“So I’m not perfect in keeping with my own morals and beliefs. I get how we fall. I hope you don’t again as even I know Lawan truly treasures you and feels you are worth more than being brushed off as the second princess. I trust Lawan will find some sort of acceptable penance, but I accept your apology.”
Lawan dipped her head with me. “With your permission, I ask my sister be allowed to see an example of how the corrupted hunt you as you showed us. That was the moment I became a believer and realized the stakes were higher than I thought. Plus, it certainly solidifies how badass you are, Inez, as she has been sheltered and will learn to fight the dangers out there and hunt evil.”
“Glad someone thinks that of me,” I teased, but nodded, accepting it was a good idea.
The party was much more fun without all the assholes. People were jumping on grills and helping out to get everything delivered on trays to the outposts.
“What are these?” Nora asked in between bites.
“It’s Nick’s ‘four quarters’ blend,” Jaxon answered. “A quarter each of lean beef, venison, pig, and bear, which gives a lot of the fat, but isn’t overwhelming, like bear meat can be.”
“It’s delicious. You can taste some of the bovine fat rendering when it cooks,” Hanna praised. “And the grinding is excellently blended.” She shrugged when she got several looks. “My coven made money on sausages and is part of our heritage. Of course I know meats.”
“It was smart of him to find a blending that’s so much better than straight beef burgers as you have excess of those last three. So why butcher more cows that can last a while longer?” Matilda agreed.
“I have my moments,” Nick said with a bright smile as he joined us. He gave me a worried look, but didn’t comment how tired I probably looked. “Seattle wants to know if they’re making more boozy cupcakes now that there are fewer guests. They prefer to do some next week for the clans and outposts, but they’re a bit wiped from stepping up to help.”
“Yeah, of course,” I agreed. “We’ve got enough gelato, and we can just grill and fry up the food to bring there for them. I mean, we don’t even need to grill all the shark steaks, right? Can we just bring them over and they have them to freeze?”
“Great minds think alike as that was what several hoped for as well. They are processing more of the sharks caught to give as gift bags for your actual guests,” he told me. “Also, I hear it’s been requested that some of your super old fart nobles take turns hunting in Houston as the corrupted were all led there, and there’s concern they might keep moving if not finding something to chomp on.”
I nodded. “Yes, thank you. I will also give one shipping container full of shrimp and blue crab, along with at least a dozen alligators, to each court that sends a few to clear every inch of New Orleans. Not just they cannot sense corrupted, we can do that too. I want no accidents because one was left hiding in a closet or underground as we’ve had.”
“Sister, you will go and lead ten of ours to clear a large section of that city, knowing you helped feed our people,” Lawan told her sister. “Every building, every room, every closet, every nook and cranny, and underground hiding spot, or pipe, you will make sure is safe for their people.”
“Yes, Sister,” she agreed, dipping her head. “Thank you for this chance.” She went over to a group of their coven that were staying with us to help clear out and raid areas, telling them to bring their food with, and they could have more on breaks, but it was time to hunt.
Nice.
The rest got in on the deal as well, and Petre went with to tell the heads of clans that it was going on and they’d have some big fishing days ahead of them. It was nice when things went well or according to plan.
It was rare, but nice.
I took a nap after stuffing my face, barely waking when I felt Kristof rubbing me down with lotion. He’d been so hesitant last time I’d done this as he didn’t think he could be gentle with me. Since the start, he’d passed that sort of thing off to someone else, but now I thought he liked it. It wasn’t simply an excuse to touch me, but I think he liked knowing he could be gentle if it was with me.
Plus, it seemed cathartic maybe, sort of how people liked to paint.
“What’s wrong, my love?” he asked quietly, letting me know I’d sighed.
“It feels good.”
“I’m glad, but that was not the sort of sigh you gave.”
“I want to start planting my other seeds,” I muttered. “I know we don’t have the greenhouses ready, but I feel…”
“That is not selfish when Aether gave you that power to make the seeds.”
I wasn’t explaining this right. “Do you like woodworking?”
“Not particularly, why?”
“Jaxon does.”
“I’m missing what point you are trying to make,” he grumbled, not upset with me, but himself.
“You have no idea if you like woodworking or not, do you, love?” Cerdic asked gently.
“No,” I breathed. “I have no idea what I like, besides food now that I’ve had more. It seems so stupid to think of, but I never had the time before, always sleep-deprived and trying to survive, but now… I wonder.”
“What else do you wonder?” Kristof asked, sounding genuinely curious.
I shrugged. “I can’t swim besides doggy paddle, I know that. I didn’t remember how to drive if I ever knew. Do I know how to ride a
