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It was an interesting challenge, but it felt like it should be simple. Too easy. There were so many amazing tastes in the world that she couldn't have tried before - but would those delight her, or would they seem so unusual that they'd come across as intense or unpleasant?
Dammit, this might be harder than I thought it would be.
I locked the remaining arrows into the shed and then heard the rumble of a bike. Clearly, I'd taken too long and Cruise was coming to pick me up. I scanned my clothing in the semidarkness, saw a few spatters of blood and reached to the ground, scraping up some dirt to smear on my shirt. Hopefully, it would be enough to deflect attention.
"Brody?" a voice called.
"Yeah, sorry. I got a bit turned around. Any chance you could drop me at my cabin so I can clean up before dinner?"
"No problem. Jump on!" Cruise scooted forward on the seat, making a little more room for me, and I swung my leg over, grabbing onto his waist as he took off faster than I'd have liked.
Before I knew it, I was back at my cabin and the bike was roaring off again on whatever Cruise's next mission was.
It felt strange to open the door and step inside. I'd just been in the forest with a harpy, and now I was seeing a wide screen TV and a fridge. Those two things felt like they shouldn't be in such close proximity to each other. And yet, they were.
Had other people seen them? Were there other creatures lurking in the woods as well?
It was like the world had been tilted on its axis and I wasn't sure what to do with the information. I couldn't tell anyone. Wouldn't speak of this because what if it put her in more danger?
I couldn't stand the thought of that. Those large, luminous eyes, the soft brown of her skin, the downy feathers beneath her wings, dotting her hair. It hadn't been great light, but the glimpse of her I'd had? Shattered me. She was majestic, and that I had harmed her broke me.
It was all too surreal right now, Selene and her mother, the Harpy Queen, the geas—the magic. I brushed a hand against my stomach, remembering the pain, the cold sensation that leeched through my skin to my bones when the curse had been cast upon me; and the way it seemed to link me to Selene. As if there was a thread between us now, tugging me back to her.
I glanced at the clock and realized I'd need to hustle to make dinner on time, so I stripped off my grubby clothes and changed; a shower would have to wait until later.
Dinner was already in progress when I arrived at the large back deck. I slid in beside Gemma and reached for a plate, my eyes already skimming over the bounty of food on the table. There were so many flavours here, so much that might delight Selene.
"Hey, what's the best thing you've had so far?" I asked Gemma.
"These spring rolls are pretty damn good," she said.
"Nah, I reckon it's the quesadillas, so delicious," someone else added.
I used the tongs and grabbed one of each, as well as an assortment of other things. Maybe somewhere here I'd find the perfect taste. But I had to remember that it wasn't my perfect taste, just hers. What did delight even mean?
"Took you a while to get back," Josh commented.
"Yeah, got turned around in the woods. It's darker in there. No city lights to guide you." I popped a sliver of hot lamb into my mouth and chewed. The flavour was fat and salt, and exactly what I needed to ground myself in the here and now. This was the real world, not Selene and her mother. Not Harpies and geas. I grabbed the spring roll and bit into that next.
This was what I needed. I must have stumbled into a nightmare in the woods because it couldn't be real. This was. Chatter about the day, the occasional mention of the office; everyone feeling lucky to be here rather than stuck back there.
Yet I couldn't seem to get her face from my mind.
Selene.That tug at my gut again.
"Brody!" The curt voice snapped me back to reality. "You're a million miles away. What's going on?" Josh. Fucking Josh.
"Just running some numbers in my head," I said. "Nothing to worry about. What's on our list for tomorrow?" I asked.
"Sea kayaking," Jenny said. "Should be good weather for it, too."
"Hopefully you're better at that than you were at archery," Josh joked, though it bit harder than it should have. The conversation moved on and I let it all slide over me, unable to connect with much of it.
I finished up dinner then stood up, excusing myself.
"Not staying for drinks and cards?" Josh asked.
I could see it now, him finding more ways to slight me. Maybe the managers would all gather and he'd try to get in their good books. Part of me wanted to sit back down, hold my ground, but my body ached and it felt like if I stayed, I'd do more damage than good. I didn't have the energy for Josh and his antics tonight.
