Chapter 42 Feast
Tyler clicked his tongue in amazement. “Wow. This medicine feels incredible.”
Blake’s eyes lit up. “It doesn’t hurt at all once it’s on.”
Connor nodded hard in agreement. “I’ve never used anything this effective in my life.”
Derek pressed his lips. “Looks like that demon might be nasty, but she sure has some good stuff.”
“Derek.” Logan’s cold face darkened in an instant.
“I’m just saying. All of us begged her earlier, and she didn’t lift a finger. If that’s not cold–blooded, what is?” Derek was the young soldier who had nearly been driven to tears by Iris before.
“Iris saved Damon. And she turned a blind eye and let you use the medicine,” Logan said flatly.
“Hmph. That’s because you traded yourself for it.”
“No. I followed Iris of my own free will,” Logan spoke slowly and firmly, making sure everyone heard him.
By the bunker entrance, Iris overheard that line, and he 20:03
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smirked slightly.
Logan was still the same Logan she had known in her last life.
“Logan, don’t say that!”
“Didn’t you say the captain’s fine now? Once he recovers, we’ll slip away together.”
“Yeah! We sneak off. She won’t notice.”
“And even if she does, so what? There are so many of us. Are we really scared of one little girl?”
“Right. We’re not afraid of her.”
“You guys,” Iris said, carrying out a huge tray of food, “who exactly are you not afraid of?”
The group who had been fired up just moments ago instantly scattered their gazes. Some stared at the sky, some at the ground. Everyone suddenly became very interested in anything except Iris. Not a single person dared to look at her.
Iris swept her eyes over the bunch of big talkers and snorted lightly. “Logan, come eat.”
Logan, hearing the order, obediently stepped forward.
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The other four hurriedly tried to stop him, silently urging him not to go.
But not one of them dared to say it out loud in front of Iris.
When they watched Logan walk over without a word of protest, they could only sigh in frustration.
Their good comrade, their brother in arms, had really sacrificed too much.
Logan, you had suffered for the sake of everyone.
Just then, a rich, savory smell of barbecue ribs drifted through
the air.
Iris opened her huge bowl. Inside was a mountain of sticky glazed BBQ ribs, piled high.
The ribs had been seared and slow–braised, coated in a deep mahogany glaze that shone under the light. They smelled incredible. One bite and the meat fell clean off the bone.
Smoky, salty, and juicy, with a satisfying chew that made one want to keep eating until one lost count.
On top of that, Iris had made pan–fried eggs, a generous serving of sautéed green vegetables, and a pot of creamy mashed potatoes, with a basket of fresh bread on the side. The golden eggs, bright greens, and steaming potatoes paired with 3/7
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the ribs so well that just looking at it made mouths water.
And for a group of old soldiers who hadn’t had a proper meal in over ten days, this was nothing short of heaven.
Damn. This is eating like royalty.
Logan stared at the massive bowl of ribs and the pots of mashed potatoes beside it, his heart giving a hard jolt.
He was deeply moved.
full
“Iris, there was really no need to make something this good just for me,” he said quietly. “I can eat whatever you usually eat.”
He knew how tight supplies were these days. Forget ribs. Plenty of people couldn’t even get one full meal.
Iris had prepared such a lavish spread for him. It was clearly a welcome feast made especially for his arrival.
There was really no need for this. Even if she wanted to show appreciation, a simple meat dish would have been more than enough.
This was far too grand.
Iris picked up the pot and sat down under the grapevine trellis.
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“This is what I eat every day.”
Logan was shocked.
The people behind him were shocked too.
“From now on, whatever I eat, you eat,” Iris said loudly. “Stick with me, and this will be your baseline every day.”
The five men standing off to the side nearly had their eyes pop
out.
Baseline? This was the baseline?
This was the apocalypse!
Back at their base, meat was a luxury they rarely saw.
And Iris was saying Logan would start at this level?
This was very different from the miserable, slave–like future they had imagined for him.
Following Iris didn’t look like a sacrifice at all.
He was living better than they ever had.
“Come on,” Iris said casually. “Dig in.”
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Derek snorted. “We’ve got our own food. We’ll eat what we brought.”
He pulled out a pack of compressed biscuits, mixed a little water to get them down, and chewed dryly.
The others stopped staring too and, looking miserable, dug out the last of their emergency rations and hard crackers.
They chewed on tasteless, throat–clogging biscuits while the rich smell of barbecue ribs drifted over in waves from the other
side.
The more they ate, the more depressing the rations became.
And that smell… it was torture. It smelled so good. Way too good.
“Dig in. Why are you taking forever?” Iris said, tearing into her ribs without restraint. She barely gnawed the bones. Summer and the others crouched nearby, waiting.
Iris tossed the bones aside for them to chew on.
Logan, on the other hand, ate very slowly. He cleaned every rib down to the last scrap. The meat had been cooked so well that even the bones were rich with flavor, and he worked at them carefully.
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“The bones are for Summer and the others. You eat the meat. Nothing’s going to waste,” Iris said.
Logan shook his head and stubbornly kept at the bones.
Iris understood immediately. She didn’t push it and kept eating. By the time she was full and washed it down with a bottle of cola, there were still plenty of ribs left in the large bowl. She wiped her hands and stood up.
“Iris, are you going to eat the rest?” Logan asked.
“They’re all yours,” Iris said, seeing through him but not calling it out. As she turned back toward the bunker, she added casually, “Do the dishes properly. And clean up the food area later.”
Logan answered at once, grateful. “Got it!”
After Iris left, Brett and the others had already lost their appetite. They chewed their biscuits without any taste at all and finally stopped eating.
Even so, they didn’t dare waste anything. They licked the crumbs clean.
Just then, a bowl of leftover barbecue ribs was handed over.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
