My Second Chance Mate is a Barbarian (Sera and Fenris) novel Chapter 425

Sera

I made my way to the kitchen, phone in hand, thinking through how to get rice without drawing attention to what I was actually doing.

Upon entering the warm, bustling space, I scanned the area. A stout woman was working at a counter, chopping vegetables, while a lanky young man stirred a large pot over the stove. I approached the woman.

"Greetings, Luna," she said, setting down her knife. "What brings you to the kitchen?"

"I'm hosting a luncheon for Lord Vane and his family," I improvised. "I need a bowl of raw rice. Do you have enough?"

"Of course, my lady." She wiped her hands and fetched a bowl and a sack of rice from the pantry. Spooning some into the bowl, she asked, "Anything else I can assist you with?"

I gave her a warm smile. "No, that's all. Thank you."

She bowed her head. "Enjoy your luncheon, Luna."

I took the bowl and headed back out, careful to keep my movements natural and unfettered. Once I was alone in the corridor, I slipped the phone down into the rice, burying it from view.

Bowl in hand, I turned back toward Mina's chambers. At a bend in the hallway, I came to a halt. There, standing before me, was Taya.

If the duel hadn't been cancelled, today would have been the day of it. One of us would have walked away from that ring, and the other wouldn't have, with no consequence for the winner. I braced myself, expecting her to gloat, certain she knew I was the reason the duel was called off.

Instead, Taya looked at the bowl in my hands. She couldn't see the phone, it was buried deep in the rice. I hadn't exposed it even in the kitchen, had asked for the rice without making it obvious what it was for.

Taya brought her eyes back up to my face. I braced myself again.

Instead, she simply inclined her head, greeting me with full respect, the kind owed a Luna. "Greetings, Luna."

I blinked, taken aback. "Good day, Taya."

With that, she strode past without another word, leaving me frowning. That had been strange. Too strange.

I stood there a moment, then shook my head and continued on my way back to Mina's room.

I stepped back into Mina's chambers, the bowl clutched in my hands. Mina sprang up from her seat as soon as she saw me, striding over in a tunic that left little to the imagination.

"Sera, where's the phone?" She peered into the bowl. "What's that? Raw rice?"

I held out the bowl. "It's in there."

"In there? What do you mean?" Mina poked at the white kernels. "I don't see it."

"Feel around. It's buried."

I glanced over at Amara, still standing exactly where I'd left her. "You actually listened... good girl," I told her warmly. She smiled back at me, a rare and strange sight that took me aback.

Mina sighed but started digging her hands into the rice. Amara sidled closer, watching with curious eyes.

"Don't dig it out yet," I told Mina. "Leave it buried for a while. It needs time to dry out."

Mina paused mid-dig and looked up at me questioningly. "You sure?"

I nodded. "Yeah, it just needs to sit there for a bit. Rice is good at soaking up moisture."

Mina shrugged and pulled her hands out of the rice. She leaned back against the bench and crossed her arms. "Okay. You're the expert."

I glanced over at Amara. She was still watching the bowl intently, her eyes fixed on the slight mound of rice that hid the phone.

"You know," I said, "I ran into Taya in the hallway on the way back."

Mina's head snapped up, her eyes hard. "Oh, what did that bitch do this time? Did she cause issues because the duel was cancelled?"

I was quiet for a moment, staring at her. Then I shook my head slowly. "No..."

"What do you mean, no?" Mina asked.

I sighed. "She didn't do anything. Greeted me with no animosity, walked past. That's it."

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