Trusting the Enemy
Time seemed to stand still. My heart was racing, brain trying to think…
Even amid my panic, he was mesmerizing—perfectly messy brown hair atop a face that looked chiseled from stone.
I didn’t know faces could be so…perfect.
His eyes were a deep, wintry blue with the same silver pupils as the fae we’d seen here in Dolvenar.
His lips were delightfully full, and his cheekbones were high and sharp.
And gods, those arms—they were exposed and tan and insanely muscular. He was tall and…
And I recognized him. He was the male I had seen turn into a wolf on the street. The first Veythryn I’d seen here—ever, actually.
We were in trouble…he had known we were going to be here. That thought brought me back to my senses. I didn’t like the way he said “lord” as if he also knew we’d been lying about serving Haskin.
“I can see the wheels turning in your mind. Let me save you the trouble of weaving more lies. I know you’re not from here, and that you’re posing as mortals that belong to Lord Haskin.
What I don’t know is why, if you’re free mortals, you’re in Dolvenar.
Risking capture, enslavement, possibly even death. ”
Even when he spoke, he sounded perfect. Why was that the only word I could think of for this male? And why couldn’t I focus on the gravity of the situation?
I cleared my throat, if nothing else, to give me time to think over my answer, while Nella remained quiet. Think, Naci. He knew what we had been up to, but he didn’t know why. So he didn’t know we were looking for information on the rebellion, which would definitely have gotten us killed if he had.
“We came from a mortal town looking for my mother. We heard she was last seen here, so here we are.” I settled on part of the truth.
He stared at me for a long time, and I became very aware of my unkempt hair, my dirty uniform and feet, my…scars. He seemed curious like a child studying its pet.
“What is your mother’s name? In fact, what are your names? I presume sisters?”
Despite only being half sisters, we actually looked like we could be full-blooded sisters. We shared much of the same facial structure, even though her eyes weren’t the same color and her hair was wavy, whereas mine was curly.
“What’s your name?” I blurted it out but immediately regretted it. Out of the corner of my good eye, I saw Nella whip her head around to glare at me.
He smiled, revealing sharp fangs. “My name doesn’t matter nearly as much as your mother’s. You can tell me, or you can leave Dolvenar underneath another carriage, simple as that. But staying without telling me is not an option.”
Shit. He knew about the carriage. He had been watching us since we got here.
If my mother really was part of the rebellion, telling him her name could be just as dangerous as openly saying I was looking for the rebellion. I had talked myself into a corner. Where was Noxie to help when I needed him…?
“I…I don’t remember her name. She left when I was a baby, and our dad didn’t like to talk about her.” Only partially a lie.
“So you don’t know her name. How did you plan to find her?” He raised a brow.
“Well, we…” Gods, I was so bad at lying, and he was smiling as if he knew it too. “We tried talking to the mortals here about…about a woman from Briarstead who may have shown up alone. But they didn’t seem to want to talk to us.”
“As they shouldn’t. They only go out in public in Dolvenar to fulfill their master’s orders. Speaking isn’t required.” He started pacing slowly in front of us.
“That’s not very fair,” I said before I could think better of it. I could almost feel Nella’s eye roll. “Well, it’s not. Mortals are treated like shit by the fae. They take away our free will just because we weren’t born with magic.”
This time, I heard Nella’s groan. But if I was going to be a rebel at heart, I had to start acting like one. Start actually taking a stance against mortal treatment.
The male said nothing, just continued to stare and assess, making me hot under the metal collar. For the briefest moment, I thought I saw something else flicker across his face. Was it…sadness? Regret?
It was gone too fast to be sure.
“I tell you what, if you can control that tongue, I will get you both jobs in the castle. There, you’ll have an entire staff of mortals you can ask, who would likely be more willing to talk if they know anything. Good?”
“Why would you help us?”
“Naci, just take the nice male’s offer. What are you doing?” Nella whispered.
Shit. She’d used my name.
“Naci. What a unique name for such a unique girl. Why would I help? You’re in need, and admittedly, you’ve intrigued me. I don’t make habits of befriending mortals, but you’re not like other mortals. You’ve got…a spark. I like it.”
“And how is it that you can get us jobs in the castle?”
“I have some sway. I know some of the right people. You’ll come in with me as my new servants, and I will suggest that you join the staff as, what would you prefer, cooks? Maids? Launders? The laundry ladies are gossips; might I suggest that if you’re indeed looking for answers.”
I couldn’t make sense of why he was trying to help us. But maybe all fae weren’t bad. I thought of the half-fae in Briarstead.
Or maybe it was a trap.
“You have sway…” I took a moment to think it over.
Staying at the castle sounded preferable to the roof we’d been on, and what he said about talking to mortals at the castle made sense.
And while it might not have been wise to trust a fae stranger, something about him made me…
believe him. The word servant gave me pause, though.
“Are the servants at the castle prisoners?”
There was that smile of his again. “No, Naci, not prisoners.”
I loved the way he said my name.
“You’ll be fed, you’ll have a bed to sleep in. And you may find the answers you seek.”
I looked at Nella. This felt like the right thing to do. Getting a bed and consistent food for her was worth the risk, so long as it wasn’t her I was risking.
She shrugged—her face said she didn’t trust the male, but the choice was mine.
I took a deep breath. “How do I know you’re not lying. That as soon as we get there you won’t, I dunno, lock us up or something?”
He paused his pacing. “You don’t know that I’m not lying.
But I know that, if you stay here, parading as Haskin’s servants, you will get caught.
He will hurt you and likely kill you to set an example for the rest of his mortals.
You chose quite the name to give that blacksmith, and everyone else for that matter. A real temper Haskin’s got.”
I didn’t know which made me more uneasy. That he knew our every movement, it seemed, or that using Haskin’s name had put a terrifying target on our backs.
Risk the castle, or risk Haskin…
“Fine, but we only go with you under one condition—she and I stay together, no matter what.”
He laughed again, the rumbling sound making my stomach flutter. “Such a spark. Don’t lose it, Naci.”
I just prayed that the flutter wasn’t a warning.
* * *
Following behind the stranger, we passed all the familiar shops and walked into an area of town we hadn’t yet ventured. The shops were fewer, and the homes were much larger. Far fewer people, fae or mortal, walked the streets here.
The shock of his appearance had finally worn off, and I took in his fitted black pants—which hinted at incredibly muscular thighs—and his loose gray shirt. He was uncommonly attractive.
“Will you tell us your name now?” I asked.
“This is where the nobles live,” the male said, ignoring me altogether while gesturing toward the immaculate stone and marble houses along the road we walked.
“Are you a noble?” Nella said, speaking for the first time since the roof.
“Me? Definitely not,” he chuckled. “Too stuffy. Too many rules. And the clothes look so uncomfortable.”
Something was charming about him. I couldn’t help but like him. And he definitely didn’t argue when I said the fae treatment of mortals was unfair.
“Noxie? Can you hear me? We’re…uh, headed to the castle, but don’t panic. We got jobs.”
“Are you out of your mind? You went with the perfect stranger?”
We argued the entire way to the castle. He didn’t like this plan, and I didn’t like him knowing how perfect I thought this stranger was. I made a mental note—that Noxie likely heard—to figure out what he’d meant by mental shields.
We got to the castle gates, Noxie having caught up to us while keeping a safe distance. The walls surrounding the castle were just as tall as those around the city and made of the same gray stone.
As we approached, the guards on each side gave the male a nod and opened the gates. Just like that.
“Who are you?” I asked again.
“I expect you’ll find out soon enough,” was the only reply I got.
My frustration grew over not knowing who he was. It felt like we were on the outside of some big secret.
“I saw you in the city a few days ago. You transformed into a white wolf.”
He didn’t answer me, although it hadn’t really been a question. I just wanted information.
We walked through the gates and into a courtyard. Deep-green grass grew along the wall behind us, and a white stone pathway stretched out before us, leading straight to the entrance of the looming castle.
We passed perfectly manicured hedges and marble statues of what I assumed were previous Ashenholt rulers.
There were fountains with birds of all different colors flitting around, chirping, and bathing.
I noticed Noxie following us, going from fountain to fountain, but still not talking to me after our disagreement.
Closer to the castle were rows of tall trees with vibrant flowers covering every branch—deep purples and reds, striking against the green of the grass and the blue of the clear sky.
Ahead, I saw a green banner hanging on either side of the open castle entrance, each at least three stories high, with Ashenholt’s crest and Caedryn’s motto. The sigil felt unsightly and cruel compared to the beauty of the courtyard we had just passed through.
“Does it…hurt? When you change?” I was tired of the silence, and we still had quite a walk to the castle.
He was strolling casually beside me, hands held behind his back. “It might have at first. I don’t really remember. The first change happened many years ago.”
“What do you mean, many years ago? You don’t look much older than me.”
He laughed the hardest so far at that, the sound jovial and genuine. “I’m fae, Naci. We’re nearly immortal. Surely you knew that.”
“Of course I did! I just…didn’t realize that you aged so slowly. How old are you?”
“Very rude of you to ask.”
I felt my cheeks heat, feeling embarrassed. I was being too comfortable with this male.
“I turn 237 this year,” he continued anyway. “So I’m actually quite young.”
I guessed he was right, fae could live to be 1000 or so, according to school history books. So he would be comparable to nearly my age for a mortal. That thought was…weird.
“Well, here we are,” he said as we finally arrived at the entrance, guards on each side with ears as pointy as the swords crossed at their backs and shorter blades at their sides. It was quite intimidating. “Welcome to Ashthorn Castle.”
We walked into the large, open foyer, and my breath hitched. The domed ceiling was plated with ornate gold filigree and stretched high above us. The floors were pure white marble, polished to where I could nearly see my reflection.
My dirty, bare feet were an eyesore standing on the pristine floor. We’d left our cloaks and boots back on the rooftop.
To my left was a set of large, open glass doors that led to a dining hall that could easily seat a hundred people at the long, lone table covered with candles and bowls of fruit.
To my right was a fireplace that looked as if it had been carved from a single slab of gold, with green emeralds inlaid in swirling and floral patterns.
The fire was roaring, flames taller than me, and surrounded by plush white couches and chairs adorned with fluffy pillows in every shade of gray and green. It looked so cozy and inviting.
In front of us was a grand staircase, the steps made of the same white marble as the floor, stretching up to a hallway above. The whole entrance was white, green, gray, and gold, the colors of Ashenholt. It was stunning, really, so unlike the cruelty that sat upon its throne.
A servant came ambling up to us, older with gray hair and definitely a mortal, and stopped in front of the male accompanying us with a bow.
“Ah, Prince Varyn, the king and queen will be most delighted.”
“Wait…prince?!” Surely, I’d heard the man wrong.
The male just smiled and spread his arms wide. “Welcome to my home.”