Page 178 of Crucible
Just to really annoy them, I start testing out potential titles. “Winter’s Burn. This Twisted Eden. The Savages Surrender.Ooh, I like that one. The Captive Who Loved Them. What do you think, Seth?”
My eyes fall on him, expecting to see him still glowering at his empty plate for some unknown reason, but he’s staring at me now through wide eyes with his mouth open.
It’s not until I see Thorin and Khalil wearing similar expressions that I realize my blunder.
I said I fucking loved them. At the very least, I alluded to it. Is that how I feel? No, it can’t be. They’re savages, and I’m soulless. We’re a match made in hell, but woefully uncapable of love.
“A-a-actually, I think I will shut up now.”
“Why would you do that?” Khalil purrs as he sits back in his seat with an arrogant twist of his lips. “You were just getting to the part where you apparently love us?”
I stare down at my plate. “Can we just forget I said that?”
“No, I don’t think we can,” Seth answers smugly.
“AndIdon’t think our story classifies as romance, do you? Maybe a case study for Stockholm syndrome, but that’s the best I can do.”
It’s quiet for a moment, and then Thorin asks, “Are you saying you want to be romanced, wolf?”
I shrug as I scoop up a forkful of eggs. “It would be nice. So far, Seth’s been doing all of the heavy lifting.”
Seth grins at that while Thorin and Khalil both drop their forks as if I’d slapped them.
“Are you fucking kidding me, wolf? I dove into a frozen lake for you,” Thorin protests.
“You did,” I acknowledge as I bite my bacon in half. “Why do you think I haven’t been spitting in your food lately?”
Thorin rolls his eyes as if that doesn’t surprise him in the least.
We eat in silence, but I can tell the three of them are thinking about what I said. I’m thinking too, but not about that. Suddenly, it comes to me.
“I know what I want to do now,” I tell Khalil. The others perk up at that, their gazes swinging to Khalil and back to me.
“Yeah?” Khalil asks. His mood has soured ever since I told him he needs to step it up. “What’s that?”
“Gardening.”
“Come again?”
“I want to start a garden.”
“We have a garden,” Thorin retorts grumpily.
“But you haven’t grown anything, so I thought I could give it a try. Wouldn’t it be easier to stock up for winter if you grew your own produce right here?”
“Maybe.”
“So what’s the problem?”
“There’s no problem,” Khalil says firmly. “Thorin’s just being a prick.”
“Oh, so like usual then?” That earns me a scowl from him, and I blow him a kiss in return.
“We’ll have to go into town for the supplies,” Thorin reminds Khalil.
The three of them exchange a meaningful look, and my stomach sinks a moment later when it hits me with the force of a sledgehammer—the reason for their hesitation.
They still don’t trust me.
