The room went silent as they traded weighted gnces among themselves—within their respective groups, of course.

  Soraya narrowed her eyes. “Well?”

  Lestis spoke first. “Soraya, you’ve been through a lot this past week—”

  “No thanks to any of you,” she snapped.

  Sorenth continued, ignoring her outburst. “Your body is under a lot of stress right now, and I get it—this all must be pretty confusing to you.”

  She snarled, “You think! And back off.” She waved the bat in Sorenth’s direction. “I’m warning you.”

  Sorenth sighed but did as he was told. Leaning against the nearest wall, he folded his arms across his chest while his gaze swept over her.

  “Trust us—”

  “Trust,” Soraya cut Tariq off skeptically. He winched as if sensing his mistake. “You want me to trust all of you?” A manic ugh burst from her chest. “Why should I?”

  “A moment ago, you demanded we take you through to our world. How would you accomplish that without trusting us?” Makoto drawled as he leaned back against the wall, taking another sip from the bear cup.

  She pointed her bat with vengeance at him. “Don’t get cute with me.”

  He raised a single brow at her snippy comment, cup poised at his lips.

  “He’s right, we should take a moment to gather ourselves,” Alkimos prompted. “You just woke up, and you need to replenish your strength.”

  Her eye twitched. “Did you just tell me to calm down?” she asked with venom as the bat leveled out toward his chest.

  The thought of smming her weapon on top of his food tray did cross her mind. But when her eyes flicked down, she saw a mouthwatering spread of little finger foods scattered across a silver ptter and thought better of it.

  There were squared pieces of puffed, fky pastries, and colorful garden vegetables glistening with some kind of vinaigrette next to skewers that had steaming roasted meat stacked on top of each other. And tucked at the edges of the tray were little bowls filled with an array of sauces—some looked creamy, others had the consistency of soy sauce.

  Her mouth started to water against her best wishes. How could she possibly think to eat at a time like this? She didn’t have time to waste, or time to imagine what those fky pastries were filled with—probably some kind of savory blend of spices and herbs. Was it more meat? Vegetables?

  She took in a subtle deep breath to see if she could smell anything, but was disappointed to smell nothing at all.

  With how sensitive her nose had become over the st few days, she was mystified as to why she couldn’t smell a thing.

  “How about we put the stick down and have something to eat?” Raz offered as he watched her eye the tray of food. “Though if you really want to hit something with your weapon—if that’s what you call it—” His eyes skimmed her bare legs. “I will happily volunteer,” he murmured.

  Her skin tingled against the fabric of the shirt, and she became suddenly aware of how naked she was in a room full of strange males.

  She glowered at him for his stupid suggestion and for making her realize her predicament. “There’s something wrong with you.”

  “You could say that,” Lestis muttered from across the room.

  “There is a lot that could be said,” Makoto said coldly, his eyes sliding toward Lestis, who met his gaze with a cool look.

  At that precise moment, her stomach decided to grumble. Loudly.

  Pcing her hand on her tummy to keep it calm, she felt a spike of ravenous hunger bite through her gut, and six pairs of predatory eyes nded on her.

  “Please eat, Soraya,” Alkimos coaxed as he set the tray at the far end of the bar exactly where she wouldn’t have to be too close to any of them. “I think you will find this food to your liking.”

  She shook her head hard enough that her braids whipped around her. “Eat? You want me to eat at a time like this? I can’t eat. I don’t have any time to lose. My friend—” Her voice cracked with sudden pain. Too much time had passed. Was Jesmine even alive? Her chest tightened at the thought before she banished it away. She had to believe she was alive. She refused any other outcome. She pushed on, “My friend needs me, and I need your help.” She hated how desperate she sounded and hardened her tone. “If you can’t help me—”

  “You can’t do your friend any favors running yourself ragged,” Lestis cut her off, much to her surprise. “You have no knowledge of Alphame or our world, and to get there will require a tremendous amount of energy—which you have fully self-depleted and have not been careful with so far. Not to mention, you have shown little understanding or control over the power you have awakened, which I know you had no clue existed prior.” He pinned her with a knowing look before continuing, “As it stands, you are no help to her or yourself. It would be in your best interest to listen to us before jumping head-first into danger and getting yourself killed. I would suggest eating to help you recuperate before making any rash decisions. You can make this easy or hard, the choice is entirely up to you, Soraya,” he finished before taking a sip from the cactus mug.

  She shot daggers at Lestis, ignored the bit about awakened powers, and hated the fact that he was right even more. She was no help to Jesmine because she didn’t understand what was happening.

  But they did. And she now relied on them to get her back.

  Even though she should choke down her pride and acquiesce to his authoritative tone—for Jesmine—she found she couldn’t answer right away.

  They watched her, waiting to see her response, when Tariq spoke up, breaking the tension.

  “As harsh as that was, he’s right. Soraya. But before you listen to what we have to say, you really should eat. The faster you recover, the quicker we can help you look for your friend,” Tariq offered encouragingly. “Here, you can start with this.”

  Soraya looked over her shoulder and saw a porcein pte filled with slices of cheese and fluffy biscuits smothered in jam… floating.

  Floating toward her!

  Astonished, she watched as the dish maneuvered closer until it stopped, hovering near her midsection, waiting to be taken.

  Pure shock had her loosening her grip on the bat. It slid from her fingers, cttering to the floor before thudding against the wall. She held out her hand, stunned, as the pte glided into her grasp—until the magic that bore them on a phantom wind relinquished its hold, and the weight of it settled into her palms.

  She blinked a few times. And decided manners were more important than answers. A stunned “Thanks” left her mouth.

  Tariq inclined his head, pleasure written across his face.

  Not knowing what else to do, she carried her magic-delivered pte of food, along with the mug still in her other hand, to the counter, hyperaware of all eyes on her as she sat on the end barstool, close to the tray of food Alkimos had offered.

  She was hungry. She could feel the adrenaline leaving her body, the reality of the past few days pressing down on her like a weight.

  Swallowing hard, she made her decision.

  “Fine. I’ll eat. But afterward, you will take me straight to your world—and expin everything there. No more wasting time.”

  “If that is what you want,” Makoto acknowledged.

  The others nodded their assent.

  Her gaze darted around the room as their eyes slipped away from her—their weighted attention lifting like a breath of fresh air.

  Alkimos and Raz left the small kitchenette to stand around Makoto to give her some space to eat, and she appreciated the small gesture.

  They arranged themselves into two groups of three, heads bent together as low murmurs filled the room. Tariq, Sorenth, and Lestis were in one group, and Alkimos, Raz, and Makoto were in another.

  Side-eyeing Raz, she picked up the porcein butt mug and brought it to her lips for a tentative sip. The taste of sweet vender warmed her mouth, and before she knew it, she’d gulped the entire cup dry.

  A calmness settled over her.

  Looking down at the small finger foods, Soraya reached for one of the jam-sthered biscuits. When her fingers passed over the pte, a faint tingle prickled her skin. A shimmering dome flickered into view around the food before disappearing. Fascinated, she waved her fingers over it, watching the surface waver with each pass. But the moment she withdrew, the dome vanished.

  Her stomach gurgled, and a lightheaded wave washed over her.

  Tsking, she reached for the biscuit once more and brought the yered pastry to her lips. The second it left the pte, the scent of sugared fruit and fresh bread filled the air. Without wasting another minute, she shoved it into her mouth.

  A burst of sweet, fruity tart exploded on her tongue, and she sucked in a sharp breath at how good it tasted. All her life, food had always tasted bnd, but each time she had tried a dish they’d offered her…she finally understood all the foodies of the world.

  After she polished off the biscuit, she reached for the fky pastry on the silver tray. Again, the shimmering dome glimmered around her hand as she plucked the triangle pastry free. The moment it cleared the barrier, the scent of savory goodness wrapped around her, and her first bite flooded her mouth with buttery, starchy goodness—like the finest spiced mashed potato folded into a fried dough. Damn her it was good—too good. She dipped it in brown sauce, and the fvor doubled.

  She couldn’t stop the small hum of pleasure as she demolished it, licking oil and fkes from her fingers afterward.

  The food was so good; the fvors almost had her forgetting about her situation. Almost.

  Rapidly, she ate her fill. Each time, noting the dome’s flicker and how it unleashed the food’s full mouth-watering aroma once it breached its shimmering force field. In a couple of minutes, she cleared both ptes in no time at all. She needed to hurry.

  Leaning back, absolutely stuffed and satisfied, she caught Alkimos’s pleased look. A satisfied smile curled his lips as he listened to Raz. Even though he had his eyes on him, she got the feeling Alkimos had been watching her the whole time.

  Soraya didn’t care that he was pleased as long as they got a move on. She was—

  Exhaustion hit her out of nowhere, making her body sag with the weight.

  “You should get some sleep,” Alkimos rumbled, his gaze drifting her way and noting how her eyes drooped.

  Makoto tacked on, “We were all out here watching over you as you slept, and more guards are posted around the building in case anything returned. You’re safe, Soraya.”

  Tariq vowed, “We won’t let anything happen to you as long as we’re here.”

  “Yes, you didn’t get nearly as much sleep as you needed,” Sorenth pushed.

  “Alright, alright,” Soraya grumbled to stop any more of them from hounding her. She knew they were trying to make her feel safe—which she somewhat appreciated—but their vigince only served to heighten her unease. Guards. Monsters returning. It only reminded her that Jesmine wasn’t safe—and Ahvi was missing.

  She considered mentioning Ahvi, but Jesmine’s warning in the garden stuck with her. The reaction some of the…fae had toward her—a human in their world—was bad. Soraya wondered if she would only be getting Ahvi into trouble by mentioning her name. She didn’t want that for her friend. Especially if what Jesmine said was true and Ahvi had come to help.

  An even worse thought crossed her mind. What if Ahvi was already in trouble for helping me?

  She’d need to learn more about her saviors until she can trust them enough to bring up Ahvi. But there is no doubt in her mind that their help will prove useful in the future.

  Fighting a spell of drowsiness, Soraya forced herself to ask, “Can you tell me at least why you’re doing this? Why are you doing this for me?” It didn’t make any sense to her. None of it did. “I don’t even know any of you. I mean, at most, all we did was…” Her cheeks turned red, suddenly bashful now that the anger was gone.

  Memories surged—the ghost of their touches, the way her body remembered how most of them at some point had been inside her. Completely spread open, she had enjoyed being taken by them just as she took from them.

  On top of it all, she had slept with them over the course of a week. Most men would have found that disgusting or shameful. They would have called her a whore, not wine and dine her in her own apartment. But none of them seemed to be offended by her nighttime proclivities with their friends…and apparent enemies. Unless…they didn’t know.

  This wasn’t normal. None of it was anywhere close to normal.

  A fsh of monstrous hellspawns and a winged demon came and went from her mind. None of it was normal or in the realm of possibility.

  In the end, trusting that they had her best interests in mind was all she had.

  “You guys don’t seem very fawn of each other either,” she pointed out. “So why are you here?”

  Raz piped up, “I think we’ve been getting along splendidly.” He beamed a knowing look across the room. “It’s been centuries since we’ve all been in the shared space, and it’s still in one piece. I would call that progress.”

  Centuries? Soraya’s throat tightened. Clearing her throat, she asked, “When you say…centuries, you don’t actually mean that you’ve all lived—I don’t know, hundreds of years, right?”

  “Being fae means living a considerably long life compared to humans, Soraya. I told you—my age is 334. Everyone in this room, except you, was born around the same era. And leave no doubt, you are fae. Which means you will have an equally long life.”

  And that was enough for Soraya. She stood and fixed the borrowed shirt—that clearly belonged to one of them—to ensure she wasn’t fshing her breast. “Thanks for the food, but you’re right about getting some sleep. I feel like I’m about to drop dead at any second.” She faked a yawn that turned into a real one, her jaw cracking with its force.

  “We can talk more when you’ve had some rest, love,” Makoto said, his gaze piercing. “But know, none of us would harm you. And we won’t allow any harm to befall you, including from each other. You’re safe.”

  The other echoed their agreement.

  Soraya nodded shallowly, barely able to keep her eyes open. Retreating awkwardly, she made her way back to the safety of the room and paused at the threshold.

  Quietly, she departed with two words, “Thank you.” She didn’t wait to hear their response as she slipped inside and closed the door behind her with a soft click.

  She made her way to her bed and paused, staring down at the nest of piled jackets and cloaks that were giving off those wonderful scents she awoke with. She debated giving it back to them because they clearly belonged to the males outside in her living room. But the intoxicating scents had her crawling into bed and wrapping herself in them.

  Sleep cimed her like a thief.

  And as darkness greeted her, she promised herself only a couple of hours before she kicked their asses through the magic door herself to begin the search for Jesmine.

  No matter what, she will find her friend at any cost.