Chapter 32
T he news should be cause for immediate celebration and joy, but Elias refuses to hear any of it until I, Hallam, and everyone one else is seated outside in the camp and my wounds are seen to—which involves rubbing on some of the healing salve they have on site in case of emergencies and wrapping a bandage around one cut on my leg that is still bleeding.
Unnecessary, given how much it has slowed and is well on its way to scabbing over.
But he insists, and no one is about to argue with the wishes of the king.
Even once Hallam shares his findings with the group of eager fae, Elias’s expression only shutters further. The complete opposite of everyone else.
Katiya jumps to her feet with a literal whoop of joy. “This is it, the information we’ve been looking for!”
“If I am interpreting it correctly,” Hallam cautions. “Though I quite believe I am.”
“And we already have a human.” Katiya gestures to me with both arms and a bright, toothy grin.
The few pairs of eyes that had drifted away from staring at me return, and I really just want to sink into the ground to hide.
It’s one thing to be pointed out as a human.
That, I’m almost used to. But being pointed out because they need you to bang their king to help restore his magical sword? Well, that’s definitely awkward.
Ironically, only one fae here isn’t looking at me. Elias has his elbows propped on his spread thighs, chin balanced on his fist as he stares at the ground, expressionless.
“How are you not excited about this, brother?” Katiya asks in obvious exasperation.
A few heads nod. Mine might have if the open discussion of my potential future sex life didn’t have me so flushed that I want to die.
For that moment when Elias found me and held me in the hidden library, I thought everything was back to normal.
Whatever weirdness happened between us didn’t matter anymore.
But then a few minutes later, he was back to keeping his distance, expression blank.
Even all throughout Hallam’s explanation of what we found, Elias barely reacted with more than a slight tilt of his head as the words sank home.
His attitude, mixed with the topic of conversation, has me more than a little twisted up inside.
“That is, if Aimee will do it,” Katiya says, turning back to me like she’s discussing turning on a light, not sleeping with her brother and trying to form a mark with him—something that can only be done if two parties are, for lack of a better word, enthusiastic in their joining. “You care for him, yes?”
Jesus. This is the worst.
“Yes,” I manage, steadfastly refusing to look at Elias because somehow that feels so much harder.
It’s barely a whisper, but the waiting silence, broken only by the soft crackle of a campfire, is so absolute that I’m sure everyone heard it, especially with their keen fae hearing.
“I’ll—” I take a deep breath. “I’ll do it. ”
“Excellent!” Katiya bounces in place, tail swishing. Happy murmurs pick up around us. The fae seem to relax as if they’d all been holding their breath, waiting for that answer. “Well now,” she continues, “Let’s—"
“No.” Elias.
The single word deflates the joy from the group like a popped balloon.
For me, the proclamation sinks in slowly, like molasses, after the others fall quiet. Suddenly, my ribs feel like they’re curling in, trying to reach my spine, and I’m struggling for breath.
The Unseelie King rises to his feet, face impassive.
“No. I won’t do it.” He turns and walks away.
The way Katiya’s arms fall limp to her sides and her mouth gapes open like a fish would be funny in a different circumstance. I might even laugh if I didn’t feel like my world was crumbling under my feet. It’s not just his rejection of us. Not that there was really an us to begin with exactly.
But I need this to help Matt. He knows I need this. It’s my last hope. My only hope.
“What!” Katiya yells in an unearthly screech. “What do you mean, no?” She stomps after him. “We need this!”
Tears fill my eyes. I don’t even try to stop it as they well and fall.
Muttered conversation begins around me, but I barely hear it over the rush of blood in my ears.
Only Katiya’s voice cuts through the fog. “You said this was our hope!”
“There may be another way,” Elias grounds out.
Am I that abhorrent to him? I choke back the beginning of a sob.
“Another way!” Katiya screeches again. “This is the way, Elias!”
“Enough, Evie!” The command draws silence again.
Evie?
“I said no. That’s an order.”
A string of curses follows in a language I don’t know, but the tone of Katiya’s voice says plenty.
Someone settles on the bench next to me. I blink away my tears enough to see that it’s Hallam. He doesn’t touch me, doesn’t speak, but his presence is reassuring all the same.
“How can he do this?” Katiya screams as she storms back into the center of the group.
“He’s our king,” Hallam says, voice hollow and resigned.
She snarls again and kicks something metal that gives a resounding clang. “Can’t any of you find something better to do than gape at me?”
There’s commotion as some of the nearby guards and researchers get up and quickly make themselves scarce. Hallam doesn’t move. Neither do I. I’m not entirely sure I could right now or where I would go if I did.
He rejected me. In front of everyone.
“He may just need time,” Hallam says softly. “He has a complicated past with humans.” He gives a gentle pat to my knee.
It’s only then that I realize he was talking to me. I rub my eyes, trying to clear away my tears.
“A king should know better,” Katiya growls, knocking something else aside with a loud crash. “We don’t have time!”
No, they don’t. The Seelie could attack at any time. They could be attacking right now. And Matt? Matt doesn’t have time either. The flower sprouted quickly when we were in the city. How much has it grown already? Could it be ready to be used now? Soon?
“You’re right. We don’t.” And I don’t have time to wallow in self-pity. I stand up, sniff, and wipe my hand across my face once more.
Katiya stares at me, hand halted in midair where it’s wrapped around the hilt of a blade that she was about to drive into a tabletop. An excellent reminder to never get on her bad side.
“Fine.” She snaps, quickly shoving the blade back in the sheath at her side. “I’ll go talk to him again.”
She’s already turning to go when I say, “No.”
She pauses, twisting her head to glare at me.
“I’ll go,” I say.
Her posture eases, her lips forming a little O. From the corner of my eye, I see Hallam give an encouraging little nod.
If the Unseelie King is going to reject me and possibly doom his people, he can damn well do it to my face.