Chapter 54: Chapter 54

Raven

“I meant dinner, not drinks,” King Soi-Ji clarified.

Raven set her cup down, eyeing the plate in front of her. All she had to do was play nice tonight, and she’d be one step closer to her goal.

“I thought you liked meat. If it’s not to your liking, I can—”

“It’s fine,” she interrupted, picking up her fork.

The meat was a large chunk, and she couldn’t find her knife. Usually, her food was already cut into bite-sized pieces. She scanned the table, spotting only a spoon and a strange handle. Maybe it was a unique kind of knife. Raven picked up the handle, examining it.

She squeezed the sides, but nothing happened. She tried tapping it lightly on the plate, but still no luck. Growing frustrated, she bit directly into the slab of meat.

“Is it really that hard for you to ask for help?” King Soi-Ji asked.

“If I need it, I’ll ask,” Raven retorted, chewing her food.

Her thoughts drifted to Arenk, wondering if he was alright.

“I didn’t kill him, though he might wish I had,” King Soi-Ji said.

“Who?” she asked, a silent sigh of relief escaping her.

The king glanced at her, then continued eating. They sat under the night sky on his balcony, surrounded by flickering candles. After her bath, she found a dress laid out for her. It was softer than Bellamy and managed to be both modest and sexy. Raven found a vent near the floor and stashed what she had collected inside for safekeeping.

“Tell me something about yourself,” King Soi-Ji suggested.

“Like what?”

“Anything you want to share,” he replied.

Raven took another bite, just staring at him.

“I thought you’d be more talkative, but if you’d rather have sex, we can,” he said, causing Raven to choke on her food.

“You should start first,” she suggested, wiping her mouth.

“Alright. Let’s see. I’m the youngest of ten. My brothers either hold high positions or are dead, and all but one of my sisters are dead. The surviving one is married to a king from another nation,” he shared casually, as if discussing the weather.

“I’m also the youngest. I have one sister,” Raven said.

“She let you fly all over the galaxy.” He smiled.

“Something like that. Do you have these little chats with all the women?”

His smile widened. “Would it bother you if I did?”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if you did.”

“Well, I don’t,” he said, pouring himself a drink. “What’s your world like?”

“Now or how I remember it?”

“Both.”

Raven smiled. “Nothing beats being home on a windy day.”

“Why? Important documents could get lost or messed up,” he said, looking puzzled.

“Maybe, but having all the windows open and feeling that cool breeze is everything. Everyone just doing their own thing, living in the moment,” she said, recalling how her family would laze around on days like that.

“And now?”

Raven picked up her cup, taking a long sip.

“War, pollution, and everything else that can kill a planet,” she said. “So a virus wiped out half of your population.”

“It did, taking the oldest members of my family, my sisters, and mother,” he whispered.

Raven remembered the joke she made about his mother the first night they met, and her heart twisted in regret.

“I’m sorry about what I said that night,” Raven said.

He met her gaze and nodded. “You didn’t know, it’s okay. It was still a funny joke. I don’t know why Captain Oito doesn’t appreciate your sense of humor.”

She smiled. “It’s an acquired taste. Do you know what caused the virus?” Raven asked.

“It wasn’t natural, and we don’t know who or why,” he said. “Why do you drink so much?”

“What? No, I don’t. I drink the normal amount that a person would to black out,” she said, laughing.

“Why do you drink that much?” he asked.

Some people drank to remember, others to forget. She was the latter. Raven was starting to get annoyed with all the questions.

“It’s getting cold out here,” she said, standing up from the table.

“The fire is still going,” he said, moving into the sitting room.

Raven sighed. She meant it as a hint that she was ready to end dinner. The king went to a small closet, pulled out a large fur blanket, and tossed it onto the floor. He grabbed the bottle from the ice bucket and placed it on the floor next to the sofa.

“Sit. This is your favorite wine, the sweet one,” he said, sliding to the floor.

It was her favorite. One more drink wouldn’t hurt. She plopped down close to the bottle and door. The blanket was warm under her, creating a balance with the cool breeze.

“Just one,” she said, pouring herself a cup.

“Of course.”

The fire was completely out by the time they finished the bottle. It seemed that even the city was asleep. They had gradually moved closer to each other over the last few hours, just talking and laughing.

“I don’t appreciate you laughing at me,” the king said with a smile.

“I’m sorry, but you dyed your brother’s hair the night before his graduation. I didn’t expect that from you,” Raven said.

“Neither did he.”

“Did he get his revenge?” Raven asked.

“No, but he tried,” he said, taking the empty bottle from her hand.

King Soi-Ji placed his hand on hers, and she glanced down at it. Raven flinched when he leaned in.

He froze. “Is this okay?”

Raven was at a loss for words. The only thing she was certain of was that she couldn’t bear to relive the day’s earlier events. She just had to keep up the charade long enough to get what she needed. No more stumbling. She needed to keep her eyes on the prize.

“I think we should call it a night,” King Soi-Ji suggested.

“Wait, what? Why?” Raven asked, taken aback.

Without another word, he rose from his seat and made his way towards his office.