Chapter 98
Meredith.
There was something deeply wrong with my tongue this morning.
I could barely taste anything on it. It was numb, dull, like it had died in the night and left me with nothing but texture and bitterness. Which, of course, made sense—after all, I had drunk a whole glass of that herbal concoction last night… and another this morning before breakfast.
My stomach was still digesting the betrayal.
Still, the hunger remained. Fierce and unrelenting. Like something inside me had clawed through my dinner and decided it wanted more.
I stepped into the hallway, barely suppressing the hundredth yawn, when I nearly bumped into Dennis.
He grinned. “Perfect timing. I was just coming to find you.”
“For what?”
“My noble diplomacy succeeded. Your swim lessons with my brother have officially moved to the morning,” he announced, wiggling his brows.
A smile pulled at the corners of my lips, relief washing through me. “Really?” I didn’t think Draven would easily agree to it.
For a fact, I thought he would be up for an option that would frustrate me. But I guess I was wrong.
Maybe he’s no longer petty?
Dennis gave a mock bow. “You may thank me later by going through our lessons quickly so we can finally go on a ride.”
I rolled my eyes and gave a grateful nod before heading for the dining hall, as the thought of driving a car on the express, gave me a moment to forget my hunger.
Breakfast was already underway when I arrived. The savory scent of pepper sauce and fried meat wrapped around my senses. My stomach growled in betrayal—again.
If this kept up, I might actually eat someone, maybe, one of the Oatrun brothers’ whole.
My plate had been set. A large turkey blanket, deep fried and smothered in glistening pepper sauce. I didn’t bother with cutlery—I picked it up with my hands and tore into it like I hadn’t seen food in days.
Every chew felt like salvation.
I was halfway through when I caught it—that weight of someone’s gaze crawling across my skin. I lifted my eyes and met Wanda’s.
Her expression looked like she was watching a beast eat raw meat. Disgust carved across her painted face.
I didn’t care. Let her look. Let her chew on it. And if she can’t endure it in the end, she could go slam her head on a pillar.
From beside me, Dennis chuckled under his breath. “You might want to slow down before you inhale the plate.”
I tore a piece of meat off the bone and glanced at him. “Why? Is the plate edible too?”
And then, I made the mistake of glancing up again—this time catching Draven watching me with an unreadable expression. One brow was slightly raised, his lips neutral, but I could see the question simmering behind those eyes.
He must be wondering if I was possessed, a word he used once on me and I had refused to let go of it.
He looked away.
Whatever.
I took the last bite, chewed, swallowed. The hunger didn’t leave.
I wiped my fingers on a napkin and raised my hand slightly. “Can I have another one?”
The server nodded and returned with a fresh plate. I barely heard the scraping of silverware around me anymore.
My body wasn’t full. It felt like something had come unhinged inside me, like the concoction was doing more than just muting my scent—it was awakening something else entirely. And it was ravenous.
This wasn’t how I used to feel back home. This was an entirely different experience.
I grabbed a glass of orange juice and downed it in one gulp. Juice slid down my throat, cooling the pepper’s heat. Then, I reached for my second turkey blanket and sank my teeth into it.
The butler politely stepped forward with a fresh glass and replaced the greasy one I had grabbed with oily fingers. I offered him a quick, grateful nod.
Then came the voice.
“Do we starve you here?” Draven asked.
It was very obvious he couldn’t tolerate my eating habits currently and had to say something in the end.
My chewing slowed. I met his gaze from the corner of my eye and shrugged, still eating. “I don’t know.” My words came through a half-full mouth. “I’m hungry. And I don’t know why I can’t stop eating.”
I was lifting the meat to my mouth again when another voice cut in—sharp, smug.
“Are you pregnant?”
The words hit like a slap.
I froze mid-bite, my fingers clenched around the turkey. Slowly, I turned to look at Wanda.
“What?” I asked, lowering the meat to my plate. My voice was cold. If words could strike, mine would have left her with a gash across the cheek.
Wanda only smiled and added, “There. You’ve stopped eating.”
My jaw clenched.
I was ready to tear her apart with words, but then Draven’s voice came low and laced with warning.
“Do I have to tell you what you should and shouldn’t say?”
Wanda turned to him with that same damn smile and said, “Relax. I was just trying to help. And it worked, didn’t it?”
I was still chewing what little was left in my mouth, searching for a blade of a sentence to throw back, when Dennis spoke first.
“No one here likes your jokes, Wanda,” he said smoothly. “And just so you know, I actually enjoyed not seeing you at breakfast yesterday. You’ve got a horrible presence.”
Wanda’s smirk didn’t waver. She didn’t even seem offended by his comment. “At least my presence makes an impact.”
Unbelievable. She acted like she was proud of her toxicity.
Draven, of course, didn’t dignify either of them with another word. Instead, he turned his eyes back to me.
“You won’t be swimming today,” he said flatly. “But be prepared for tomorrow morning’s session. And do try to come on time. And dressed properly.”
I stared at him. “Will you let me drown if I don’t do as you say?”
He watched me for a good three seconds. Then— “I will drown you myself,” he replied without missing a beat.
I huffed, grabbed my napkin, and muttered under my breath, “I knew I wasn’t wrong about you when I concluded that nothing good comes out of your mouth.”
But for some reason, my stomach wasn’t growling anymore.
And I wasn’t sure if it was the food… or the fire that little exchange had lit in me.