AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I was on fire.
Pressing a hand to my queasy stomach, warmth radiated from my belly as if I were fighting a serious infection. “I think I need the infirmary.”
His voice was cool water. “There is a gift from your mother to celebrate our mating. It was delivered while you enjoyed your rest.”
“My mother?” He had found the perfect lure to draw my attention.
I hadn’t seen my mom since I was eleven, any gifts she may have sent confiscated by the academy. I only knew she had prepared them from her mention of handmade sweets in her letters, which I still received, per protocol, on my birthday every year.
“It’s right there.”
It may have been a decade since I had seen the packaging her bakery used, but I recognized the pink box at a single glance. Forbidden sugar was within. “You’re not going to take it away?”
“No.”
Apprehensive, I narrowed my eyes. “I can eat it?”
He moved toward the table, pulling out a chair and motioning that I should take a seat atop the soft ivory cushion. “You’re the mate of a general now. Academy restrictions no longer apply.”
That was the ugly detail at the root of my misery and humiliation. “How does she know I’ve been mated?”
Smiling, he beckoned me with a finger and tried to tempt me closer to the box. “I updated the registry while you were sleeping. We are legally joined. Announcements have been made throughout the city. You now have the full protection of my rank.”
Seeing that man smile was unsettling in the extreme. I could hardly comprehend how his face might contort into any expression other than a scowl. “Protection from what?”
The question was ignored. “You’re hungry. Please, let me feed you.”
If it meant I might have what my mother made for me, I would concede and swallow unwanted food. However, there was no chance I was taking the chair he offered, choosing instead the one across.
Cautiously lowering myself into the seat, I watched him do the same.
He didn’t seem to mind my rejection of his courtesy in the slightest, extremely pleased and practically purring once I was settled and glaring.
The table setup was unlike the mess hall I was accustomed to. A round, sturdy table between us covered in a starched white cloth. There were dishes, not the worn metal trays I was used to, but delicate things, round, with scalloped edges. They almost seemed to have been carved from semiprecious stone, dainty and glittery.
Had I not been required to keep my focus on the general, I would have loved observing them more closely.
“I’m going to remove the covers from the food, nothing more.” The warning was given before he reached forward to gather several domes. Flicking the mechanisms keeping food fresh, tiny vents hissed as steam released.
Seven platters were displayed, filled with all kinds ofthings. Some of it smelled nice; some of it did not. Yet nothing was familiar. There wasn’t a single gelatinous cube, not one serving of compressed vegetation. “I don’t know what any of this is.”
“Processed meat cubes and compacted vegetable patties are only for soldiers on duty and recruits in training. As my mate, I will serve you harvested vegetables and fresh game.” Pointing to various dishes, he began to describe them, showing me more food than I could eat. “This is the raw liver of a gacdsoo. Over here is braised bulba shoulder. The white flesh is an aquatic animal, seared and glazed with citrus.” Next, he explained the various colorful plant things, describing flavor profiles and what paired well with each meat. “We’ll explore what you like, and in the future, I will bring you what you desire.”
All of it meant nothing to me. My whole life, I had been given food, and I ate it in the twenty-minute allotment for mealtimes. I had no opinion on my diet other than the opinion of not wanting to starve.
“May I have your plate?”
The empty one in front of me? “Why?”
With a soft smile, he offered, “I will serve you so you can taste what you will. Afterward, your mother’s gift for dessert.”
An easy and relaxed General Cyderial was very disconcerting. But I’d rather have him sitting across from me than touching me in any way. Cautiously, I handed him the pretty plate, watching the imperfections in the polished crystal catch the light.
Very pretty.
It wasn’t just the table and bed that were strange.
I stole assessing glances at his space, while he filled the glittering dish. The whole room was nothing like anything I’d known within academy walls. The space was filled with soft light and fresh air, the decorations delicate and pretty. Gossamer curtains around the bed still waved lightly with the breeze, the same breeze running over my burning bare arms.
