,” I said.
A tightness around Vexen's eyes eased, and he smiled at me before hurrying into the kitchen. Xae sent me a smirk and then did the same.
There was always a selection of beverages and bowls of fruit out on the buffet table no matter the hour. The Creen staff knew that lords were summoned at all hours and would return from their missions hungry. So I headed for the buffet instead of our usual table and poured myself some water. After downing nearly the entire mug, I refilled it, grabbed a few grapes, and went to sit down. I had just finished my last grape when the men emerged from the kitchen carrying wooden trays of bread, cheese, and cured meats. Food that didn't have to be cooked.
Vex wasn't with them.
My stomach rumbled when my lovers sat down and started to eat. I looked at the kitchen doorway.
“He's cooking something for you,” Kel said with a chuckle. “Do you want some cheese to hold you over?”
“Yes, please!” I gave Keltyr a pathetic look.
“Eat it fast,” Xae said. “You don't want Vexen to see that you ate something another man brought you after agreeing to be fed by him.”
“That other man is my boyfriend,” I said as I took a hunk of cheese from Kel.
“Yeah, I'm more important,” Kel said.
“That doesn't matter.” Taroc gestured at me with his mug. “Vex has already established that he's feeding you tonight. Keltyr shouldn't have given you anything. It's offensive.”
“What's offensive is leaving me to starve while everyone else eats,” I said around a mouthful of cheese.
“He won't be long,” Rath said. “He just wanted you to have something warm in your belly.”
“Well, I can do that for him without cooking.” Kel grinned.
I snorted a laugh and nearly choked on the cheese.
And then came the delicious aroma of fried sausages. I hurriedly brushed off my lips and straightened in my seat. Everyone turned to look as Vex came out of the kitchen carrying a tray piled with sausage, bacon, cheese, bread, and pickled vegetables. He even had a pot of butter and one of mustard.
My lovers stopped eating to stare hungrily at Vexen's platter when he sat down beside me.
“Holy fuck!” I exclaimed and snatched a sausage. “Thank you.”
“Wait!” Vex growled. “You need to eat it like this.” He took the sausage back and slipped it into a length of bread that he had sliced down the center and slathered with mustard. It was the perfect size to hold the sausage. Then he slipped a pieceof bacon alongside it, then little bits of cheese, and, finally, he topped it with some pickled veggies. “Try that.”
“Uh.” I took the thing and frowned at it.
“Trust me. The flavors work well together.”
“All right.” I took a bite. Then I groaned. I took another bite. “Holy fuckballs!” I exclaimed. “This is amazing!”
“It's how we eat sausages back home,” Vex said as he made one for himself. Then he looked at the salivating men. “I made enough for everyone. He pushed the platter into the center of the table. “Help yourselves.”
