Chapter Forty-One
Andi
Smothered by the silence, folk mumble to each other, and I slink into my chair, refusing to meet anyone’s stare. Luckily, Kaleb moves on before it swallows me whole.
“Who wants to take me on. Come on, you bunch of ninnies,” Kaleb says, stumbling to his feet, swaying with the amount of wine he has drunk.
He almost tumbles into the fire. Arel and Wyatt catch him by his elbows and haul him a safe distance away, steadying him.
Wyatt looks at me, gesturing with his head to leave.
“I think I’ll stay a bit longer.” He looks at me and then at Kaleb, debating what to do. “Go help him, I’m fine.” Out of the corner of my eye, Ronan waves coyly to him. Wyatt's jaw sets, but he helps Kaleb back to his hut.
One by one, they all retreat to their homes, until it’s only Ronan and I left.
From behind his back, he pulls out a black leather flask with a silver wolf on the front.
Ronan reaches forward, taking my cup out of my hand and discarding the remaining wine, before refilling it with a golden liquid.
He holds out my cup to me, and tentatively, I accept it, taking in its smoky aroma with a hint of cinnamon.
“You think I’m gonna poison you?” He takes a sip of his to prove it's safe. “Not my style. It’s whisky.”
I lift my cup to my mouth, taking a large sip. It burns my throat a little, but I try not to let on, Ronan laughs under his breath. I’ve never had Whisky before, it’s strangely delicious. I take another sip, groaning as it burns my throat and warms my belly.
“Your fiancé must have been useless if a good drink makes you moan.”
I open my mouth to say something but snap it shut. Everyone here seems to fear Ronan, and yet here he is laughing and joking with me. He is by far the most mercurial man I have ever met.
Over my shoulder, Myles and Lura stroll in the moonlight, arms entangled in a sickening display. Lovingly enamoured, unable to go more than two seconds without caressing each other. How did I miss that? My stomach twists in knots.
I hand my cup back to Ronan for more whisky, “Not mine anymore, didn’t you hear?
” I say, looking into the fire, pulling my sleeves up over my hands, and resting my head on them.
The flames flicker and dance in a red and orange waltz, twirling and swaying, melding into each other. The crackling soothes me.
Ronan refills my cup, right up to the brim, and hands it back to me. “I must have made quite the impression.” He leans back, resting his arms behind his head.
I laugh under my breath. He reminds me of Wyatt. He’s funny and charming, too handsome for his own good. But his eyes have a dangerous look in them, always waiting for the fight or the kill.
“Big-headed, okay.” I roll my eyes, “That,” waving my hand towards them, “has nothing to do with you. Nothing to do with me either.” I scoff. This mating bond feels like nothing more than an excuse to not to be with me anymore—not since he met her.
Ronan looks back at them, “You want me to kill him? Her? Say the word and it's done.”
My eyes snap to his. I can’t tell if he’s joking or not. His tone is serious, but why would he kill them if I asked? He barely knows me.
“If I wanted that, they’d already be dead.”
Ronan laughs to himself. “Sure.”
“You don’t think I could. I saved your arse, didn’t I?”
Ronan slides over his log bench next to me, holding his hands up to the fire.
“That was different. I don’t think you could kill an innocent person.
” His leg touches against mine, instinctively.
I cross my legs away from his. “Like I said, princess, I owe you. You ask me to kill someone, anyone, it’s done.
” He pauses for a moment, then whispers, “You want me to burn this whole fucking world down.” He leans in, his breath brushing my skin. “I’ll do it. For you.”
A shadow casts over us, blocking the light of the moon, as someone clears their throat.
Startled, I look up to see Myles and Lura standing at the other side of the fire. “Andi, can I… we talk to you in private, if you don’t mind,” he says to Ronan.
“He can stay,” I say sternly, gripping my cup. Clenching my teeth together, I watch them sit down across from me, hand in hand, again. I roll my eyes. They look at each other, like they can talk internally now. Misneach, it’s disgusting. “Well…”
“Caelan…” Myles clears his throat, “suggested we head back to Lura’s house in the morning.”
“I know,” I say. Cutting him off. “He told me.”
Lura shuffles in her seat. “We want you to know we’re sorry, Andi,” I audibly scoff, “we didn’t plan it, it just… happened.” Myles smiles at her. He wraps his arm around her shoulder and kisses her forehead. My stomach churns and bile rises in my throat, I swallow it back down with a sip of whisky.
Rolling my eyes, I bite my tongue to stop myself from saying something I shouldn’t.
How can this arsehole sit here, kissing her in front of me so casually, like we didn’t mean anything?
My blood heats inside me, bubbling in my cells, my hands tingle as fire flickers out of my fingertips.
Ronan takes hold of my hand, squeezing firmly, and the flames die out as quickly as they came.
Myles looks at me, saying, “We wondered, maybe if you spoke with Caelan. If you could suggest that we be allowed to stay. Lura’s nervous about leaving here.”
I laugh out loud at their suggestion.
“I don’t pretend to understand… this, I probably never will.
Lura, mating bond or not, you will forever be the woman who stole my fiancé.
And Myles, you are and always will be, the son of a bitch who cheated on me.
” They try to speak, but I hold up my hand, stopping them.
“I am trying to play nice here, because Caelan has been very generous, allowing us to stay. I won’t be the one to lose control over something so… insignificant.”
“Please, Andi…”
Ronan leans forward, with his elbows on his knees, twirling the point of his dagger on his fingertip. When did he pull a dagger?
“Andi has politely refused your request, and I might be paraphrasing, so correct me if I’m wrong, Princess,” his dagger points to me, “she’s telling you and your new piece of arse, to fuck all the way off.”
Myles nods, grabbing Lura’s hand, pulling her away, shouting over his shoulder, “I see I’m not the only one with ‘a new piece of arse.’” I stifle a laugh as Ronan tucks his dagger in his belt and refills our cups.
“Cheers,” I say, throwing back my whisky and rising to my feet, swaying a little before heading back to my hut. I watch the stars as I walk, so bright tonight. Footsteps run to catch up with me, and I’m not surprised that Ronan has followed.
“I didn’t think you would tell them off,” Ronan says as he reaches my side. “I would have been happier with a bloodier end for them, but hey, not my choice.”
“Well, maybe you don’t know me very well.”
“We could change that.”
Murmuring a laugh, I pull the tie from my braid and run my fingers through it, loosening it, letting my hair fly in the wind.
Ronan pulls me to the left, holding on to me when I almost fall to my knees.
With my back to his chest, he rests one arm on my shoulder, the other stretching out before me, pointing between the mountains.
I look up to see a line dash between the mountain gap, then the black sky is lined with multiple streaks of gold, lingering for a second as the stars fly across the sky.
“Wow. I’ve never seen anything like this.”
“Shooting stars. In Eilia, they say that when the stars line the sky, a change is coming. You should make a wish.” I feel Ronan’s warm breath against my cheek. Eilia. My home, his home too.
Resting my head back, relaxing into him, we stay this way for a long time. The sky lights up with multiple streaks across it, some zapping fast, others leaving a lingering tail of light as they take their time making their mark. Other stars twinkle happily where they are.
Where could they be heading in such a hurry? The mountains frame the sky like a painting, capturing this mesmerising moment. I devour every inch, trying to commit it to memory, the streaks, the reflection on the lake, the dangerously welcoming man behind me.
“Thank you,” I whisper. He squeezes my shoulder in response and backs away. I stumble, without him to lean on.
The next morning, I find my way to the springs, soaking in the hot, bubbly water, scrubbing away my troubles.
Myles and Lura leave today, soon, I think.
I need to say goodbye to Kali, none of this is her fault, and I understand she will go with her sister.
She’s been a good friend, one I haven’t had in a while, but since arriving in Nu’cov, I’ve barely seen her.
I’d never ask her to choose between me and her sister, that would be a pointless request. Having Elana, I know that I would put her above all else.
Dunking my head under, I let the soothing water lap over my senses, drowning out the thoughts in my head, before I have to go back into the world.
Tying my hair into a wet braid, I get dressed in the new clothes that Iza found for me, the same neutral colours most folk wear.
I place the black attire Ronan gave me in the wicker basket and head down to the centre, where Myles, Lura and Kali wait with Caelan.
Marching up the path towards the open cave door, I hold out the silver ring to Myles. “This belongs to you,” I say, dropping it in his palm, retreating without a second glance.
“Andi, you have to forgive us.”
His words make me pause. “No, I don’t,” I reply over my shoulder and continue to Kali. Wyatt smirks at me, and I cock an eyebrow as I pull Kali into an embrace.
“Look after yourself.”