“Well, that was how it was presented to me by the machine!” she said, offended that I spit the espresso out everywhere.
“The machine only brews the coffee, you have to add the rest,” I offered in explanation.
“What would you add to it?” she asked, tilting her head to examine me with a curious look in her eyes.
“Where’s Ryder?” I asked through the disgusting espresso flavor sitting on my tongue.
“He’s holding court, of course. He is the king, and is under pressure to right the wrongs of the Horde Realm.”
“Call for the Demon,” I said.
She did, and within moments Ristan was strolling leisurely into the room. He flashed his silver and black swirling eyes, and took in the espresso that now decorated the silk covers. “You summoned?” he asked, and lifted those beautiful eyes to mine.
“Need creamer, and sugar,” I explained. Darynda deserved to taste a latté; one made right.
“You summoned me for sugar and milk?” Ristan asked lifting one brow further than the other.
“Sure did. I also need clothes, and shoes,” I explained.
“Going somewhere, Flower?” he asked cautiously.
“No, but I’m not sitting around in pajamas all day, Demon.”
“Good to know. Let me run down and milk a cow for you,” he replied with a smirk lifting his lips.
“Ha-ha,” I replied and kicked the blankets fully off.
“Good to see you are back to your old self, and not fainting.”
“I do not faint, Demon,” I replied.
“Do too,” he said with a wide grin.
“Do not.”
“Do too!” he argued.
“Do not! Now please cream and sugar me, Demon.”
“I think Ryder might get a little pissed if I creamed and sugared you, Flower,” he said with a wicked look in his eyes.
“Demon!” I shouted. This creature and his sexual innuendos were dangerous. Get him started, and he could go for hours.
“As you wish,” he said, and instantly a delicate porcelain sugar bowl and creamer set appeared on the table next to the espresso maker. An ice blue silk sundress with matching sandals appeared at the foot of the bed, away from where the brown specs of the espresso mishap rested. He wiggled his fingers at us as he sifted out.
It took me twenty minutes of showing Darynda the joyful taste of an actual latté, which she liked a lot, better than pure espresso. She helped me to dress and worked wonders with my hair, which was now braided and styled as if I’d spent hours at the salon. Even though she’d assured me she wasn’t good with hair, it was so much better than anything I could have managed on my own.
“This is an honor to be placed in the room adjoining his!” Darynda mused after a few moments of silence had passed.
“Really, it’s not,” I said. I was ready to face him now, and I had a feeling Darynda wouldn’t be so accommodating about taking me to see him as she had been about everything else so far. “I need to talk to Ryder. Can you take me to the throne room?”
“He’s holding court right now. I’m not sure he will see you.”
“Take me to him, please,” I said, already heading to the main door.
“No way! You are a concubine. You are not allowed to roam freely. You would need guards, and permission!”
“Look, Darynda, we need to get a few things straight. I’m not his. I didn’t get a choice in this, and while you may think this is great, I don’t. He hasn’t asked me for any of this, he just demands I be here. I’m not his chew toy, or his pet.”
She blinked, but said nothing for a moment. “Concubines are normally given little choice in the matter. The King chooses them, and some are given to him as gifts.”
“Gifts? Do you have any idea how fucked up that sounds out loud?” I asked and threw open the door.
Sinjinn smiled and bowed with a courtly flourish. “Princess Sorcha,” he greeted.
“Sinjinn,” I said, happy to see a friendly face. “Take me to your leader.”
“You are to rest,” he said as he straightened back up. His eyes scanned my face briefly before he smiled once more.
“I’m done resting; take me to Ryder, now.”
“I can’t. You need to rest and take it easy. I was ordered to make sure you were not stressed out.”
“Okay, well if you don’t take me to Ryder, I’m going to scream my fucking head off. It’s going to stress me out, and I’m sure he wouldn’t want that, now would he? He ordered you to keep me calm, so take me to Ryder!”
He looked to be struggling with what he should do, so I tapped my foot impatiently. I felt bad placing him in the middle of it, but I was not staying in his future wife’s bedroom, and that’s what this was. I’d read enough books to know that what the girls spoke about yesterday was true—in a castle, the connecting room was the one the wife stayed in.
“He’s going to kick my ass, Synthia.”