Shadowed (Unbound, Book 2)

Chapter Twenty-One

Miss Rose scowled at me when I came down for dinner in jeans and a hoody as though I'd walked into an animal rights protest in a fur coat. I ducked my head and smiled, wishing I'd remained in sweatpants. But I wasn't stupid. Devland would accept jeans while sweats would result in a cold shoulder and no discussion that had yet to be continued.

"You're late," Devland said, already seated. "It's rude to make people wait at the dinner table."

"I'm sorry, it took a while for my head to stop bobbing after Miss Rose shook me awake." It was only five minutes. Was he looking for an excuse to bitch? Maybe, if he could provide a reason to be pissed, it would excuse ignoring the topic of magic despite his promise.

"Well, sit down so dinner can be served."

I looked down at the table and saw my place setting at the opposite end. If we had to shout to be heard, how would we be able to talk? Without looking at Devland and while ignoring Miss Rose, I picked up my utensils and glass, empty but for a folded napkin, and moved it so that I sat in the chair on Devland's right-hand-side.

"There." I smiled and pulled my chair closer to the table. "That's better, don't you think?"

"Sir, she shouldn't—"

Devland raised his hand to cut Miss Rose's protest from being spoken. He held my gaze and I smiled wider, too satisfied to feign innocence. He looked back to Miss Rose and said, "Nora is fine here, and I promised we could talk. Why don't you go and fetch us some tea?"

"During supper, Sir?" Miss Rose narrowed her eyes. Her gaze darted to me, uncertain, and then returned to Devland. "Are you sure? Perhaps after, to cleanse the palate before dessert?"

"No." His jaw began to tick and his voice lowered. "I think tea is what we need in order to calm ourselves. The sooner, the better. Would you mind?" He smiled, but instead of charm, there was menace, a veiled threat that didn't require words to be understood.

Miss Rose's gaze darted between us once more, but then she nodded. If it was the same tea as before, it would be a waste of effort to prepare a cup for me, but I wasn't telling her that until she returned. For all her rudeness and blatant disregard, she'd earned a little inconvenience. More than a cup of tea caused, anyway.

"So, about that magic?" I turned to Devland, jumping in where we'd left off as soon as Miss Rose had gone.

"Let's save this until the tea arrives."

"No."

"Pardon me?" He jerked his head up.

"I said no, as in I am tired of waiting. I'm not asking you to tell me something that might compromise my recovery should I fail to discover it on my own. I'm asking a specific question about a distinct topic."

"How do you know if it will compromise your recovery?" he asked. "Do you believe in it? Do you use magic? If so, how? Are you powerful, Nora?"

"I—"

"If I told you that we went to church every Sunday because you were a devout Catholic, that would give you answers you wouldn't have found on your own. Thinking you have faith is much different than feeling it."

"This is different. If I was Catholic—which feels wrong, by the way—I'm not going to church with you." Would he be smacked down for his lies if he went?

"You don't think those who believe in magic think of it as a religion?"

"I think you're avoiding answering a general question by twisting it into something specific. I asked whether you believed in magic, not for you to tell me what I believed." I rolled my eyes and took a deep breath. "You know, in some cultures, children have a mind of their own. Just because something is important to you doesn't mean it has any relevance to me."