“Just so you know,” I say, “I won’t stop asking questions.”
She barks a laugh. “Good.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
CAN’T OUTRUN THIS
ADELINE
“Here!” I pluck a long, deep green stem with small white flowers. “This is edible. We call it Longweed.”
“So imaginative.” Ardruna sniffs at various grasses. “Do you also have a Shortblossom or something of the sort?”
“Sure we do. This one.” I pluck a squat plant with pretty, fat-centered blossoms. “It’s also called Little Bread.”
“Because?”
I pull the petals off a flower, revealing its center. “This. You can eat it like this, like little bread rolls. Or throw them into a soup.”
“Hm.” She sniffs the blossom in my hand. “I think I’ll stick to meat, thanks.”
“I never doubted it. You’re a lioness.” I frown at her. “Do lions eat soup?”
“Don’t see why not, especially if it’s meat soup. I remember…” She growls softly. “I remember eating soup when I was younger. It had dumplings in it.”
“That’s odd. Did you live near a human or fae settlement? And was that before you met Roane?”
“Perhaps.” Her ears flick. “I don’t know. I really don’t remember.”
“You do realize that’s very strange, right? That you don’t remember? Maybe I should ask Talton what he remembers of his past.”
“That’s not a bad idea,” Ardruna says.
“Thanks. Since Roane refuses to spit out any answers…”
She digs into the soil with her paw, then shakes out the dirt. “Why do you keep antagonizing him?”
“I don’t.”
“You like provoking him.”
“It’s not my fault he’s provoked so easily.”
“Aline…” she growls.
I sigh. “What can I say? He brings out the worst in me. Evenyouwere annoyed with him.”
“Love lies close to hate.”
“I don’t hate him,” I protest. “So there goes the love, too.”
“No chance of warming up to him?”
I think about it. “It’s hard to hate someone who keeps saving your life. I just wish he didn’t snarl so much at me. It sort of gets my hackles up.” I wink at her. “If you get my meaning.”
She yips. “Yeah, he’s cranky.”
“Oh, you finally noticed?”
