Page 77 of The Vixen

Sawyer’s wine stills, the glass delicately balanced in his fingertips. “Not quite what I meant.”

“What areyourwants and dreams, Liberty?” Father asks, his tone curious. Innocent to anyone who doesn’t know better.

She looks at him,brave,righteous, exactlywhat he wants her to be.

Her mouth opens but before she speaks, her eyes jut down to her lap where Sawyer’s other hand must rest in an attempt to tame the beast.

“To be a mother,” Sawyer says. His eyes shift from Liberty to Father. “Liberty has always wanted to be a mother. We didn’t allow women such rights on my island, and for her, that was devastating… She’s going to be very happy here.”

Thorne shifts in his chair. His temper crackles along with the fire. “Maybe you should let her answer for herself.”

A Seraph returns to clear away the plates while Sawyer and Thorne have a mini stare down.

“They like me to speak for them. It’s what they’re used to. That's why I’m at this dinner.”

Thorne’s heel knocks against my chair. “Being used to something and liking something are different things.”

Father tips his glass. “Very true.” He takes a drink, his bubbly demeanor so grating I would roll my eyes if I didn’t know better.

Sawyer leans over so the Seraph can take his plate away. “Ignorance and obsequiousness are different things. And yet, they can occur at the same time.”

“What does obsequiousness mean?” Echo asks, napkin to her lips as she wipes away oily dressing.

Sawyer glances at the growing ball of rage at my side. “Don’t ask Thorne.”

Good God.

I flick hair from my face and stare at a painting on the wall while the men continue to spar. If Thorne punishes Sawyer for this later, I won’t stop him. He has to learn to shut his mouth.

I’ve sipped half the water in my glass before Father finally intervenes.

“Gentlemen, gentlemen,” he chuckles, his hands splayed in an energy lowering gesture. “Let’s please remember we’refriends. Yes?”

Thorne clenches his jaw and says nothing while Sawyer just forces a smile and nods. Two Seraphs work to serve the main course, and when my plate is set in front of me, I frown.

Karu.

“Wow, this looks fancy,” Aubry says in her nervous voice that makes me think she’s trying to end the silence. Her plate is set in front of her, four thick, seared medallions of medium rare meat with a blood-red berry-based glaze drizzled on top. Microgreens garnish the dish in two circles, symbolizing the number of lives we’re honoring.

I give Father a look. He gives me a wink.

“We call itKaru.” Father picks up his fork and knife to slice into the dish. “It’s a delicacy here in the Shadow Sanctum… We save it for special occasions and honored guests.”

He cuts off a piece and pops it into his mouth, his eyes closing to savor the taste. I’ve seen him eat this hundreds of times. Not once has he made this face.

Of all the ways he could sabotage this meal…

This might be the cruelest.

I watch Aubry cut into her meat while I slice a thin strip of my own. Liberty tentatively takes a bite of hers, her brow scrunching like she doesn’t know what to make of it.

Sawyer is the only one who doesn’t pick up his fork.

I stare at him pointedly until he looks at me. The blood has drained from his face, leaving behind a sickly white. If I had any question that he knew what Karu was, it’s gone.

Father wasn’t lying. This is a special meal.

But ironically, it’s also the primary protein source for our lowliest members—the Dregs desperate enough to eat it. Not with the fancy sauce or the clean cuts, but the same meat nonetheless, deemed too dirty for our people to consume.