“Did they not feed you?” he asks as he sits beside me. His question comes out quietly, as if he’s scared of the answer.
I set my fork down. “They did, but it was disgusting.”
Their aim was to keep me alive, nothing more. In the three days that I was there, I lost even more weight. Living in hidden cabins and jail cells hasn’t been the best diet for the curvy figure I’ve always longed for.
His frown deepens, but he doesn’t ask any more questions. He fingers the end of the chain that’s still attached to my wrist. “We need to get these off.”
I hold my wrist up and dangle the chain around. “You don’t like the prisoner look?”
His gaze narrows. “I would like it a lot better if they were cuffs that I put on you. But these…these make me angry. Plus, I think it’s making the others uncomfortable.” His gaze pivots to the Lower House hybrids that now watch us with blatant curiosity.
I shrug. “I’m more concerned about eating right now.” I shovel some combination of pancakes, syrups, and eggs into my mouth. I demolish every single bite, then stand and go back for more food.
Asmo eyes the overflowing plate as I walk back to the table. “I’m not so sure you should be eating that much, princess.”
My answering glare shuts him up. But to my dismay, he’s right. My stomach roils when I lift my next bite to my mouth. I place my fork back down with a huff and slide the plate overto him.
He plucks a piece of bacon from the plate and eats it in two bites.
Males.
“Hurry up. I need to speak to the Herd,” I say. “They need to know about the dreams.”
He picks up the next piece of bacon with dramatized slowness. I snatch it from his hands and plop it back on the plate, then grab the plate and stand. “We can take it with us then if you’re going to act like that.”
We exit the mess hall, eyes following us as we go. Just outside, Rain leans against the wall. She pushes herself from the wall at the sight of us and forms a bow. “Your Highness!”
I smile. “Hi, Rain. How are you?” I used to hate that greeting. I’ve always found it disingenuous and overused. But I really do want to know how Rain is doing.
She returns my smile, her blue eyes brightening. “I’m doing well. Thanks to you. How are you?” she asks cautiously.
“Better now,” I say, “Do you know where I can find Etta and the Herd?”
She nods. “They’re waiting on you. Right this way.” She turns and sets off down the hallway. Asmo falls in step beside me, taking bites of bacon as we walk. Rain turns down another hallway. How anyone memorizes the layout of this place is beyond me. She comes to a stop before a set of double doors, then opens them. “Princess Etta, she is ready.”
“Thank you, Rain,” Etta’s voice comes from inside the room.
Rain stares at the plate in Asmo’s hand. “Do you want me to…take that for you?” she asks awkwardly.
Asmo hesitates, but I shoot him a glare, and he gives her the plate.
Rain suppresses her smile and hurries back down the hall. Inside the room, Cally, Etta, Amaris, Ivan, Luca, Basil, and Holly all sit around a massive flat rock serving as a table. Etta sits at the head. Everyone stands as their eyes fall on me, then on the cuffs that still dangle from my wrists. They all form bows, and I shift the cuffs behind my back.
Cally is the first to approach me. She pulls me into a tight hug, and I squeeze her. “I’m okay,” I mutter into her chestnut hair. Her arms tighten around me. Over her shoulder, my gaze snags on Ivan. The lookon his face threatens to break my heart. He watches me carefully, like I might fall apart any second. I pull away from Cally, then turn to address them all.
“I’m fine. I promise. I learned a lot while I was gone, so I’d prefer to just dive into it.” I take a seat in the closet chair. Asmo snags the seat beside me and scoots it closer to mine.
Across the table, Luca stares at me with a look I can’t quite interpret. His gaze falls on Asmo’s neck, eyes widening as they land on the tattoo.
“Tell us everything,” Etta says. Or more like commands. Her posture is erect, her hands folded delicately on the stone table, her gaze sharp. She was born to be a leader.
I recount the story of how I was lured and captured, how I was kept in the dungeons at the top of the Panthera mountains, and how Koa helped me escape. I tell them of the dreams that I was gifted by the Mother and of the truths she revealed. Nobody speaks at first, the silence feeling like a thick, suffocating blanket.
“You didn’t tell me Koa helped you escape,” Asmo mutters beside me.
“You didn’t exactly give me a chance,” I shoot back.
Ivan is next to speak. “Elle is your twin?”
