gonna eat those, are you?” Willa was completely aghast as I picked up my fork and prepared to dig in.
Matt had given Duncan a plate too. I’m sure the pancakes sounded as appealing to him as they did Willa and me, but Duncan followed suit and picked up his fork.
“They’re pretty good,” I said.
I had been assured by people over the years that they were really good, although I’m not sure how anyone could taste them after they drowned them in the syrup the way Matt and Rhys were doing. Duncan and I declined syrup. There’d be no way we could even force them down with that.
“I’ve cooked for Wendy for years,” Matt said, unfazed by Willa’s reaction. “I know how to make food that she likes.”
In general, he had gotten pretty good at it, but there were a lot of times when I ate things just to make him happy. And also, I’d starve if I didn’t.
“Oh yeah, right,” Willa scoffed. “Like I’m gonna trust a mänks in sweats and a baby tee to make me pancakes .”
“Willa,” I said. “He’s my brother, okay? So lay off.”
“What?” She tilted her head, not fathoming what I meant. “Oh. You mean he’s your host brother?”
“Yeah.” I took a big forkful of the pancake and shoved it in my mouth.
“You know he’s not your real -”
“Willa!” I snapped with a mouthful of food, and I choked it down. “I understand the semantics. Now drop it.”
“I can understand how that dweeb Duncan can eat that.” Willa smoothed out her designer outfit, trying not to look offended that I’d snapped at her. “But you’re a Princess. He’s too stupid to-”
“Hey!” Matt had been sitting next to Duncan, eating, but he stopped and glared at her. “I get it. You’re fancy and pretty and rich. Good for you. But unless you wanna go over there and make us all breakfast, then I suggest you quit your bitching and sit down.”
“Whoa!” Rhys laughed. He loved seeing her put in her place.
Willa made a face at Rhys but didn’t say anything. When Matt went back to eating his pancakes, she sat down on the stool next to me.
From when I’d seen her, she walked around with a sense of entitlement. She was nice to me because she thought we were equals, but she definitely didn’t feel the same way about everyone else.
“I am thirsty,” Willa said after a minute, sounding pouty.
Automatically, Duncan started getting up to get water for her, but Matt shook his head, stopping him. Uncertainly, Duncan sat back down. As a tracker, he spent a lot of his life waiting on changelings. Trackers were considered staff and treated as such by most of the royalty.
“You know where the fridge’s at,” Matt said between bites.
Willa opened her mouth but didn’t say anything. She turned to me, hoping I would come to her aid, but I only shrugged. She did know where the fridge was at, after all.
After a minute of deliberating, she got up and went over to the fridge. Rhys snickered under his breath, but Matt shushed him.
I found the whole thing kind of amazing. Finn had been Willa’s tracker, and a strict one at that. But she never listened to him or treated him with as much respect as she did Matt, who by Trylle standards was much lower in rank than Finn.
In the five minutes he’d known her, Matt had managed to whip her into shape better than anyone else had.
Willa hung around me for the rest of the afternoon, and she seemed relieved when we split off from Matt and Rhys. Rhys wanted to play some war video game or something, and I didn’t feel like it.
Willa and I stayed in my room. Duncan stood outside my door for a bit, but eventually I felt sorry for him, so I had him come in and sit down.
Willa sorted my clothes because she liked doing that, and I lay on the floor, watching her and thinking about how weird it was that this was my life. She organized them in some way that I didn’t understand, even after she’d explained it to me.
All the while, she talked about how great her training had been
Matt had given Duncan a plate too. I’m sure the pancakes sounded as appealing to him as they did Willa and me, but Duncan followed suit and picked up his fork.
“They’re pretty good,” I said.
I had been assured by people over the years that they were really good, although I’m not sure how anyone could taste them after they drowned them in the syrup the way Matt and Rhys were doing. Duncan and I declined syrup. There’d be no way we could even force them down with that.
“I’ve cooked for Wendy for years,” Matt said, unfazed by Willa’s reaction. “I know how to make food that she likes.”
In general, he had gotten pretty good at it, but there were a lot of times when I ate things just to make him happy. And also, I’d starve if I didn’t.
“Oh yeah, right,” Willa scoffed. “Like I’m gonna trust a mänks in sweats and a baby tee to make me pancakes .”
“Willa,” I said. “He’s my brother, okay? So lay off.”
“What?” She tilted her head, not fathoming what I meant. “Oh. You mean he’s your host brother?”
“Yeah.” I took a big forkful of the pancake and shoved it in my mouth.
“You know he’s not your real -”
“Willa!” I snapped with a mouthful of food, and I choked it down. “I understand the semantics. Now drop it.”
“I can understand how that dweeb Duncan can eat that.” Willa smoothed out her designer outfit, trying not to look offended that I’d snapped at her. “But you’re a Princess. He’s too stupid to-”
“Hey!” Matt had been sitting next to Duncan, eating, but he stopped and glared at her. “I get it. You’re fancy and pretty and rich. Good for you. But unless you wanna go over there and make us all breakfast, then I suggest you quit your bitching and sit down.”
“Whoa!” Rhys laughed. He loved seeing her put in her place.
Willa made a face at Rhys but didn’t say anything. When Matt went back to eating his pancakes, she sat down on the stool next to me.
From when I’d seen her, she walked around with a sense of entitlement. She was nice to me because she thought we were equals, but she definitely didn’t feel the same way about everyone else.
“I am thirsty,” Willa said after a minute, sounding pouty.
Automatically, Duncan started getting up to get water for her, but Matt shook his head, stopping him. Uncertainly, Duncan sat back down. As a tracker, he spent a lot of his life waiting on changelings. Trackers were considered staff and treated as such by most of the royalty.
“You know where the fridge’s at,” Matt said between bites.
Willa opened her mouth but didn’t say anything. She turned to me, hoping I would come to her aid, but I only shrugged. She did know where the fridge was at, after all.
After a minute of deliberating, she got up and went over to the fridge. Rhys snickered under his breath, but Matt shushed him.
I found the whole thing kind of amazing. Finn had been Willa’s tracker, and a strict one at that. But she never listened to him or treated him with as much respect as she did Matt, who by Trylle standards was much lower in rank than Finn.
In the five minutes he’d known her, Matt had managed to whip her into shape better than anyone else had.
Willa hung around me for the rest of the afternoon, and she seemed relieved when we split off from Matt and Rhys. Rhys wanted to play some war video game or something, and I didn’t feel like it.
Willa and I stayed in my room. Duncan stood outside my door for a bit, but eventually I felt sorry for him, so I had him come in and sit down.
Willa sorted my clothes because she liked doing that, and I lay on the floor, watching her and thinking about how weird it was that this was my life. She organized them in some way that I didn’t understand, even after she’d explained it to me.
All the while, she talked about how great her training had been
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