Chapter Four
“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, squires are some badass motherfuckers,” Meryn said, still a bit wide-eyed.
Zoe covered her face with both hands, mortified at what she had done.
“Lady Zoe, do not worry about the drapes. I was planning on replacing them soon anyway. What’s more important is that you eat to keep up your strength,” Cord said in a soothing manner.
“Zoe, are you alright?” Gage asked, pulling her against him as they stood next to the table.
She moved her hands and looked up at him. “I’m going to incinerate you!”
Gage’s mouth twitched as he clearly struggled not to smile. “What a way to go,” he teased.
She felt her mouth drop open and his meaning sunk in. Blushing furiously, she pushed him away and looked around for a way to escape.
Cord simply steered her back to her chair and helped her to sit. “Master Gage, maybe refraining from such emotion-inducing comments for the moment might be wise? Calmer seems to be the wiser course of action,” he suggested.
Gage nodded before placing his hand over his heart and giving a half bow. “My apologies, Zoe, I did not mean to make light of your fears.”
She looked up at him and saw concern for her and sincerity in his eyes. “I don’t want to hurt anyone, especially a mate I’ve dreamt of.”
He sat down next to her and took her hand. “Kincaid has some issues with his magic, so I am aware of how frustrating it can be. Whatever you need, I will help you see it through.”
The queen took another sip of her tea. “Maybe we could switch the color scheme to blue? What do you think, Cord?”
Cord winked down at her before looking over at his queen. “I was of the same mind myself. We’ve had gold and amber tones for centuries. It might be refreshing to see something different.”
“Mo-o-t-t-h-h-her…” Darian drew out the word.
She gave him an innocent expression that made her look as young as Meryn. “What?”
When Zoe looked around, she realized from the other’s confused expression that they were as in the dark about the banter as she was.
“What’d I miss?” Meryn demanded.
“Blue is the primary color of the Alina coat of arms,” Brennus explained, smiling. “I think that would be perfect.”
“Excellent, I’ll start ordering fabrics immediately,” Cord said, then looked down at them. “And for Lady Zoe, I will bring out one of Meryn’s favorites. From what Ryuu explained to me, this is a Japanese version of her favoredHot Pockets. They are baked with cheese, seasoned tomato sauce, and pepperoni. In a way, it’s like a pizza and aHot Pocket, you can try both.”
Taking a deep breath, she smiled. “Thank you, that sounds wonderful.”
Meryn licked her lips. “Cord…”
“Yes, Meryn, I’ll make some for you as well.”
“Ahh, Cord…” Aiden started blushing.
Cord looked around the table at the varying degrees of interest. “Understood. Since so many seem to be craving pizza, I’ll put some prepared pizzas in the oven and bring those out for larger appetites. Thetaiyakipockets will come out as soon as they are done for little Meryn and Lady Zoe.”
Aiden looked relieved. “Thank you, Cord. I didn’t mean to add to your already packed daily schedule, but when you mentioned pizza…”
Cord chuckled. “You weren’t the only one,” he said, pointing to where Darian and Oron were grinning ruefully. “It has been a long time since I had to cook for such grateful appetites. Let me worry about my schedule.” He gave a half bow and walked back toward the kitchen.
Zoe looked around. No one, not one person, was staring aghast at the scorched wall. “Is no one scared of me?” she whispered to herself.
Meryn tilted her head. “Why would we be scared?”
Zoe just stared. “I could set you on fire!” she exclaimed.