Page 107 of Reaper’s Curse

He needed the puzzling distraction Raven had become.

28

Islept for close to two days, and my body continued to crave more.

Pain pulsed in places where I’d never been sore. Ash filled my waking hours, and my dreams offered little peace with visions of the pit, the undead, and the Killian wracking me. Blinding white light and a clear-eyed afflicted. Chace pulling me to his chest. Winter carrying me to safety, and later, in my rooms, Winter’s eyes churning wildly with magic.

My hands were bandaged to protect the too-many cuts, my cheek boasted a bruise and slight abrasion, and my ribs were tender, slightly discolored, but otherwise, my outward appearance was untouched. Any further wounds were invisible to the outside world.

As a result of my condition, and what the guards had put me through, the Crown had granted me a day of reprieve.

So very kind of Her Majesty.

“This looks like a lovely location.” Neive pointed to a spot at her feet. “Put it here.”

Lucas promptly laid out a large woven blanket.

The duo had decided—or had been directed by Winter; I wasn’t sure—that a picnic on the long lawn would do me a world of good. I preferred the idea of staying in bed longer, but friendships were blooming between me and the two servants, and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to cement their loyalty a bit deeper than before.

“I say, we don’t do this enough.” Lucas settled onto his bum, loosely wrapping his knees in his arms, and I slowly…possibly a tad too slowly….lowered myself onto the blanket beside him.

“Completely agree.” Neive opened the enormous basket she’d had Lucas carry out. “That is why I packed us a most proper and delicious lunch. Along with a bottle or two of bubbly.”

“Woman, you do know the way to my heart.” Lucas swatted at her playfully, and she giggled.

Neive placed a hand beside her mouth and whispered, “Doesn’t Prince Winter already own that big ole heart of yours?”

“Oh please.” He batted the comment away with a fling of his wrist. “Very, very old news. Get with the times, baby cakes. I got me a secret love slave down in the citadel, and he’s everything and then some.”

Neive playfully jerked back, her mouth in the shape of a large O.

“Do tell,” I said. “We must hear all about this guy who can wind your heart up and tie it into a knot.”

“Ah, ah, ah.” He wagged a finger. “I believe I told you this once before, but it’s very unbecoming to kiss and tell.”

With giggles on our lips and smiles on our faces, the three of us relaxed and dove into a delightful meal. Boxes of strawberries and grapes. A choice of cucumber, fruit blend, or chicken salad tea sandwiches. And lots of bubbly. Lots and lots of bubbly.

The last time I’d felt an alcohol-fueled buzz, I’d said things I ought not to have said―to Chace―but the sensation now soothed my tight muscles and dulled my aches. Something I deeply craved.

When we’d filled our bellies and packed the remnants of our lunch away, we lay upon the blanket, side by side, and gazed at the sky. The shimmer of the magical barrier added a pastel tint to everything above.

“Look at the clouds and tell me the first shape you see.” Neive snickered with the delivery, showing more effects from the bubbly than Lucas and me. “I see a pink pussy cat.”

“Pink pussy, huh?” Lucas drawled. “You naughty, naughty girl. Haven’t gotten any in a while?”

Neive sighed, then frowned. I chortled, enjoying this relaxed, real version of them.

A somewhat pink-tinted cloud did hover overhead, but I was hard pressed to see a cat within the billows and folds of its edges. Maybe there was something to Lucas’s assessment.

I swept my gaze across the sky, taking in the various clouds slowly drifting by.

“I see…” I glanced from a form on the right and one barely off center. I pointed to the one on the right. “A twisted chain…” I swung my finger toward the other cloud. “And a scythe.”

“Damn, girl!” Lucas said. “Kinky and dangerous. That’s why Winter doesn’t know what to do with you.”

I rolled my eyes. “Winter doesn’t need to do anything with me. Nor should he try.”

Lucas and Neive growled a “meow” in unison. In my peripheral, I thought I saw a clawed hand or two playfully cut through the air.