Mirror of Embers (Book 1)

f o u r

☾ Ember ☾

THE SMELL OF CLAIRE'S ROAST MAKES MY STOMACH GRUMBLE. I missed dinner with the rest of them so Claire offered to make Royal and I a roast. We practically wept when she offered. Royal and I are in the dining room eating, the others are upstairs looking over the maps and preparing a battle strategy. If it was just me I would've gotten in and out. Using my wolves to kill everyone and get us out safely, but now . . . I can't do that without exposing who I am.

So we have to go the long and slow way. We have to trudge through Moriella and all the way to Loadashine. The capital of Moriella and home to the high king and queen. It's risky walking into their domain, considering they want all of us dead.

Minette pissed off the King a couple of years ago, he promised if any of us set foot in his capital he'd have us killed. He's lovely, isn't he?

I glance over to Royal, he's inhaling his food. I scoff at him, he glances up at me and swallows his food. He gives me a cocky grin, I shake my head and resume eating. He clears his throat and I look up to him. I stab a piece of roast on my fork and plunk it into my mouth. I almost moan at how good it is, Claire is amazing. I need to go and thank her again after this.

"So," he says in between bites, he stabs a green bean and puts it into his mouth. "why did I never see you and your loving friends around here?"

"Minette is many things," I drawl tilting my head a bit to the side. "But she is no fool, Royal. There is always a reason to her madness, if she didn't want us to be seen by you she had her reasons."

"We're a very busy group, Minette is constantly sending us on missions."

He nods his head and takes a large swig of water from his glass cup, and I watch his every movement, I can't help being drawn to him. I don't know what it is but he intrigues me, he also royally pisses me off. But there's something about him . . . I can't put my finger on it.

His blonde curls are in his eyes as he sets his cup back down, I can almost see the muscles through his shirt. I avert my eyes before he catches me watching him. I stuff more food into my mouth and focus on that. I can hear everyone walking down the stairs, I guess they were too impatient to wait for us. They all enter the dining hall through the arched doorway. Faune comes in first. She makes eye contact with me and hastily makes her way to the chair beside mine. She avoids Royal's gaze and he does the same. Lokas stalks in as well and sits beside Faune, he gives her a content smile and I glare at it. Yearning to smash that smile to a million pieces.

Irina and Shann come in together, Irina sits beside Royal and Shann beside her.

"What is it?" Royal asks without looking up from his roast. Faune scrunches her face together in dismay at Royal. I go to reach for her hand but I notice Lokas is already holding it. I let go of my fork and it falls to the plate loudly, everyone looks at me. I mumble my apologies and pick it up and try my hardest not to scowl. I stab my food aggressively with my fork and forcefully shove it into my mouth.

I don't want to be here, I don't want to be here, I don't want to be here.

I hate the way they look at each other, I hate the way they touch each other, I hate the way Lokas loves Faune, and I hate the way Faune loves Lokas.

"We should leave at dawn," Shann says, I look over to him and his face is impassive, no emotion sits on his face. "We'll all go home and pack, then leave early in the morning."

"We'll all meet at Faune's tomorrow," I suck my teeth, Faune's, as if she's the only one to live there. I paid for that house with my hard-earned money, but they'll always acknowledge it as her place, never mine, never ours. Assholes. "What is wrong with you?" Lokas snaps, I whip my head to him, he's still holding Faunes hand underneath the table.