Chapter 268
“He’s new here,” I said. “It’s the courteous thing.”
“He’s staff.”
“He’s also the person who might be keeping me from getting stabbed in the future, so I think a meal is the least we can do.” I smiled. “Seven o’clock?”
At the mention of the word “stabbed”, Dominic stared at me. I stared back, studying his face for any indication of… well, anything.
There was none. Just mild frustration, then he glanced at his watch.
“Fine,” he said, turning to leave. “But I’m not sharing cigars with the guy.”
“Didn’t ask you to,” I called after him.
Dinner that night was simple but delicious. The cooks had prepared a spread of nicoise salad, soup, and some of that boar that I’d killed, which had been frozen in chunks and prepared in thin, juicy slices tonight.
Dominic sat at the head of the table. I sat at the other head, just about as far from him as I could sit. Colt sat in the middle of the table and was quiet. He kept staring at the space across from him, which just so happened to be where Vivian sat.
She had barely said a word or looked up from her plate since sitting down.
The first part of the meal passed well enough. Colt turned out to be an easy dinner companion, asking the right questions and volunteering enough about himself to keep the conversation from stalling.
He told us about the pack up north where he had spent the last few years. It was larger than ours, but the military was less structured, resulting in many issues amongst the ranks. Colt had left to seek out something more stable and with less petty infighting.
Dominic almost choked on his wine at that last part, and looked at me like I was the guilty party around here when it came to ” petty infighting”.
I looked at my plate and cut my meat and pretended I hadn’t noticed.
I watched Vivian out of the corner of my eye throughout all of this.
She was eating. Slowly at first, just barely picking at her salad, then faster, like she was trying to finish her plate first. She kept her eyes down, and when she did look up, it was never in Colt’s direction. She was very careful about that.
Colt, to his credit, was not staring at her either. But ever so often his eyes would flick to her, and he’d open his mouth like he wanted to say something to her, only to apparently think better of it and take a big gulp of his wine.
“Vivian,” I said, “you’re quiet tonight.”
She looked up. Her smile was tight and polished, stretched across her face like a mask. I could see the tension right through it.” Just tired,” she said.
“Long day?”
“Something like that.”
I gestured to Colt. “Maybe, if you’re feeling better tomorrow, you could take Colt on your usual errands. He could help you out if it’s that tiring. Right, Colt?”
Colt nearly sputtered on his wine, but nodded quickly. “Y-Yes, of course. I’d be honore-I mean, it would be my pleasure.” His
1/2
ears started to turn red, and I smiled.
+30 Bonus
Dominic glanced up from his plate, watching the whole exchange through his brows. His eyes briefly flicked to me, and I saw something quizzical in them. I shrugged almost imperceptibly as if to say, “I don’t know.”
“I’m good,” Vivian said, setting her fork down. “I don’t need a babysitter like some people.”
Colt fell silent. Dominic looked up fully. I watched as Vivian folded her napkin, placed it beside her plate, and pushed her chair
back.
Then, without another word, she stood and walked out of the room without even having finished her meal.
P
