Chapter 11 Shocking Discovery
Shocking Discovery
Raewyn
My fingers tingled, and my stomach rolled with nerves.
All it took was a twist of the door handle and a little pressure, and I was in. Where I definitely should not be.
I stood there, indecisive, blood whirring in my ears like the buzz of hummingbird wings.
It wasn’t too late. I hadn’t crossed a line yet. I could close the door again, lock it, and go back downstairs.
With no answers.
I wasn’t sure what I expected to find in Pharis’ chambers, but whatever it was, I simply had to see it.
Pushing the door inward, I stepped fully inside then quietly closed it behind me. I was standing in a short hallway. To my right was a small sitting room that contained a lifeless fireplace and a single chair with a round lamp table beside it.
Stacked on the table were several books. One of them had a page marker protruding from the middle.
Unable to resist, I walked over to it and opened it to the marked page, curious about what Pharis had been reading.
Within a paragraph, my face was flaming, and my heart thudded in my chest. Hurriedly I closed the book and placed it back atop the stack on the table.
Then I turned and moved from the sitting room into Pharis’ bedroom.
The size and beauty of it stole my breath. Though the walls were painted black, it wasn’t dark because one entire side of the room was made of windows, stretching floor to ceiling.
I crossed the expanse of the large space to them, standing and looking out on the ocean for a few minutes. Then I turned back to face the room.
A huge bed anchored one wall, framed by luxurious dark bed curtains that were pulled back at the moment to reveal what looked like miles of silky black bed coverings.
On either side of the bed were nightstands that held candle lamps and various nicknacks. I went to one of them, hungry for a glimpse into Pharis’ private life.
There was another book—which I didn’t dare to open—and a stack of clean handkerchiefs.
There was also a small jar made of opaque black glass.
I lifted it and removed the top, peeking inside. It contained some sort of herb or other plant. Reaching in, I extracted one of the flowering stems.
And almost dropped it.
Fireweed.
Though it would do no harm to me, I was shocked Pharis would keep such a toxic substance so near—or anywhere in his house really.
I knew he wasn’t immune to it. Like all Elven people, he was deathly allergic to fireweed. In fact, he’d literally almost died in front of me after encountering it in a meadow where we’d camped.
Maybe he kept it on hand for use as a weapon against other Elves for some reason?
“What. The shaded stars. Are you doing in here?”
The menacing low voice served up more malice than any shout could have done.
I jumped and whirled around to face Pharis, nearly dropping the fireweed stem on his bed.
Thankfully I didn’t—I hurriedly stuffed it back into the jar and put the lid back on while answering him in a high, shaky voice.
“Nothing. Just exploring. You told me I had free run of the house.”
His brows lowered even further, along with his tone. “I told you everywhere except for my rooms.”
“I… forgot.”
Care to repeat that mind-to-mind, little liar? Pharis dared me.
I pretended not to hear his silent question, babbling while I fought to restore my shattered nerves.
“I’m sorry, although I’m not sure what you were so worried about. It’s just a room. No dastardly plans for world domination tacked on the wall. Not even a single pair of dirty underdrawers on the floor. Although, I did discover your ‘dirty books.’”
That last part had been a tease meant to lighten his mood. I’d purposely overstated it. The passage I’d read hadn’t been graphic, but it had been stirring.
And surprising considering where I’d found the book, here in his suite.
Pharis’ eyes narrowed to slits.
“They’re not dirty,” he growled. “They’re by Oriana Lagamore. She’s a prominent Fae author of romantic fiction.”
“Forgive me then. I found your ‘romantic’ books. I must admit, I’m surprised to learn your reading taste leans to romance,” I said.
Pharis shot me a squinting fake smile. “That’s what passes for my love life these days, as circumstances have curtailed my activities with real women. Now what are you really doing in here?”
He began to stalk toward me, a dangerous smile developing. “Unless you broke into my bedroom because you wanted to entertain me in that manner? I’ve never kept a retinue here at Stormcrest, but if you’re volunteering…”
He was being deliberately crude, trying to intimidate me—or perhaps taunting me as payback for teasing him.
But I couldn’t be sure he’d said it in jest. There was a gleam in his eyes that flooded me with warmth and raised gooseflesh on my skin.
“No. I… that’s not why I came in here. I was just curious.”
Skirting around Pharis, I ran to the other side of the bed, putting it between us.
Suddenly his expression changed. Instead of the cocky grin he’d been wearing, he now looked nervous himself.
His eyes darted to the nightstand beside me.
I turned to it, and something caught my eye. Something familiar and yet wholly unexpected in this setting.
One of Stellon’s drawings.
When I reached for it, Pharis yelled, “Stop,” and rushed around the bed to physically stop me.
But it was too late. I’d already picked it up and seen the subject of the sketch.
He tried to snatch the paper from me, but I held out a hand, the one that had just grasped fireweed minutes ago.
Pharis must have realized it because he froze mid-motion. His voice sounded pained.
“I told you to stop,” he ground out between clenched teeth. “It’s private.”
I dragged my eyes away from my shocking discovery to meet his hard gaze.
“It’s me,” I whispered.
It was a drawing of me… that I’d found in his room… on his bedside table.
What in the world?
He must have stolen it from Stellon’s sketchbook back at Castle Seaspire. I doubted the Crown Prince would have given it to him.
But why had he taken it?
Why keep it out where he’d see it every morning and night?
Pharis offered no explanation. He just stood there, staring daggers through me.
“You shouldn’t have come in here. You had no right.”
I ignored his admonitions. The fact was I had come in here, and I’d found this.
What could it mean?
Pharis had claimed not to care about me, to only be interested in keeping me around because of my “valuable” glamour gift. He’d made me promise to stay and help him in exchange for keeping my family safe.
But was there more to it?
“Pharis…” I began.
“No,” was all he said.
I hadn’t even asked the question yet. The wary look on his face actually gave me the courage to ask it.
“Pharis… do you… care for me?”
“No,” he repeated. “The drawing means nothing.”
Want to repeat that mind-to-mind… big liar? I asked.
Abruptly moving away from me, Pharis went to the door of his suite and opened it.
“Get out,” he ordered. “And take the drawing with you. It’s poisoned with fireweed residue now. I never look at it anyway.”
I had rarely, if ever, seen him so rattled.
And he’d refused to back up his denial non-verbally in the Elven way.
Why do you keep pushing me away? I asked, but again, he refused to respond to my mental question.
“Fine,” I said.
Strolling to the door, I stopped in front of him.
“Why don’t you just use your Sway on me and make me forget what I saw?” I asked softly. “I’m only half-Elven. It might work.”
“Don’t tempt me,” he growled.
“Seriously, Pharis. I want to know why.”
Storm clouds formed in his ocean eyes. He reached for me as if to shake me but stopped, his hands hovering in the air in front of me.
“Do you want me to control you? Is that it? I made you a promise once never to use my Sway on you, and I keep my promises.”
I pursed my lips. “How noble of you. I’m looking forward to you keeping your promise of releasing me once I’ve learned to use mind-to-mind communication well enough. Will I be seeing you for training today?”
“You’ve trained enough,” he said gruffly. “We won’t be doing that anymore.”
“So you’ll be releasing me now then?” I asked in a dare-you tone. “You said you’d let me leave when I was fully healed and trained. You promised.”
Pharis met my eyes reluctantly. “I trained you so I could make use of your glamour gift. I haven’t done that yet.”
“I see. And exactly how do you plan to ‘make use’ of me?”
His jaw hardened, and his eyes darted away, resting on a point over my head somewhere. His nostrils flared with a few shallow breaths.
“I’ll be receiving a series of visitors soon,” he said. “You’ll use your glamour to expose their greatest fears. I’ll send for you when I need you. Until then, don’t expect to see much of me. I’ll be quite busy.”
A grin tugged at the corners of my mouth. So he planned to avoid me—and whatever it was that crackled between us whenever we were together.
“Okay then,” I said as I brushed past him into the hallway.
Then silently, I added, See you around, busy boy.