Torrent of Tears (Scourge Survivor Series Book 3)(32)

Down in Terran’s family kitchen, Rowan stood at the side counter pouring a cup of coffee while Terran’s mother, Gaia, bustled around between the counter and the stovetop situated on the wide island across from it.

“Where’s Coal?” I asked, searching the corners of the room as I entered.

Rowan clattered the coffee pot against his mug. He cursed beneath his breath and I grabbed a cloth to mop up the spill.

“Sorry. Are you burnt?”

He shook his head, the copper highlights in hair catching the light as it flowed. He poured his coffee and set the pot back onto its hot-pad. “Terran and his father took Coal to the barn to introduce him to the livestock. The poor little bugger’s never been outside the first ring. Agriculture is a marvel to him.”

Rowan poured me a cup of coffee and gestured to the cream pitcher and sweetener. I nodded, waiting behind one of six hand-hewn chairs nestled around the long, wooden table.

He handed me a mug. “How are you holding up, Princess?”

“Honestly, not great.” I barely got the words out before my throat began to close again. I pushed past it, focusing on the warm brown scruff shadowing his chiseled jaw. With the growth of a long day, the thin white line of a scar was revealed just under his right cheekbone. “I’ve taken up your whole day. I’m likely keeping you from something.”

“We’re fine. Estes returned to the palace to cover for us and sent the launch back. He said as long as we returned with his men by this evening’s guard rotation he could keep your business your own. He’s going to find out who did this, Lexi. He wanted you to know that.”

I hadn’t thought much about that, but yes, as soon as my mind was steady, I’d track down the coward who did this and gut the fucker. The fingers of my free hand caressed the hilt of my knife where it lay, sheathed against my thigh. My chest eased a bit with that thought, though the pain just seemed to relocate into my back.

“Is there anything I can do?”

I could use a hug. “I . . . uh, I’m really hungry actually.” I sipped at the caffeine ambrosia and joined Terran’s mom by the stove. “That smells amazing. What is it?”

“Zucchini friers and stuffed peppers, tomatoes and eggplant.” She turned and bobbed her head then spun back to the stovetop and continued flipping the friers. “If that pleases you, Princess. If not, I could—”

“No. That sounds delicious.”

Gaia’s shoulders relaxed. “I made all of Terran’s favorites. It’s been so long since he’s had leave to come home. It’s wonderful to have him here, if only for . . .” Gaia turned, spatula in hand, her smile failing. “Forgive me. How thoughtless to be glad for anything right now.”

I shook my head. “Don’t apologize. Tham would be the first one to celebrate you spending time with your son. He loved families. He grew up alone and rejoiced in the little moments with as much enthusiasm as the momentous ones.”

“He sounds like a wonderful man.”

I nodded, pointing to the pastry spirals set out on a plate to cool. “May I?” With her motherly insistence, I picked one up and bit into it. The flavor burst into my mouth and my insides inched toward feeling alive again. There was no helping it. I wolfed down three of them before I could stop. “I don’t think I’ve eaten anything since lunch yesterday. Gods, this is good.”

Terran’s mom beamed and curtsied. “What an honor it is to have you in our home.”

I waved away her formality and accepted the platter to take over to the table.

“Eat,” she said. “There are plenty more for when the men return from the barnyard. Are you feeling any better?”

“I feel like a limp sock being thrown around in a dryer, actually.”

Rowan slid a golden frier onto a small plate and blew on his fingers. “I remember what that’s like. When I found out my parents had been killed it was the same.” He winced and for a second I thought it was because he’d burned his fingers. “Sorry, you don’t need to hear about that.”

I took a long sip of coffee and let the warmth of it slide down the back of my throat. “That’s okay. What happened to your parents?”

“The Queen.” He set his plate down next to his coffee and pulled out a chair for me. “Sit. You look like you’re going to drop over.”

“I’m fine.”

He grabbed my shoulders, plunked me down and then sat next to me. “Doctor’s orders.”

“Do you manhandle all your patients?”

His mouth twitched at the corners. “Just the difficult ones. Now eat.”

I bit back the urge to crack him one in the face and took another swig of my coffee. “You really get off on being a bully, don’t you?”

“It’s what I live for.” He edged my plate closer. Ignoring my scowl, he bit into his frier and sat back. “I was in my final segment of medical training when they were killed. It had been five full cycles since the Queen started her campaign to strengthen the noble houses and segregate the races into the four rings. Things weren’t great in Attalos, but the hostile times seemed to be behind us. Otherwise, I never would have left the city.”

“So, what happened?”

“My little sister hit puberty.” That seemed innocuous enough, but by the way Rowan’s brow pulled together it was obviously not. “My parents were both Water Fae and carried those traits, as did my sister and I. But if there’s going to be a shift in an Attalosean’s dominant gene it happens during puberty or because of an incredibly stressful event.”