Gloombringer (The Summertide Chronicles Book 1) by Sam Burns

Author:Sam Burns [Burns, Sam]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-07-25T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

Adair

Oberon and I were still sitting at the table in the main sitting room when there was a knock on the door. I was waiting for the painkillers to kick in, trying to catch my breath and think of what to do next, and him . . . well, he was sitting there nibbling away at his protein bar.

He looked like some kind of enormous sinister chipmunk, meal held in both hands, nibbling the edges of the flat gray-brown bar, cheeks puffed out like he was holding the food there. Maybe he was. Maybe the thing was as disgusting as it looked, and it took an effort to swallow.

Pausing in his eating, he glared at the door, but didn’t speak up.

So I dragged myself out of my chair and went to answer it.

It was the housekeeper, looking as smug as a cat with a bowl of cream. Also . . . was she blushing? “The Sunrunner heir has arrived,” she informed me, and the expression turned into an almost girlish smile, making her look twenty years younger.

I was stuck between the dichotomy of fascination at the strange way she was acting and the ball of ice that had just hit my stomach.

“Heir?” Oberon asked behind me, his booming voice sounding like the very word was a slur on his family honor. “That bastard dog sent someone else?”

The housekeeper lifted a brow at me, her lips pursing in displeasure. “The Sunrunner heir,” she reiterated. “And he’s a lovely, kind young man. Respectful.”

The implication that Oberon, in turn, was not so respectful . . . well, she didn’t need to say it. Everyone who lived in the castle knew Oberon didn’t respect us. He might not even notice if most of us were replaced with similar-looking people tomorrow. He certainly wouldn’t care if he did notice.

Only women cared about things, after all. If I believed he was right about that, I’d despair for the future of men.

“Thank you,” I said, not opening the door farther for her to see Oberon preparing to throw a tantrum behind me. “We appreciate the information. Since Lord Dawnchaser is busy this afternoon, we’ll see the Sunrunner heir at supper.”

She nodded to me, narrowing her eyes at a point past my head, though I was sure she couldn’t see Oberon through the wooden door, then turning on her heel with a sniff and marching off. What the hells had the Sunrunner heir done to make her defend him at risk of her job? Or, well, maybe she was just sick of Oberon and his antics and didn’t care if he fired her.

I felt similarly, more and more.

Unfortunately for her . . . or maybe more unfortunately for me, Oberon would fire her in an instant if he thought she was disrespecting him, and I didn’t think he’d be so blasé about losing me. Particularly not when Huxley Dawnchaser had implied he was trying to steal me away the night before.

Admittedly, I’d rather drink bleach than work for Huxley or his family, but Oberon didn’t know that.

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