A Slave to the Servants Ch. 14

I sat on Bane's lap to eat. Christof went with Kein to get food.

The men were all excited when Christof sat the steaming pot of drink on the table. It was hard to make, but all the men loved it. I loved it, too. How wonderful we got to have it today.

"It is so strange having a strong opinion on something I've never experienced," I complained.

I'd never had this drink in the compound. It was often served at celebrations. The memories they had of this drink were very powerful.

"Women must have something that made them happy," Bane said pouring us a generous portion.

He took a sip and offered the cup to me to hold.

"Bet one of them had a girl," Kein said taking the pot from Bane.

I took a sip of the warm, spicy liquid. It was wonderful, like orange juice mixed with cider, only richer and spicier. I licked my lips as I handed the cup to Bane.

Everyone thought my reaction was comical. They loved to see me experience their world. My face was so expressive. The very first day they'd learned that and it had thrilled them.

We ate our meal and I took frequent sips of the drink. Christof even had to refill our pot, because I drank so much. It reminded me of strong Christmas punch.

During breakfast, I ate what Bane gave me, but also picked what I liked off his plate. He found it amusing. They no longer cared if I fed myself, as long as I got enough to stay healthy.

Bane frequently redirected my hand. The things I liked to eat they did not think would give me enough sustenance. Although I picked it up, they still directed what I took.

Our quiet breakfast was interrupted by Rue and his Brothers.

"You let it feed itself?" Rue asked from in front of us.

I was holding Bane's cup and tried to set it on the table. He stopped me with an internal command.

"As it turns out," Damien said casually, "Ciara is a female. You will note, thanks to you all, she now carries a child."

We weren't particularly angry and these men anymore. They were less capable than we'd originally thought, but we had no ill feelings toward them.

Damien asked Kein for a plate of meat and just continued his breakfast.

"But you let HER feed HERSELF the entire meal," the other man groused. "You made us stop our day to feed this creature with our own hands. You said it had to be done that way."

"It appears not," Damien said dismissively.

"You wasted our time," Rue persisted.

This was really starting to get under our skin. None of us could figure out why we weren't upset with these idiots anymore. They had kept Ciara in the box for days, they had forced her to work for them, and they had stopped giving her the health drink. When she became pregnant, knowing it could be illness, they had tried to hide that from us and not called the Healers. Rue and his Brothers had done horrible things and had not finished paying for it.

Damien stood up; he was pissed. I slipped off Bane's lap as he rose to his full height. My family was preparing for battle. The entire eating area went silent watching what would be a tremendous fight.

Clattering talons came into the hall and I looked up at Nu-reeh. She had already punished these men. We had all seen it, beating them again would be a waste of time. Now was the time for eating.

Rue and his Brothers moved away and Nu-reeh came to stand in front of us.

"Sit," she ordered and we all did. "Did you enjoy the drink today?" she asked pleasantly.

"Yes, Mistress," we answered.

Nu-reeh turned and left without another word.

"Women," Bane said quietly refilling the cup and we all agreed.

A niggling and fleeting thought made me wonder what had us so worked up a moment ago. I shrugged and took Bane's cup. Must not have been important to be forgotten so easily.