Prideful Savage (A Warrior's Redemption #1) - Miranda Bridges Page 0,9
of his property was destroyed. I school my features, playing my part while he rails, but once his voice loses its edge, I know I’m safe from his wrath.
“Fetch me ten more plates, but the steel ones this time,” he grumbles. I scurry over to the cabinets and retrieve the items while he continues to complain. “They aren’t as fancy as the ceramic ones, but these riffraff don’t care. I hate the Kejels.”
But not their money.
I hand the dinnerware over to Emji, and he takes them without saying another word, all but stomping out the washroom. With a sigh of relief, I turn back to face the sink and take a tankard from the soapy water. You’d think being in the middle of space would mean there’s technology available to replace mundane things such as dishes, but apparently that’s not the case. Or if it is, then Emji is just a cheap bastard. I’m inclined to lean toward the latter.
“Ella, dear.”
Unlike before, Niya’s voice is no longer chipper. She stations herself next to me and peers down at me, her eyelid somewhat droopy. Before I have a chance to ask what’s going on, she takes both my shoulders in her hands and spins me in her direction.
“Can you help me?”
I give her a firm nod without any hesitation whatsoever. This is my friend, and there’s very little I would object to when it comes to her.
She visibly deflates, and her gaze becomes hazy. “Oh, good. I wasn’t sure if you’d agree.”
“Of course I would.” I study her, taking in the dull green of her skin that was vibrant not too long ago. “What’s wrong?”
“I need you to wait on tables with me. Emji was able to get the Kejels to behave, but I fell behind because I had to clean up the mess.”
My brows snap together. “And Emji is fine with this?”
“Of course. I wouldn’t ask if it’d get you in trouble.” She releases her hold on me and takes an unsteady step back. “I know you’re not used to being in the front, but I’d really appreciate it.”
I take her hand and smile up at her. “I’m happy to help, but are you sure you’re okay? You look really tired.”
What I don’t say is she looks ill and beyond exhausted. Not a lot of time has passed, so it doesn’t make sense for there to be such a radical change in her appearance. Actually, I don’t think I’ve ever seen her like this.
“I’m fine,” she says, her words no more than a sigh. “Besides, the Incarus are waiting for me.”
She grins down at me, and I return it even though there’s a sick feeling swirling in my stomach. Something is definitely wrong, but at least I’ll be nearby and can keep an eye on her. That’s the best I can do for now.
We leave the washroom, and I secure my bun, just to make sure my long hair doesn’t get in my way, and retie my apron strings to avoid accidentally tripping on them. Once we enter the front room, a number of eyes shoot in my direction, but I keep my gaze firmly planted on Niya.
“What do you need me to do?” I ask.
She points to the bar where a cluster of mugs sit near the far end. “Take those to the Incarus, and after that, the next set will be for the Kejels. I’m going to see to the new group that just walked in.”
“Okay.”
With my focus centered, I head over to the counter and carefully fill the serving tray with the drinks while Emji watches me from behind the bar.
“Don’t make me regret letting you out of your cage, human,” he says.
“I won’t.” Asshole.
Careful to avoid tripping on chair legs, or getting elbowed by a patron, I make my way to the Incarus. Because I’m concentrating so hard on my task, I nearly drop the entire order when I lift my head to find all four of the males staring at me. It’s one thing to look at them from afar and another thing to have their undivided attention. My skin prickles with awareness and something else.
Something…alluring.
I mentally shake it off and rest the tray on my hip so that I can deposit the tankard in front of a male who’s giving me bedroom eyes. It’s the same one that flirted with Niya earlier, and this sets my teeth on edge. Maybe if he acted like he was truly into me, then I’d give him a