“Your faith is senseless. One sip won’t killyou.”
I bit my lip, not because I was hesitating but because I was growing angry with him for being so pigheaded and was worried about saying something that might cost me afeather.
“I won’t tell,” hesaid.
I gritted my teeth. “I.Can’t.”
He pushed away from the table androse.
When he started for the door, I said, “You’re not beingfair!”
“Stop expecting me to be fair. I’m not afairman. What I am, though, is a man of my word. Iwillleave if you don’t at least sample my wine. I’m not asking you to get wasted. I’masking—”
Tears pricking my lids, I snatched my glass and gulped down its dark content. I tried hard not to taste it, not to enjoy the velvety texture coating my palate, not to savor the sweet and earthen flavors draping over mytongue.
I tried hard to hate it but couldn’t. So, I decided to hate the man who made me break the rules. “You’re a cruel man, JarodAdler.”
He returned to his seat. “Wasn’t itdelicious?”
“I hatedit.”
The jabbing pain I’d expected for drinking wine hit me now. I clenched my molars and slammed my glass down. The stem shattered from the base, nicking my palm, but the flesh wound was nothing compared to the agony of having lost anotherfeather.
Tears dripped off my chin as the silvery piece of down fluttered to the rug. “Coming back here was amistake.”
I needed to leave before I was plucked like the bird I’d just eaten. My throat closed in time with my eyes, and tears streamed down my cheeks, fusing with the spilled wine that wet my shimmyingthighs.
Chapter 14
Fabric was wrappedaround my sliced hand. I opened my burning eyes to find Jarod crouched beside me, tending tome.
Even though I trembled with anger, it struck me that it wasn’t the taste of the forbidden that had cost me a feather but the lie that ensued. At least, this was my assumption. Sick of assuming, I took Jarod’s still full glass and drainedit.
And then Iwaited.
Andwaited.
Nothinghappened.
Nothing.Happened.
That just soured my mood further, because I couldn’t blame Jarod for the damage to my wings. It was all onme.
“You didn’t hate it, did you, Feather?” His light tone incensedme.
“Don’t ever threaten me again,” I whispered indignantly. “If I say no, it meansno.”
His breath caught on an inhale. “Pardon.”
The knot in my throat loosened. Out of all the answers I’d expected from him,sorrywas notit.
The doors of the dining room flew open, and then quick commands were exchanged. A moment later, Jarod tightened the napkin around my hand and delicately rested it atop my lap before moving aside so the waiter could sweep away the broken glass and mop up thetable.
As I watched the stain spread like fresh blood on the white dishcloth, I heard Jarod ask, “Mimi, tu peux aller lui chercher quelque chose à se mettre? Et un pansement.”Can you get her something to wear? And a Band-Aid.
“Non,” I said. “To thedress.”
Both Jarod and Muriel looked atme.
