Four Suits (Book 1)

Day 48: Deal

Before he can break free, Ronan grumbles, "Human. Mond."

Quiet flits into the air.

The prince rises from his knee then faces them with newfound aggression sifting against his frown.

"There is no way you travelled all the way from Meisyr to defile the royal family." He bunches his fists, stilling his exasperation the best he can. "Why did you come to Depree?"

Leda stares directly at his piercing eyes, but not a squat of her determination wavers. "We came to see you."

♥♦♣♠

DAY 48: DEAL

"This is delicious!" Leda blurts, munching on the juicy steak she's pushed into her mouth. She turns to Ronan at once. "I've never had anything like it. What's it called?"

Ronan on the opposite end of the large table they're seated at hasn't removed the sour scowl he's worn since he led them into this grand palace last night. Shrugging his silence aside, Leda cranes her attention towards Orian who's frankly too afraid to eat, especially with Ronan's animosity oozing into the very air they're inhaling.

        His plate is covered with various sliced up fruit and leaves. Leda squints at his healthy request then down to her plate of protein. "Are you sure you don't want any meat?" she muffles between bites.

        Orian raises his hands and waves it vigorously. "I-I am fine." He drops his attention to his plate. "I do not eat meat."

         "You don't?" The gnawed meat almost spills from her mouth, but she quickly shuts it to chew some more. "Is that even possible? Aren't you half-wolf?"

          "Are all humans that dense?"

         Ronan's interjection swerves her focus towards him.

          "That's precisely why he's unable to consume meat," he continues, chin jutted high. "Everyone is aware that Monds are hybrids of all the creatures around Annadia. You asking him to eat meat is synonymous to you telling him to eat his fellow brethren."

          The way he says it so snootily fills Leda with discontent. Nonetheless, his explanation causes her to suck in a tentative breath.

         "Oh, guess that makes sense." She glides her plate out of sight and bobs her head at Orian. "Sorry for being insensitive."

         "N-no! You do not need to apologize, Master." His head tilts over from guilt. "I'm the one who should have explained things ahead of time."

          She gestures for him to drop it. "A wolf vegetarian, huh?" she muses. "That's pretty neat."

          Although she knows for a fact Orian isn't one hundred percent sure of what she's implied, she assumes calling him 'neat' is enough because within seconds, his ears perk, and he's giddily beaming from ear to ear.

Leda can't help but crack a similar expression as well.

          "Human," Ronan calls.

          "I told you it's Leda," she replies.

          "Human," he reiterates without a care. "Last night you told you me you came here to Depree to see me."

          Well, really, any member of the royal family would've worked. Knowing confessing to that would only incur his anger, however, Leda merely nods.