When I do tell him…
A small beam of hope lit in my chest.
He wouldn’t be so cruel to the Fae. He couldn’t be. Not when his only daughter was part Fae as well. He would stop the attacks on Ravaryn, if only for my sake.
He would understand, I thought, chewing my lip as the lightning struck the sea again.
Chapter Seventeen
Ara
It had been almost a week since I’d seen Rogue.
I was grateful for it, hoping this feeling, this hurt, would diminish with time apart. But while I had no desire to see or speak to him, I still found myself holding my breath every time the door opened.
I hated it. The space he occupied in my mind, so freely, so unwanted. For the past week, I had secluded myself in my room, distracting myself with whichever book Thana brought that day and holding out hope that we would receive news from my father. But we hadn’t. It had been weeks now and still nothing.
It only added to the anxiety building in my chest. Either King Adon agreed to the terms or he didn’t.What could possibly be taking so long?
Bringing a hand up absentmindedly, my fingers found the marks on my skin.The wound had healed but left a small scar of teeth marks. Rogue’s mark. A symbol of his permanent connection to me.
Embarrassment still flooded me every time I was reminded of him, of that night. Of what we did.
What was I thinking?I dropped my head to my hands.
But it was a moot question because I knew I hadn’t been thinking at all. My mind had been so clouded with the overwhelmingneedfor him. It was undeniable. I needed his touch like I needed air. Like the earth needed rain. Not touching him, feeling him, being with him, would have been like asking the sun not to rise.
The way his eyes burned into me… I knew he craved me just as badly. Once I surrendered, there was nothing else. No one else. I felt nothing but his touch and the voracious, insatiable hunger formore.
But now I saw him clearly.
He’s a liar, a manipulator, and the fact that I expected anything more from him made me the fool,I reminded myself. Again.
That was the root cause of the hurt that bloomed in my chest, stealing my breath. The fact that I expected more… Wanted more.
The door knob turned, startling me from my thoughts. Thana entered the room with tea, two cups, and two books, smiling as if everything was right in the world.
“Morning.” She walked over, setting the tray on the bed. “Alright, this one is a grand love story full of adventure and excitement,” she said, handing me a thick book bound in blue leather with gold filigree. “I read it just yesterday and it is quite good. I think you’ll particularly enjoy certain scenes…” She winked.
“And this one?” I asked, reaching for the smaller one. It was older, bound with cracked brown leather.
“And this one… This one is a love story between a Fae and a human.” She glanced up at me.
“Is it—”
“No, it’s not your parents’ story. I just thought you might enjoy reading the tale. Everything considered.”
“Thank you, Thana.”
She gave me a soft smile as she reached for the kettle, filling two cups.
“Iaso also sent me with tea. She said it’s good for restoring mental clarity and rejuvenating the mind.” She shrugged her shoulders.
Thank the Goddess for Iaso. And Thana.
As she poured the steaming green liquid, I studied the kettle, so clearly Iaso’s. It was made of off-white porcelain with green leaves crawling up from the bottom. The handle was a thick vine that looped up around the lid.
Thana held out a cup and the sweet, floral scent filled the air.