* * *
The moment we stepped into Cassius's study, I could feel the nervous energy filling the air. It set me on edge. I was used to confidence from these men. The slight waver the energy held had my palms grow clammy.
"Why aren't we eating in the dining hall?" I asked as Jaxon lead me over to the table that had been set in the dark room. Most of our meals were either there or in the dining room in our suite.
"Privacy," Cassius answered from the head of the table where he sat in front of an empty plate despite the center of the table being laid with various platers and dishes. "We will be discussing a sensitive topic. It cannot leave these walls."
Everyone was present and most of them were already seated at the table watching us enter. That in itself set me on edge. The only time they all bothered to gather together was for dinner, but they hadn't done that in weeks. Not since Jaxon had returned and demanded the time for himself. It was rare to have a meal where all eight of us were present since then. Especially one where Cassius's mother wasn't present. She had a habit of guilting us into inviting her when all of us planned to gather.
Maybe it was because of the close call yesterday. Maybe they didn't want to stay away for too long. Or maybe they wanted to keep an eye on me to make sure I couldn't create more problems for them to solve.
I swallowed as Jaxon took the seat closest to Cassius's. "Why?" I asked the demon king, the darkening of his eyes prompting me to.
I tried to draw my hand back from Jaxon when he lowered himself into the seat, but his grip only tightened.
"We can't risk any missteps in our plan. Mass panic is one of them. Not to mention what could go wrong if the wrong people discover our plans."
"What plans? Who are the wrong people?" My question ended on a higher pitch than I would have liked, all thanks to Jaxon and the sharp jerk he gave my hand. It sent me tumbling into his lap instead of the empty chair beside him that I was aiming for. He shifted me at the last moment so I would land with my ass planted on his lap.
I thought we were past this kind of behaviour already.
No one blinked an eye at Jaxon's actions. They seemed to be occupied with having a silent conversation with their eyes over my head instead as Jaxon bent over me to prepare a plate and set it in front of me.
Settling back in the chair, he lifted a hand to place at the back of my neck. His hand felt heavy as his fingers gave a squeeze.
"Eat," he commanded as he pulled me closer, keeping his hand on my neck.
After the initial shock of his touch, my muscles couldn't help but loosen under the weight of his comforting hand. The mixture of spices and herbs that rose off the plate made my mouth water, drawing my eyes to the colourful pile of vegetables, meats, and bread that he had piled onto the plate for me. It contained a little bit of everything that lay on the table before us, though I noticed there were greater portions of foods I had previously tried and enjoyed.
My eyes darted over to his plate when he placed it by mine. The close proximity made us crowd on the otherwise spacious table. I thought he had overfilled my plate, but judging by his proportion which was three times as big as mine, he must have been worried he hadn't given me enough.
Another nudge from him had me reaching for the fork that lay beside my plate. The flavours that exploded on my tongue when I took a bite nearly had me moaning.
"I'll take you for a sweet treat later tonight."
The warm deliciousness turned to ash on my tongue. Instead of warmth or excitement, a stone of dread dropped into my stomach at his words and soft kiss that pressed into the side of my head.
