Maeve had me grinding these herbs all day. I wasn't sure it was part of the training. It was unpaid labor, I thought we were going to jump into something dangerous immediately. Any other day I would have marched to Kael and demanded to know if this was in the contract. But I'd struck a 'no questions' deal. So I kept grinding. The smell was choking. It had a sharp, medicinal peppermint so strong it made my eyes water and my stomach turn.
I imagined her using it for a useful poultice, or a poison. Not just her personal stash of tea that repulsed me.
The cellar door creaked open. Heavy boots on the stairs. Jax's footsteps.
He didn't speak, just gave a curt nod in my direction, his eyes scanning the room before landing on Maeve's cluttered counter. He grabbed a wrapped parcel of dried meat and a flask.
"Good evening," I said, I immediately regretted it. What a stupid way to start a conversation.
Another nod. He was already turning to leave.
