MATURE FANTASY** slow burn* 🔥 He is a predator who thought he captured an ordinary girl... but her mind is sharper than any of his claws.
Ariana lives in the shadow of her monstrous father in a world barely held together by a treaty. Until her l...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Ariana already sat at the table when I entered the place where we would share a meal. It was a small room that I sometimes used to read in. However, that seemed like a lifetime ago. Still, it remained one of my favorite places. Cozy and warm while one wall made entirely of windows, keeping the small space from feeling claustrophobic. Each of the walls bordering the windows was crammed floor to ceiling with books. All of them were filled with stories of adventure.
In the center of the room stood a single rectangular table that was already fully set. A delicious aroma wafted through the air, causing my mouth to water.
Ariana smiled politely when my gaze met hers.
I nearly returned the smile before noticing that there were only two plates set out.
I turned to Kole. "I told you that you could join us."
"I'm not hungry," he shrugged.
"He has already had his one meal for the month," Ariana commented, earning a cool glance from Kole.
"I eat more often than that," he snapped, though it was more friendly than angry.
"Whatever you say, though, you may be more pleasant to be around if you stop going hungry for so long." Ariana's eyes sparkled as she teased him.
"You have been spending too much time with some who are clearly a bad influence on you." He replied before turning to me. "If it's alright, I have a couple of things I would like to take care of. I can collect her from here in an hour?"
"It's fine. I'll bring Ariana back to her room when we are finished eating."
Kole dipped his head before excusing himself from the room.
"This smells divine." Ariana inhaled deeply as I took a seat across from her. Her unbound hair flowed in soft waves over her shoulders. She ran her fingers absentmindedly through the bottom section of her hair while her eyes scanned the table before her. Was she nervous? I worked at keeping the smile hidden.
She was a peculiar creature. Brave when she had no reason to be. In many ways, she seemed incredibly fearless. Yet this, sitting in a room with me when I promised her that no harm would come to her, made her fidget.
"Help yourself." No sooner had I said the words than she began loading her plate with various meats and vegetables. She seemed relieved to have something to occupy herself with.
Ariana hesitated with a spoonful of cooked mushrooms hovering above her plate. Her eyes were enormous when they met mine, as if just then noticing I had not moved. "Don't tell me I'm the only one who is going to be eating here."
Her surprise and concern for eating alone pulled a smile to my lips. "I will join you. You seem ravenous, so I wanted to grant you free rein at the table."
Ariana finished placing the serving of mushrooms on her plate and sat. The barest hint of a flush painted her cheeks. Had I embarrassed her? That would have meant that she cared how I viewed her, which was vastly different than when we first met. Her actions always were her own. Never did she seem influenced in the slightest by my opinion of her.
