Ambrosia (Frost and Nectar, #2)(16)

Maybe it was the excruciating, heartbreaking loneliness of that time spent in the cell, but I had a hard time tearing my eyes away from him.

With the scent of roasting meat and rosemary wafting over me, I found my primal desires were getting confused. Did I want to care for him, devour him, or straddle him? I was no longer sure.

Maybe some combination of all three.

He caught me watching him, and my cheeks burned,

“Ava,” he said softly, “I thought we were supposed to be facing away from each other.”

I turned sharply, my cheeks flaming. “You wouldn’t have known I was looking if you hadn’t looked.” Did I sound childish? Maybe.

Behind me, I heard the sound of water rushing off Torin’s body into the bath as he washed himself, then his feet on the wood floor. I felt a twinge of disappointment, but I didn’t want to leave the water. This bath right here was heaven.

I kept my eyes firmly locked on the floor while he dressed.

A minute later, Torin knelt next to the fire. The clean white shirt I’d found stretched over his muscles, several sizes too small, as he turned the pheasant on its spit.

My mouth watered, my stomach hollowed out with intense hunger. “The pheasant must be done by now?”

I honestly would have eaten it raw. Completely raw.

Another rotation of the spit. “Not quite yet. We haven’t eaten in days, so we might as well make it a good one.”

“If you make me wait any longer, I could end up cannibalizing you. I think I’m getting in touch with my demon side here, Torin.”

“Sounds strangely tempting.” His eyes glinted as he turned to look at me. “I suppose I could give you a few of the berries, but the rest I’m using in a port sauce—”

I flashed my canines at him. “I will start with your shoulders, Torin, tearing out chunks of your beautiful muscles with my teeth.”

A smile flickered over his lips, and he stood. “Not long ago, you were fretting about the state of my feet. Now you want to eat me alive.” He handed me a small wooden bowl with purple berries.

“I contain multitudes.” I popped a berry in my mouth and bit into it. Heaven. Had I ever tasted anything so sweet? “I’d share these with you, but I’m afraid the Seelie and Unseelie are ancient enemies.”

“Good thing I’m fully capable of waiting for the real meal.” The velvety murmur in his tone made my blood heat.

The berries stained my fingers purple. “If Morgant comes for us tomorrow and we die an excruciating death at his hands, we have to make sure this was a good night.”

“And that’s why I’m not rushing things, changeling.”

“So, if we find this veiled woman, and she can tell us how to return home, how long will you wait to consummate your marriage with…whoever it is you plan to marry? ”

He shot me a sharp look, then stood and crossed to the kitchen table. “I’m going to focus on the important work of making the port sauce.”

As he ground up the berries, he seemed rattled. I turned all the way around in the bath to get a better view of him. I couldn’t help it. I really liked looking at him.

“While I’m sure the port sauce requires all the concentration your pretty little head can muster,” I said, “you will be needing royal offspring. Who else is going to grow up and slaughter the sacrificial victims at Beltane if you don’t produce an heir?”

The corner of his mouth twitched. “You know, it really has been a very long time since we’ve sacrificed one of your kind at Beltane. The clans would be delighted.”

“A demon would be perfect. Horrible creatures. Can I recommend Morgant for that role?”

A smile flickered over his lips. “I think he is the queen’s son. Her remaining son, anyway.”

“That was my impression.”

I finished the last of the berries. By now, the bath had made me pink. “Turn around, Your Highness. I’m getting out.”

He did as I asked, averting his eyes.

I hadn’t found any towels, but I had unearthed an old wool blanket, so I dried myself off, then pulled on a white button-down shirt that reached halfway down my thighs and a pair of tiny blue shorts. I hadn’t been able to find any trousers that would fit me.

Once I was dressed, I thought I should help the dinner effort, so I pulled plates from the old shelves and slid them onto the table. “And I’m pouring the port. And whatever is going on with that pheasant, we’re eating it, because the berries are gone, and the pheasant would taste better than your muscly flesh.”

With a sigh, Torin started to pull the pheasant off the metal rod. “You must take care not to eat too quickly. After days of starvation, if you overindulge, you’ll make yourself sick.”

Golden light wavered around the cozy room, and I crossed to the table to pour port into glasses. “Look at us, all domestic, just a Seelie king with a fondness for human sacrifice and his demonic enemy. Breaking bread together like a couple of old pals.”

Outside, thunder rumbled across the landscape.

“You’re really hung up on the human sacrifice thing, aren’t you?”

“Kind of a quirk of mine.” I turned around, and to my absolute delight, I was staring at a perfectly roasted pheasant, the crisp skin a rich buttery color. Actual drool dripped from my lips, and I wiped the back of my hand over my mouth. “Because of this, all is forgiven with the human sacrifice.”