My scowl comes back full force. Fucking eggshells are floating in it. Working my jaw hard, I empty the bowl into the sink, then pick up the last egg.
Deciding to boil this one, I put it in a pan and fill it with enough water to cover it. I press theheatrune on the stove and smile at it smugly.
Fucking easy.
With every passing minute, though, my smile becomes more inverted.Fuck. How long am I supposed to boil it for?
I glance at the clock in the living room. Four fifty-six. If I under boil it, I can always put it back – Except, no, I can’t. Because to check it, I’ll have to break it.
Exhaling sharply, I pick up the pen and pad again.
Six more regularuncookedeggs.
If I put them all in at once, then take one out every few minutes, I’ll eventually get a perfectly cooked egg. Nodding at my pure genius, I close the cabinet door, only to instantly curse.
Fuck. It isn’t even five o’clock in the morning.
It’s too early to wake my queen, especially since Fabia is still in there. The light turns green, but I fucking ignore it.
Gnashing my teeth, I turn off the stove, then head back to the sofa from Niflhel. Throwing on last night’s clothes, I walk towards the bedroom.
“Fabia,” I say, not bothering to knock. I’m certain she has been up all night, guarding the fucking door.
“Fuck off.”
“Gym, now. We need to talk.”
The door opens a moment later. She’s still in her guard uniform, having clearly not slept at all.
“Lead the way then.”
I glance over her shoulder, wondering if I can shove past without hurting her; Arienna won’t like –
The door starts to close.
“I’m going,” I snap, pulling my eyes off my queen. As soon as I step into the hall, Jace and Marrabel look at me.
Then Jace looks at Fabia; his eyes harden. “Richard –”
“I’m not going to kill her, Jace, so fuck off.”
“I might though,” Fabia mutters as she follows me down the hall.
Despite her frustration with me, she still hurries to open the door of the gym as we approach. I don’t wait for her to clear the room before striding over to the weapons rack. I think about grabbing one of the actual swords, wanting the rush of potentially dying as she swings for me, but I know Jace willnever allow it. The bastard’s most likely standing outside the gym, ready to barge in at the slightest ring of metal.
Picking up a set of double sticks, I toss them at Fabia. They’re different lengths to mimic the random sticks we’re forced to use when we lose our weapons in battle. One is the size of her arm; the other is a bit shorter.
Picking up one stick for myself, the shorter of the two from the other set, I make my way into the middle of the sparring area.
She swings the weapons in her hands, rotating her wrists as she shakes out her shoulders. Her eyes are red from lack of sleep, but they’re still sharp and full of rage.
I place one hand behind my back, deliberately pissing her off. But it is actually needed.
I’m used to sparring with Jace – or rather, getting my ass kicked by Jace, which means I never have to hold back. I don’t want to accidentally hurt my wife’s best friend and give her one more thing to be mad at me for.
“Cocky bastard.”
I shrug with the arm behind my back. “I thought you wanted to kill me?”
