Malia’s POV
I shut my door quietly behind me. All was quiet. Too quiet if you asked me. My stomach growled again as I headed down the hallway.
I sang a lullaby in my head as I made my way to the kitchen which was about ten minutes away from my room.
I smiled as I thought about scaring the people living in the palace by humming the lullaby out loud like in those Blumhouse horror movies. They would start to think that the hallways were haunted probably by Ryder and Ronan’s mom.
Ryder never did tell me how she had died and I wondered why. I decided I was going to ask Ronan. He was surely going to tell me.
I thought I heard a whisper and I halted in my tracks. Had the hallway suddenly become cold or was it just my imagination? I slowly turned around to see if there was someone or something else with me in the hallway.
There was no one else but me. I strained my ears to listen for a sound. It was eerily quiet. I took a deep breath and turned back around. No ghost was going to keep me away from eating. As if to back me up, my stomach growled again.
This time, I tried to walk as fast as I could without making any sound. I finally got to the kitchen and I nearly burst out laughing at the sight that met my eyes.
The servant who brought my breakfast up to my room the other morning was busy devouring some chocolate chip cookies. There was also a glass of milk on the table.
I assumed she was so lost in the bliss because she didn’t even sense my presence. I thought about scaring her and immediately decided against it.
I didn’t know how much of a scaredy-cat she might be. She might end up making a lot of noise which was something I wanted to avoid.
I cleared my throat and her head turned quickly to face me in surprise.
“I’m starving. I didn’t eat before going to bed,” I. said quietly.
She nodded and I approached the kitchen table where she was seated, with a friendly smile.
“Do you want some cookies and milk or should I get you something else?” She asked.
“I’d love to have the cookies and milk,” I replied.
She smiled at me and stood up to retrieve a fresh batch of cookies from the oven. I waited patiently as she removed them from the baking tray and put them into a plate. She then proceeded to pour me a glass of milk.
She returned to the table armed with those treasures and I nearly kissed her in gratitude. That was how hungry I was.
“Do you think Mary is going to approve of us doing this in the middle of the night?” I asked.
She shrugged, “I highly doubt that. Thank the Goddess she sleeps like the dead,”
I thanked her as she placed them in front of me on the table and promptly took a large bite out of a cookie.
I moaned in pleasure as the rich chocolatey goodness spread throughout my mouth.
“Is this like a thing for you? Baking at night?” I asked her after swallowing a mouthful of milk.
She smiled and shook her head. “I only come to the kitchen at night to bake when I can’t sleep,” she answered.
“So is there a particular reason why you can’t sleep tonight?” I asked.
“You don’t have to answer that if you don’t want to,” I quickly added.
She chuckled. “It’s not a big deal. Just matters of the heart,” she replied.
Unbidden, the image of Ryder with his red eyes and fangs popped up in my mind and I shook my head. You don’t even like him, I said to myself and hoped that it was true.
“Do you want to talk about it?” I asked her.
“I should. It’ll probably make me feel much better,” she replied.
“And you should tell me your name before spilling your guts out to me,” I said passionately and she giggled.
“My name’s Penelope. But you could just call me Pen to save your breath. The name’s a mouthful isn’t it?”
I giggled. “You’re exaggerating. It’s not.”
“No need to tell me your name. Nearly all if not all the servants know it,” she said when I opened my mouth to speak.
I nodded and wondered why I had not assumed a false name when I got here. I just hoped that none of them were interrogated by any of the Silver Crescent Moon troops.
I smiled. “So you were going to tell me what ails your heart,” I began and took another bite of my cookies.
She released a sigh. “Have you ever wanted something you know you can’t have? Something out of reach?” She asked.
I thought about it for a moment. “When I was much younger I wanted to own a dragon. I cried so much because I couldn’t understand how the dragons in the story books had somehow ceased to exist.”
She gave me a look and I laughed. “What? It’s a good example.”
She gave me a small smile and nodded. “It’s true. But I’m talking about something more mature, like loving a person you can’t have. Loving someone who doesn’t even notice you.”
“Oh,” I murmured.
She sighed and reached for a cookie.
“I do not think I’ve ever experienced something like that. But I can imagine how hard it must be especially if the person you love is in love with another,” I said.
“It’s really hard. I’ve thought about leaving several times. You know, joining another pack. But I can never bring myself to. Every day I remind myself that not all dreams come true. Some things just can’t be,” she bemoaned.
“Unfortunately, you’re right. Some things can’t be,” I agreed. “But I believe you can fall in love more than once. There’s the perfect match for you, thanks to the Moon Goddess, your mate. The one who will love you back and cherish you.”
Like Zade? A wicked voice said sarcastically in my head. I ignored it.
Pen nodded. “I guess that’s supposed to make me feel better. I just hope this mate finds me as soon as possible,” she said.
I flashed her a bright smile. “So who’s the lucky guy that’s robbing you off sleep?”