“I wish you were here, Grandfather. Not just your memories. But you.”
The wind howled, but there was no answer.
CHAPTERTHIRTY-ONE
~ GWYNNORE ~
Niallan smirked as he sat at the table the next morning.
I groaned and blatantly walked away from him.
I’d managed nearly twelve hours of sleep, and it felt damned good. I had needed it after all the time I’d spent running around and trying to complete the trials, making new ‘friends.’. The blood-drunk way I’d started to feel at the end of the day was not what I’d wanted to deal with, and sleep was the perfect cure-all for that.
But seeing Nial’s face bright and early in the morning didn’t do a thing for me. The smug fucker. I went to sit down with Adelie at the other table in the dining room.
“Good morning.” She grinned.
Always an ally in this woman. “Good morning, Adelie. You’re looking exceptionally healthy.”
“Oh, a good drink and fuck will do that.”
Locking my gaze on her, I waited. She was no damn good at keeping secrets from me. She could keep a thousand other secrets from a thousand other people, but never from me.
Sighing and slumping in the chair, she rolled her eyes. “Fine. His name is Rodolphe.”
“Is it serious?”
“Seriously good, yes. It’s mutually agreeable. I’m not sure it’s a mate thing—definitely not a soul mate—but man, I didn’t know that screaming ‘Rodolphe’ at the top of my lungs could be so much fun.” She leaned over. “And he tastes good. Like expensive champagne. And pineapple.”
Tossing my head back, I let out a raucous laugh. “Because, of course, you did!”
She chuckled, whispering, “The French say that fellatio is far more intimate than just smashing genitals.”
In the corner of my vision, I could see Nial twist his lips and shake his head. He stood and sauntered out of the room with far too much swagger. But he had left, so I enjoyed that little victory.
Pulling over the orange juice, I gave her serious side eye. “The French?”
“Well, okay. Rodolphe says it is. And holy snacks, Gwen, that man has a tongue.”
Waving my hands, I shook my head in the negative. “Nope. Stop right there. I don’t need to hear this from you. All I’ll get is jealous.”
“He’s more than willing to entertain another lady…”
I snickered. “At the same time?”
Adelie shrugged. “Same time, different time, in a bed, in a closet. Rodolphe is very liberal in his loving.”
“Manwhore?”
“Yup.”
We burst out laughing and settled into breakfast, her mouth going a hundred miles an hour while I quietly enjoyed my eggs and bacon. Bacon had to be one of the things in the human world that came near the exquisite taste of blood on a thirsty tongue. I could eat that damn pork all day long.
While I was enjoying the bacon in its natural and native form of just a slice of bacon and my mouth, Nial was suddenly back in the room and next to the table. He was in full Monitor of Challenge mode, and he was pissy too. “You’re requested in the chamber. Immediately.”
“Just enough time to sleep and eat? I don’t get a break?”
He adjusted his look to one of anger. “Queens don’t get a day off.”
