“We plan on leaving the morning after tomorrow, so that’s perfect,” I say, following him out into the stone corridor and shutting the door behind us.
Giving me an odd look, he starts down the torchlit stairs. “Did you need something else?”
The creak in his knees makes me wince. Many dragon shifters see humans as fleeting and replaceable. They are fleeting. Never replaceable.
“Dinner.” I don’t add that the company tempts me more than the food.
Maybe next time, I’ll dine with Stuart and Sybil.
The team’s chatter stops the moment I approach the table. We’ve shared plenty of meals over many decades, but almost exclusively when we’re away. At Drayke Mountain, everyone knows I eat alone in my lair.
Trying not to feel uncomfortable about their startled glances, I pull up a chair and sit at one end of the rectangular table. Idallia, Danica, and Wade complete the side to my right, with Idallia next to me. Maia, Arran, and Kellan take up the chairs on my left, with Kellan as far from Idallia as possible.
Annoyance rumbles through me. I know Kellan has somehow orchestrated a formation putting the men in one group and the women in another, creating a separation that only seems to exist when he’s sulking over Idallia. I’ve disrupted his efforts by sitting at the women’s side of the Elite Wing. I hope he notices.
I wave over a nearby server and ask for a platter of tonight’s fare—slabs of mountain bear by the looks of Idallia’s untouched dinner.
“Not hungry?” I ask her, although I know she rarely eats meat.
“I’m waiting for the cheese and fruit. Does anyone want this?” She pushes her plate toward the center of the table.
Maia, Arran, and Danica all stick forks into the thick slices of meat, leaving nothing but sauce on the platter.
“Is something going on?” Maia asks with a frown as she cuts into her extra portion.
I shake my head, feeling even more awkward about having joined them without any warning. We leave for Porthwood soon, and I’ll accompany them for meals there without anyone thinking it’s different. I probably should’ve waited.
“Nothing’s wrong.” I sit back in my chair, hoping my dinner arrives soon to occupy me. “Just had the urge for some company.”
Wade looks down the table at me. “You’ll probably be seeing too much of us soon. Who knows how long we’ll have to stay in Porthwood before something actually happens.”
“Could be a while,” I agree, already feeling the group’s focus shift to the mission and away from my odd behavior. “It could also come quickly.”
“Hopefully not too quickly,” Wade says with a grin. “Porthwood has excellent ale and handsome men.”
Everyone chuckles, including me. Wade’s good-natured disposition and natural ability to diffuse tension are two of the things I like most about him. He’s not the best fighter on the team, but he plays an important role: ease maker.
“It can’t take too long.” Arran reaches for the bread, wordlessly giving Maia a piece before taking one for himself. She immediately starts soaking up sauce with it, just like he does. “Not with the Ellonrift Council meeting here in just a few weeks.”
“That’s going to be…” Danica trails off, half grimacing.
I arch a brow. “Exciting?”
“Interesting,” she says with a huff of laughter. “The Council is only in Torridaig every six years, and you always send us away when it happens. I want to see what the new Fae Queen looks like. And Rexton Hale.” She grins.
My hands curl into fists under the table. That man will get a seat at the Council over my dead body.
With this being what I suspect is the decisive Council—for me anyway—maybe I should consider keeping the team in residence. Either our plan to sway Rannigan’s usual allies with hard evidence works or it doesn’t, but my gut still tells me that our next meeting will bring the downfall of an already failing system.
“All the other kings and queens of Ellonrift bring advisors and nobles and soldiers with them.” Idallia pivots in her chair, looking at me. “Why don’t you?”
That might be the most direct question she’s ever asked me—and maybe her way of saying she doesn’t want me to send her off somewhere like I usually do. She’s talking about the meetings outside Torridaig, though, so I answer in kind. “It’s safest for everyone if I go alone.”
“Not safest for you,” she argues.
My lips curl in an unexpected smile. “Worried about me?”
She frowns. “Of course. Why not? Or do you think you’re invincible?”
