14. Propaganda
Chapter 14
Propaganda
SONGBIRD
T he salty air kisses my lips as I teeter on the last stone step leading down to Saffron Cove, wishing I had stayed in my room after all. I stand at the edge of the gathering, all eyes suddenly upon me. The glow of the flames illuminates the faces of my peers, their expressions a mix of horror and fascination. Clouds obscure the moon while the flickering firelight dances erratically, casting long shadows that twist and contort like phantoms on the sand.
A couple of students run to Zeke’s aid, but most of them are drinking in the fallout, ravenous for more. Willow marches over to punch her brother’s chest. “Blessed Flame! What was that ?”
They argue among themselves, drawing a bit of attention away from me, and I take advantage of the reprieve to walk around them, giving the fire—and Aidan—a wide berth.
In the water, Johan and Diana are helping Zeke to his feet. Black and red marks mar his naked chest, a few scraps of fabric embedded in the burns. Tears streak down the Shadow Prince’s face as he stumbles out of the ocean, his skin extinguished but his gaze burning with the fire of the seven hells.
“I’ll take you to the healer—” I start, feeling responsible for what happened.
If I hadn’t kissed Aidan this morning, or answered his flirty notes with my own, none of this would have happened.
Zeke pushes right past me with an enraged grunt, his hand leaving a print of water and ash on my shirt, and points a finger at Aidan. “I don’t care who you are. You’re going to pay for this, Summers.”
Aidan holds both palms in front of him. “Let’s stop here before you get really hurt.”
“I’ll show you hurt, you fucker.”
Aidan backs away, but the flames burning along his skin intensify.
A scream tears out of my throat. “Stop!”
An unexpected burst of ice erupts from my fingertips and toes, freezing the entire beach. Gasps echo across the cove, and a couple of students tumble to the ground, taken by surprise by the suddenly slippery surface. Unabashed stares crawl along my skin—each gaze a dagger, each whisper a taunt.
Diana clicks her tongue loud enough to cut the awed, petrified silence. “You should leave. I’ll take Zeke to the healer myself.”
My fists ball at my sides, my heart about to fall out as I march out of Saffron Cove with my back hunched.
What I didn’t expect was for Aidan to chase after me. I’m almost back under the breezeway when he picks up speed to actually catch up, and with each step he takes, the ground shifts beneath my feet. I can't meet his gaze—not when the acrid scent of burnt flesh hangs in the air between us, suffocating and bitter. I push forward, desperate for escape. “Leave me alone, Aidan.”
“Let me explain, please .”
I shake my head, but he gains ground on me. The anger in my blood takes on a life of its own as I dig the balls of my feet in the sand. I spin around to face him and cross my arms around my chest. “Alright then. Explain.”
Coming to an abrupt stop not to bump into me, he scratches the back of his neck. “You have to know… I was trying so hard to stay out of it, but you should have heard the horrible things he said about you. How badly he disrespected you?—”
“So you immolated him? Of all the things you could have done, you figured picking a fight with my fiancé and setting him on fire in front of everyone was the one thing you just had to do tonight?” I say, my voice way too high for my taste.
“Immolated is a strong word. I burned him a little, in self-defense. Ask anyone, he used his magic first.”
I clear my throat and lower my pitch. “Because you punched him,” I enunciate slowly.
“He treats you like you’re unworthy. Like you don’t belong here.”
“You did the same.”
He shakes his head from side to side. “Never.”
“Yes, you did. That night in the labyrinth, you didn’t think I could make it out alone.”
He tilts his head to the side, his lips parting. “That’s not—I’d just met you then.”
“And you were right. I wouldn’t have made it out alone. I don’t belong here. You turned me into a liar and a cheat, and the more time we spend together, the more I’m reminded of it.” I force a breath through my tight jaw. “And now everyone will wonder why the great Aidan Summers lost his temper over me and beat up my fiancé. They’ll start asking questions again.”
“You do belong here, Beth. If only you knew how much… I don’t know how to deal with this.” He motions to the space between us. “You spend plenty of time with Elio, and no one bats an eye. I want to get to know you, I?—”
“Elio is my friend .”
“Let me be your friend, then.”
A dumbfounded scoff grates my throat. “You don’t want to be my friend . I had a moment of weakness before, but I’m telling you for the last time. Back off. I’m engaged.”
“Engaged to a guy who’s spent the whole night making out with someone else? That’s rich.”
“Zeke and I have a deal. I’m fine with it.”
Aidan’s expression twists, a mixture of disbelief and frustration. “You really think that makes it okay? Why settle for a ridiculous arrangement and pretend everything is fine, when you could have so much more?”
I cross my arms again, trying to shield myself from his piercing gaze. “It’s not your place to judge my choices.”
“You deserve more than this, Beth. More than him.”
“Stop acting like you know what’s best for me!” I snap, but the edge in my voice falters.
“I just... I care about you.” He steps closer. “You told me yourself you don’t even like the guy.”
“Hence the reason for him to do whatever the hell he wants before we actually have to marry.”
“Then why can’t you and I do the same? You use your engagement as a shield, but the way you look at me… it makes me burn .”
The word liquifies my gut. I wish I could wrap my arms around his neck and discover just how scorching his embrace could be. My pulse flutters, uneven and rash, but I steel myself against the lure of the flames.
“Do you really have to ask? Let’s say I was dying to kiss you again, do you think Zeke would let me get away with it? That he would look the other way when he found out? You saw what he did this morning. He would pout and huff and puff and force me to stop. I would bring up his grossly unfair double-standards, but if I insisted for our arrangement to go both ways, he’d either demand that I sleep with him or break off the engagement altogether. For you, this is a game. A hunt. For me, it’s my whole life.”
“You felt it in the gardens. You feel it now. This thing between us—we can’t help it. I don’t want you for one night or to prove a point. You have no idea how greedy I feel when I’m with you.” He cradles my head in his hands. “I’ve fallen for you, Beth. From the first moment I saw you.”
My heart gives a giant squeeze at how confident and genuine he sounds, yet I can’t let myself believe him. When a moth catches fire, nothing is left behind but ashes.
“Love at first sight doesn’t exist. Not for us. Love arrows aren’t strong enough to pierce a Fae’s heart.”
“Your denial doesn’t make it less true.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I must have missed the archer standing beside us in the labyrinth.”
“No archer. I’m talking about true love . A Coup de Foudre .”
The possibility that we’ve been struck by the goddess of love herself is a dangerous promise of passion and ruin intertwined, but darklings know better than to trust in fate. Or love. Not when our lives hang in the balance.
Aidan’s confidence makes me want to douse myself in oil and light the fire myself. But soon, I’d be nothing but dust in the wind. Aidan Summers will marry a princess; no question about it. Why should I let him destroy me first?
If I let myself fall for him, I doubt I could recover when he eventually tires of me.
“Coup de Foudre are legends… Faen stories.”
His jaw clenches. “I know my own heart. I wake up thinking about you. I go to bed picturing your smile?—”
“I can’t listen to this.” I spin around to leave, but Aidan slips in front of me, blocking my path.
“Well, you have to. You have to know how I truly feel. I won’t let you write this off as a silly infatuation that’ll blow over in a week, because that would be an atrocious lie. I know we’re meant to be together, and deep down, you know it too.”
I want to say that I understand exactly what he’s talking about, because I feel it too. But I can’t. I won’t give anyone, even Aidan Summers, the means to ruin me.
“The only thing I know for sure is that you’re a cocky bastard who can’t take no for an answer.” The ice in my tone chills his confidence, and he sucks in air.
“That’s it? I bare my heart to you, and that’s all you have to say?”
It physically hurts not to respond, but I keep my fists firmly planted at my sides and bite my tongue until it bleeds.
Aidan flashes me a smile that’s all thorns and teeth before rubbing his face with a tired hand. “Alright. My mistake. Pardon me, Miss Elizabeth. I have clearly been afflicted by a fever that affects me and me alone. I won’t bother you again.”