Chapter 412: Drugs & Women
The smoke burned blue as it filled his lungs. He coughed once, then exhaled a massive plume that drifted up toward the rafters.
A loud laugh erupted from across the fire. One of the warriors, broad-shouldered and bare-chested, raised his cup toward the blond man.
"Don’t be a corward, Pale One! A big man needs a big huff!"
Jack’s grin sharpened. He flexed one arm in response, earning a roar of laughter from the gathered warriors.
Then he inhaled again. Deeper, longer, until the glowing herbs within the pipe flared bright red. When he finally released the smoke, it poured out in a heavy wave, drawing another chorus of approving shouts.
Kaiden understood that declining even a single whiff would be taken rudely. Yet he was reluctant to do it.
"I can take some if you don’t want to," Thomas spoke up.
Kaiden glanced toward Thomas. The man’s eyes gleamed with interest at the pipe, but Kaiden simply shook his head once.
If he let Thomas smoke first, it would look as if he were deferring to him, as if he were the follower. And in this place, in front of a man like Varek, image mattered even more than back in the civilized world. Every move, every gesture, every flicker of dominance or submission would be read and judged.
He was honestly a little surprised that Caitlyn had let Jack go first. But perhaps she already knew that among these people, a woman’s status wasn’t much higher than a concubine’s, no matter what. The tribe’s women wore revealing garb that left their bronze skin glistening in the torchlight.