Page 44 of Lethal Souls

“Why are you offering us dinner?” Killian asks, folding his arms.

“Well, you have to eat, don’t you?” Callista responds, looking from Killian to Arie. “We’re not monsters.”

“So you keep telling yourselves,” Killian mutters.

“Can we please just have a cordial dinner?” Callista glares at Killian with mildly flared nostrils.

“Nothing about this is cordial,” I say, eyeing the only other woman in the room.

“I concur.” Arie smirks as he inspects one of the rings on his fingers.

“We guarantee you the food is safe to consume. You should be allowed to eat in peace, so long as you don’t continue causing a ruckus.” Callista’s eyes flicker to Killian. “Is that understood?”

Killian responds with a grunt.

“Great.” Callista snaps her fingers. Two doors on opposite sides of the room fly open.

A line of servants flood through the doors, carrying trays of all sizes.

They place the food on the table diligently, making sure not to bump into any of us. They top off drinks, remove lids from the food, and bow before exiting.

My stomach growls when I see it all laid out before me. The glazed meat is steaming, the vegetables and potatoes too. There’s fruit, rolls of ivory bread, and even miniature cakes.

There’s so much to choose from, and I’m damn near salivating.

I don’t dare show it though. Considering it’s been two days since I last ate, yes, I am starving, but I don’t want them thinking they can hold any more over us than they already do now.

“Dig in.” Arie gestures to the food.

Callista sips wine but doesn’t pull her eyes away from us.

“You first.” Killian leans back, folding his arms.

Arie blinks, an amused smile riding his lips. “Very well.” He wastes no time topping his plate with everything available. Callista does as well, and they begin to eat.

Killian gives me a careful side-eye, one that tells me to proceed with caution. He collects some food and bites into a piece of meat. The juices spill from it and he groans, only a little. I can imagine he’s just as hungry as I am, if not more.

“See?” Arie smiles. “Go on, Willow. Eat. I assure you it’s safe.”

I pile food onto my plate and dive in. I hate that all of it is so damn good. Everything is bursting with flavor, the wine is strong, and suddenly all that emotion I’d carried drips away.

“Just so you know, Caspian has made it to Inferno Isle.” When Callista mentions my mate’s name, I pause.

“How do you know?” I ask.

“We’re tracking him.”

I sit back in my chair, chewing on a piece of bread. “What happens if he doesn’t make it far enough to give Selah his blood?”

Callista eyes me, looking me from my face to my chest, then up again. “He’ll make it.”

I think about Caz going to that island of death. A bad feeling swirls in my gut, strong enough to make me queasy. I feel the food rising in my stomach and cup my hand over my mouth.

Oh, God. Did they poison me?

I bat my eyes, fighting off nauseated tears as I ask, “Can I be excused?”

Callista’s eyes narrow at me.