CHAPTERTEN
AZURA
Azura sat quietly, watching Onyx fill his plate from the platters laid out on the table. She was very relieved to see fried chicken and fluffy mashed potatoes. It was almost as if the cook had known her favorite comfort food.
She was glad they could focus on eating for a moment while she tried to settle her thoughts. Everything had happened so fast. She had gone from a garden party in the ancestral home that went beyond all her wildest dreams to a castle on an alien planet.
It sends “dreams come true” into completely unimagined realms. At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a unicorn galloping through the place.
Her stomach twisted a little. She wanted to ask if they did have unicorns here, but she was afraid it was a stupid question.
Onyx looked over at her, smiling gently. He nodded toward the plate.
“How is it?” he asked.
Azura realized he must have gone to some effort with dinner, and he was anxious to know if he had pleased her. She looked down at her plate, the tantalizing smell of the crispy chicken suddenly hitting her right in the stomach.
She’d been so distracted she had forgotten how hungry she was. Without thinking twice, she picked up a nice, chunky piece and bit into it. The outer skin crunched satisfyingly under her teeth, and sweet juices flowed across her tongue.
A little moan of pleasure escaped her as the succulent chicken flavor mixed with the cake-like taste of the outer skin.
I have no idea what herbs and spices they used on this, but it blows the Colonel right out of the water!
She was so hungry that she devoured the delicious piece of chicken in seconds and grabbed another. When she was halfway through it and really getting hit by the endorphins produced by excellent food, she suddenly snapped her eyes open and realized Onyx was still staring at her.
Oh, fuck. I’ve just been sitting here stuffing my face for a solid ten minutes, haven’t I?
Onyx was not looking at her as if she’d been rude. His face was glowing with appreciation. He had his chin in his hand while he stared at her as if he could watch her simply eat chicken all night.
“I’m sorry,” she muttered. “Am I being rude?”
“Rude?” he echoed, clearly puzzled. She grinned, swallowing as she put her piece of chicken down.
“I mean, by eating with my hands and forgetting your existence because I was going into a fried-chicken feeding frenzy.”
His eyes widened as if he were surprised.
“I’m not sure I understand,” he frowned. “Is there some other way to eat it? I’ve been using my hands. Is that inappropriate?”
“No, of course not,” she laughed, “but some people would use a knife and fork.”
“How cumbersome!” he scoffed. “I think that totally interferes with the experience of enjoying fried chicken.”
Azura felt real appreciation for Onyx growing inside. He had never endeared himself to her more than he did right now.
“As for forgetting my existence, it certainly is a slight, but one I’m prepared to forgive since it means I’ve pleased you with dinner.”
He reached out and squeezed her hand … chicken juice and all. His own hand was a bit slippery, and Azura giggled.
She let her eyes slip back to her plate, aware that she was blushing. She took a bite of mashed potatoes … using a fork, this time … and sighed in pleasure. They were a perfect blend of butter, garlic, and salt.
Azura let the familiar flavors of the food comfort her while she thought about the situation. She had reacted strongly to Onyx telling Martin what to do, but maybe that was only because she was so used to looking after her brother all by herself.
The idea of letting Onyx help was strange, but it made her feel safe to have someone else looking out for her and for Martin. She didn’t know Onyx very well, but he had shown her that he was very interested in keeping them both happy.
He’s worked hard to get Martin out of trouble, as well as to make us comfortable in his home. The idea of school up here is not such a bad idea.
“I think that tutoring is actually a great idea,” she said softly. Onyx was happily munching on a giant drumstick and slightly raised his eyebrows. He mumbled something incoherent, and Azura giggled.