Chapter 29

“I’m six hundred and seventy this year, Jarlen is eighty years younger.” Mihai says, swirling his glass of red liquid.

I don’t need to ask if it is wine he’s going to drink, because I know it isn’t, it is too thick to be wine, and if I think about it much more, I’ll puke before I even eat.

Six hundred and seventy, and he fucks like a young man, aren’t I lucky?

“You don’t look it.” I quip, smiling at him.

“I should hope not, I paid a lot to look this good.” Mihai jokes, winking at me.

Just as I am about to respond a serves comes in, bringing the three bowls of spaghetti pasta and meatballs. My stomach once again growling hungrily.

I hope it tastes as good as it looks, because I am starving, and if I wait any longer to eat, there really will be nothing left of me. I didn’t eat whilst i was in the cell, it was like i had been forgotten about, and maybe i had. Not that it mattered anymore, Mihai promised me that things will change, and i believe him.

i have no choice but to believe him, because the alternative is losing everything, including my life.

The hunter council have betrayed me, and now, because i let Mihai go, they want me dead. Part of me hopes that my father doesn’t take their side, but he has always been loyal to them, even over family. I don’t mean as much to him as his end goal does, and his end goal is to eradicate as many Nati as he can before he dies.

I don’t matter to him, what i want doesn’t matter to him, it never has. The end goal is what keeps him going, he wants revenge for what happened to my mother, and i used to want that too, before i realised just how evil the council is.

They don’t just kill fully grown Nati, they kill the children and infants too, and i cannot condone that, they have done nothing wrong. The only reason they are killed is so they don’t have a chance to grow bigger and stronger.

Jake told me once that he had seen some of the Nati children being carted under the hunter council building, and down there, in the dark, they’ll be tortured until their bodies give out. Or until there is nothing left of them to destroy.

I stare down at the plate of food, wanting so badly to eat, but too nervous to actually take a bite. What if Mihai lured me here for a reason? What if the food is poisoned?

“There is nothing wrong with the food, Mae.” Mihai says, as if reading my mind, “It is perfectly safe to eat.”

“That’s exactly what you’d say if you were trying to get me to eat poison.” I say, my eyes narrowing as i look at the plate.

“You’re right, it probably is.” he laughs, “But if i were going to kill you, i wouldn’t use poison, there are so many more exciting ways to destroy a mortal body.”

My face pales, my pulse spiking, “How do i know you won’t hand me over to the council?”

He stares at me like I've grown three heads, “Because i already told you, little hunter, you belong to me, and no one, especially the hunter council is going to take you from me.” he nods towards my plate. “Now eat something, you don’t look like yourself.”

He's right, since coming here i have barely eaten, or exercised, and it is starting to show. My skin is pale and my bones are more prominent in my shoulders and around my ribcage.

If i want to get back to a healthy weight, then i need to eat, a lot, not just little bits here and there.

I pick up my fork and take a heaped mouthful of spaghetti, the spices dancing on my tongue as i chew and swallow, a smile forming on my lips.

I moan in pleasure as i take another bite, closing my eyes as i savour the taste, but as i open them again, Mihai and Jarlen are staring at me, and their eyes are dark with lust.

“Sorry.” I laugh nervously, “It’s just really good.”

I didn’t mean to get them excited, especially not sexually, but the moan that left my mouth was involuntary. It's the cook's fault for serving me something this good.

I mean fuck, i have never had a meatball pasta taste so good. It's insane.

I don’t think I'll ever call it a simple dish again.

“I’ll give your compliments to the chef.” Laughs Jarlen as he clears his throat, his eyes roaming over my body for the third time since we sat down. “I can see why you are so interested in her, brother, she is quite something.”

“She certainly is.” Mihai says, taking a big gulp of the red liquid in his glass.

I ignore the rest of their conversation, not particularly wanting to hear what they have to say about me and my body. I'm more interested in finishing to meal in front of me, and now that all my worries have gone away, i can savour it.

Once i finish the entire bowl i lean back in my seat, rubbing my full stomach, and although i know that i couldn’t eat another bite the idea of having something sweet for desert is inviting.

“How about some cheesecake?” Mihai says, once again reading my mind.

I smile, “That’d be great.”

“I’ll go get it.” Jarlen says, standing from his seat and taking the empty bowls with him.

“I didn’t know that the Nati can eat normal food.” I say, watching as Jarlen leaves. “Doesn’t it hurt you or something?”

“No. It doesn’t” Mihai says, scoffing, “That is a myth, and it’s a stupid one.”

Fuck, that wasn’t meant to anger him, it was just a question. It's not like there's a manual on the Nati, not unless you count the scrolls on how to kill them. But they aren’t much use to me whilst I’m actively living with one.

I want to make sure I don’t step on anyone’s toes by living here, and if I’m going to be living here as an equal to them, I think I’m entitled to know certain things, like the fact they can eat real food without collapsing on me.

“Maybe one day you’ll tell me all there is to know about you.” I say, smiling softly, trying to cool down his temper.

He looks at me, his eyes softening, “I’ll tell you anything you want to know. My little Mae.”