Serpent in Shackles

Chapter Ten

The new tattoo branding my chest was almost fully on display between the straps of the black, lace top that mostly covered my stomach. An inch of skin remained visible between the shirt and the tight black pants accentuating my curves. Leila would have loved it. The outfit. The tattoo. The whole damn place.

I stopped outside the dining hall and took a deep breath. My hands were cold and sweaty, but no matter how many times I rubbed them together, they were still just as clammy. I had attended a number of awkward dinners before, but this one was different. Back at the palace, my sass and charm would get me a few laughs, the odd side eye, a fake smile.

But here, it could get me killed.

Shoulders back, chin up, I reminded myself as I rubbed my hands down the side of my pants before striding into the dining hall.

The team sat in the same position as before with the same seat empty. For me.

The moment I passed through the threshold, every pair of eyes had drifted to the marking on my chest. And then, those same eyes snapped to the monster responsible for it.

Feeling the awkwardness building, Danver's eyes raked over me, admiring the way the tight clothes clung to my body. "Such a shame they always keep you in a flowy dress," he purred, cutting through the tension. "You'd think they'd want to show off those beautiful curves of yours."

Purposefully ignoring his comment, I took the empty seat directly across from him before responding, "that would be far too distracting, don't you think?"

He chuckled and flashed those snow-white teeth. He was handsome like the Shadow Knight, but had rounder, softer features. Elegant. Almost like a prince. The Shadow Knight had cheekbones to cut glass and Danver had the jawline to match. Vincent on the other hand, had a darkened stare that would put both of them to shame.

An array of food appeared on the table shortly after I arrived. But I noticed that everyone's plates were still empty. So I waited and watched as they all closed their eyes, the quiet sound of breathing and grumbling stomachs taking over.

Naia grabbed my knee under the table and whispered, "we take turns saying something every night before dinner."

Vincent cleared his throat, so I closed my eyes and listened in amusement.

"To the ones we are fortunate enough to call family, to the family we get to choose. May they live forever in our hearts."

I waited for them to take their food first before I filled my own plate. Unexpectedly, they ate foods that looked similar to the ones I ate back home. Fried rice and vegetables with little shrimps.

Back home, the staff regulated how much I was allowed to eat and served my meals to me already proportioned. Even when I was a soldier, I was still served my meals. So serving myself and taking as much food as I wanted was a foreign experience to me.

I took the spoon Naia passed over and scooped a small portion of rice.

Watching me, watching the small portion I took, the Shadow Knight said, "in this house, we eat."

My eyes darted to his.

"And Elianna will be upset if you don't eat the food she prepared for you," he added.

Message received.

So I took another, larger spoonful of rice before digging into the rest of the dishes. Rice and vegetables and shrimps piled high on my plate. At that, I could have sworn a slight smile crept onto his face.

And I'll be damned, it was the best food I had eaten in my entire life. I practically shovelled it into my mouth.

Silence filled the space, leaving only the sound of forks clinking against plates. I didn't know what to say to them. And I'm sure they didn't know what to say to me either. We had nothing in common, nothing to discuss. We were from two different worlds.