She didn’t understand what it was about him that made her more wary of his presence than Uilleam’s, especially with their relation, but she felt on edge around him.
It couldn’t have been more than a few minutes since they sat down that the doors leading into the kitchen were pushed open, a staff of two coming through them carrying domed trays.
Lobster Caesar salad, a basket of rolls, amongst other things were presented, but Luna didn’t think she had the stomach for any of it anymore.
It was the lobster, the smell of it. She could remember all too well why she hated the aroma.
Lawrence liked to toy with her every few days, bringing in the dish every chance he could.
Sometimes, she had been able to hear the heavy waves crashing against the shore, making her think they were close to the ocean—it would also explain all the seafood he ate.
So many nights, he would come into her room with plates of food, forcing her to kneel on the floor next to his feet as he ate his meal, but not before he made it a point to show her exactly what she was missing. He would spear some of it, holding it beneath her nose to make her hunger grow, and only when she begged did he finally eat without giving her any, laughing at her weakness.
No, she really hated the smell of lobster.
Kit’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “Is something wrong?”
Though the smell of it was making her mouth water with the urge to vomit, Luna shook her head, forcing a smile.
She was supposed to be grateful, that was what Lawrence had always told her.
Kit didn’t leave it at that. “Better to tell an unkind truth than to tell a lie.”
That was easy to say, but she had seen the consequences of unwanted opinions. “I’m fine.”
He looked like he wanted to argue further, but he remained silent, not speaking again until their plates were placed in front of them. “How well do you know Uilleam?”
“Not very well.”
Kit looked skeptical. “But well enough that he told you his name.”
Luna didn’t realize her mistake until then, but she didn’t get the chance to correct herself before he went on.
“Have you crossed paths with him before?”
She shook her head.
“Are you sure you just don’t remember him?”
Luna shook her head again. “I don’t think I would have forgotten him.”
Kit’s lips thinned. “No? Why’s that?”
She couldn’t say why that question rankled her. “Because I haven’t forgotten any of them. I’ve never seen him before today.” Or yesterday … she wasn’t sure what day it was.
“That, I believe.”
Luna looked at him, not understanding his change of response.
Kit explained, “Lying, you’re terrible at it. When I asked if you were fine, you clenched your hand, but when I asked if you knew Uilleam, you didn’t tense. Learn to break that habit.”
He’d barely finished that statement before she was ducking her hands beneath the table. It was unnerving, the way he watched her—studied her. She couldn’t understand for the life of her what he was seeing that made him stare for so long.
Luna’s gaze flickered over to Aidra, where the woman was now seated in a chair across the room, a tablet in her hands as she scanned something.
If she didn’t know any better, she would have thought Aidra had no longer been in the room.
“Would you care to tell me why you don’t eat lobster?” he asked, drawing Luna’s attention back to him as he raised his fork.
She blinked in surprise, looking down to the plate in front of her, wondering when she had given him any indication she didn’t like what was offered. “I—”
“The truth this time.”
Chewing her lip, she thought about not answering, but figured there was no point since he would probably force it out of her. “It was his favorite,” she said eventually.
“He?”
“Lawrence Kendall. He—”
“Emmett Kendall’s son,” Kit said thoughtfully. “I’m familiar with them both.”
Did that mean he frequented the Kendall Estate?
He was attractive, more than attractive really, but then again, maybe he needed the power kick like Lawrence. It wasn’t about the girl anymore, but rather the strength they could wield.
When she didn’t answer, Kit’s gaze shifted to Aidra, words falling from his lips in a language Luna didn’t understand. The other woman responded in kind before she nodded and started off into the kitchen, taking Luna’s plate as she went.
“It’s really not—”
“How did you find yourself in Emmett’s brothel?” Kit interrupted, picking up his glass of water. “Did he find you or did you find him?”
He made it sound as though she had a choice in the matter—that she had actively sought out being a slave to Lawrence’s wants. “Neither. I was given to him.”
He nodded, but like his brother, he didn’t seem very interested in the information, making Luna wonder why he had even bothered to ask. “And I assume you were then offered to Lawrence?”
“Not exactly.”