Death's Shattered Crown

Chapter 14

Rose was left once again shocked. He hadn't even asked her! What if she refused? Samael gave her a hard look, as if telling her to calm down and let him handle it. She reluctantly kept her mouth shut and allowed him to do as he wanted for now. However, this truce was temporary. She'd get answers, and if they weren't to her liking, there would be problems for him.

"So be it. Let us know when you're getting started today and we will send someone to observe." Katya said, nodding. She didn't look thrilled about it.

"Observe? No, that will only get in the way. I will train Rose privately," Samael said firmly.

Katya looked grim. "My people hardly trust anything you say right now after all the hardship they've been through. They wouldn't trust you to do this alone under any circumstances. This is what you agreed to. Whatever happens, you have no one else to blame."

That seemed ominous. What was she implying? Whatever it was, it was enough to silence Samael, who seemed just a touch paler.

"Do we have to start today?" Rose asked, hoping she could find a way out of it. She didn't want to develop her powers. She'd rather keep them hidden and pretend they weren't there.

"Yes, I'm afraid we have no time to lose. Come with me. Let's go get you something to eat. I'm sure you must be hungry and you'll need all the energy you can get for the day ahead of you." Katya gently led Rose toward the kitchen.

At her suggestion, Rose realized just how hungry she was. She hadn't had time to think about it until now. They had been so busy; first they fought the Reapers yesterday, then searched for Katya. She'd hardly thought about her hunger at all. She had a lot of experience with ignoring it. But with the suggestion of food, her stomach decided it was time to make its hunger known again.

Katya sat her down on a stool at the huge marble island and opened the fridge, looking for ingredients. "Do you eat here? I know S-Death doesn't." She almost slipped up and called him by the name she knew him by. She'd been so perfect so far at referring to him as everyone else knew him, but it was hard sometimes if she didn't focus on it.

Katya began pulling out items and Rose watched intently, curious about how different things might be here. To her surprise, most things seemed the same. Katya pulled out what appeared to be flour, though it was a light brown color, and several other ingredients like sugar, cream, and salt.

"I know you probably know him by another name. You can call him whatever is most comfortable. He went by another name when I first knew him, too. And yes, I eat. We all do occasionally. We can feel hunger, but it's more of a mental feeling than a physical one. If we ignored it, it would go away."

Rose wondered about Katya's background with Samael again. "What name did he go by with you? I hardly know anything about your relationship. How did you meet him?"

Katya paused in her breakfast-making to glance up at Rose long enough to give her a wry smile. "He went by Veles. That is who he is in my cultural context. But I think we should save that conversation for another time. What name does he go by with you?"

Rose pushed her slight irritation aside. It was a personal question she'd asked, after all. Katya didn't have to tell her. "Samael."

Katya's head whipped up in surprise before she burst into laughter. "Of course he would go by that name."

"What's so funny?" Rose asked, smiling at Katya's infectious laughter.

"Oh, nothing. I'm sure he wouldn't want me telling...anyone." She stopped chuckling suddenly, and the air grew awkward as Rose realized she meant he didn't want Katya to tell her. That should have been no surprise with the way he had treated her.