Chapter 26
The Veil
DELILAH
We ran and ran and didn’t stop until we could see the sky. My legs and feet hurt so badly from exhaustion that I nearly collapsed. Titus had to pull me the rest of the way by my wrist when my legs gave out near the end.
The moment we stepped out of the cave, the glamour magic returned.
I could tell immediately because my legs were suddenly inches longer, which caused me to trip and fall right into the High Lord’s hard chest. When my eyes met his, I felt a chain yank on my heart.
Something about the dimming sun, something about his darkened hair and defined jaw… he almost looked like Jared.
But while I gazed at him in longing and admiration, I didn’t receive the same look back. Everything about Titus’s body language screamed aversion—so different from an hour ago in the cave. What had changed?
Uncomfortable, I pushed away and stood on my own two feet. We finished catching our breath in silence. Needing to relieve the pain in my legs, I sat on a large flat rock beside the path.
A million things rushed through my mind. Like: Is this going to be a what-happens-in-the-cave-stays-in-the-cave kind of thing? And: Oh my God, we almost got crushed by a fucking rock dragon. And every other thought that could exist in between.
“We should check on the eggs,” he said pulling me from my internal spiral. “Make sure they’re intact, from all of your… falling.”
He said it smugly, but it was really an order.
That was what he was worried about? The damn eggs? Not how I may be feeling physically or emotionally?
I scoffed internally, swung my pack around, and loosened the drawstring. I pulled out the crystallized egg and examined it.
“All good,” I confirmed with a detectable amount of attitude. “Yours?” I asked.
“Fine,” he said simply. “Good,” I replied, vacant.
He seemed overly—annoyingly—concerned with the one egg that was my responsibility to carry. I had no doubt that if he’d had room in his pack for all three, he would’ve insisted on carrying them all, like he didn’t trust me.
In the Lithovore’s cavern, he’d asked me to trust him—and in that moment, though it was probably foolish, I had. Was I not worthy of the High Lord’s trust? Had I not done everything he’d asked, and just saved our lives?
He was infuriating. One moment he was telling me he was falling for me, fingering me into oblivion, and the next he could barely look at me.
He glanced at the sun low in the sky. “It’ll be dark soon. If we hurry, we can make it to the lake before nightfall. It would probably be best if we camp there and fly back in the morning.”
I sighed in relief. After the hike and running for my life, I was in no condition for a two-hour dragon ride in solid darkness.
“Sounds good,” I said.
We proceeded down the hill with nothing but crickets and wind rolling through dense leaves. I wasn’t sure why he was so quiet—so distant. Maybe he was exhausted. I could understand that. Or maybe he was processing everything that had happened in the mines.
He wasn’t the type to show emotions, and we’d burned through more than enough of them down there. I decided to give him space and followed a few paces behind.
As the sun sank, it smeared the sky in cotton-candy pinks, blues, and bruised purples.
I loved how vibrant the colors were here in the Faerie Realm— one more small thing I would miss if I ever made it home.
We crossed back through the checkpoint with no issues. They didn’t check our bags. They let us pass without questions.
When we crossed into the Kingdom of Flame the tension in Titus’s shoulders eased. Once we were far enough away, he broke the silence.
“Go sit on that stump over there,” he commanded. “Why?” I asked, suspiciously.
“Now that we’re back in my kingdom, I’m removing the glamour. I don’t want you to fall and break the egg in your pack.”
The stump sat a few yards off the path. I was eager to sit because my legs were screaming, but I didn’t want him to think
I was quick to obey. So I moved unhurriedly through the tall grass and sat.
“Ready,” I called back, eventually.
My nose tickled. The gems embedded in my skin disappeared. My longer limbs shortened and I eased back into my human form. I felt so… small.
I stretched before throwing on my pack, which felt heavier now in my weaker human body. I trudged back to the path.
“There,” he said, satisfied. “That’s better.”
“Wouldn’t want your precious egg to get hurt,” I shot back. He raised a brow as I strutted past him, avoiding eye contact. “Hey, Delilah?” he called.
“Yeah?” I answered without slowing.
“What you did in there…” His voice dipped. “You were incredible.”
The sincerity stopped my boots mid-step. I glanced back, gave him a single nod, and kept walking.
For several awkward minutes, silence hung between us, thick with uneasy tension. Eventually, he broke the quiet with his low voice, asking, “Do you still have your truth stone?”
“Yes,” I replied, wary.
“Good. Hold it. I want to ask you something, and I need the truth.”
My nails dug into my palms with aggravation.
“Titus—not that you deserve it—but I’d give you the truth without the damn stone. When have I ever lied to you, or given you any reason not to trust me?” I snapped, exhaustion pulling moodiness out of me.
“What is that supposed to mean?” he asked.
“I cannot for the life of me figure out what you want, or what I am to you. One moment you’re telling me you have feelings for me, and the next you’re more worried about your stupid fucking eggs. I almost died getting them for you!” I scorned.
“Stupid, stubborn girl,” he growled. “Just hold the damn rock!”
“NO!” I shouted.
I was tired. My body and emotions had been through hell and back, and it made me a little dramatic.
So I threw the rock as hard as I could into the forest.
“If you want to ask me something, then ask it. You asked me to trust you and I did. It’s a two-way street, Titus.”
He fast traveled—one of his short magical sprints and met me face-to-face. Familiar flames flickered, but his gaze was surprisingly soft. His magic retrieved the stone instantly, and he slipped it back into my pocket.
“Fine,” he breathed, close enough to steal my air. “But keep this. You never know when it may be of use.”
Then he looked into my eyes with all the tenderness I’d been starving for and asked, “Are you planning on returning to the mortal realm—for sure?”
My stomach dropped. That was the one question I’d been asking myself over and over.
“Why does it matter? You got what you wanted, and after I get the dagger, you won’t need me anymore,” I snapped.
“Excuse me? You are the only one who left the mine satisfied,” he said with a devious smirk. “So, I think you’re the one who got what you wanted—and may have no further use for me.”
“Of course you’d bring that up.” I huffed and started walking off. “You’re an asshole.”
His voice softened. “It does matter. So, I need you to be honest with me, Delilah.”
I stopped and turned around to confront him.
“Ugh. Why would I stay?” I exploded. “So I can keep playing this fucked-up mind game with you? So I can get old and wrinkled while you stay young and beautiful forever? So you can mark me and make me your mate—and let’s not forget I’ll have to spend one day a month being Aurelius’s and Cercies’ mate too—”
My rant cut was off with a jerk of my head. He had fast traveled, closing the distance between us instantly.
His hand fisted my hair at the base of my neck and yanked me into his chest. My heart sputtered.
He growled, “They will not touch you. Fuck the laws—when I mark you, you are mine.”
He released my hair, and his fingertips slid down my shoulders, tender now. I shuddered at the mix, rough with pain and soft with affection.
In a low voice threaded with sadness, he asked, “You will be mine, Delilah. I just need to know for how long.”
Then he turned and continued down the path, his spine not quite as straight.
What was I going to do? What did I want? I was torn between two worlds, and the choice felt impossible. I didn’t have an answer, only the weight of the question pressing heavier with every step.
The Faerie Realm looked completely different at night. The night I tried to escape, I’d been so focused on not getting caught that I hadn’t paid attention.
This far north in the Kingdom of Flame was still forestland. Farther south, across a massive river, the landscape turned to mountains and volcanoes, rock, and ash for miles. Not a single green plant in sight.
Draxxinar’s grumble rattled the trees. We were getting close. Finally—we made it. I made it.
Titus transferred the eggs into a leather pouch on his dragon’s back. I handed him the one from my pack and headed straight for the lake to wash up. Thanks to the Lithovore, I was caked in dust and desperate for a rinse.
I wandered down the shore until I was out of view. I didn’t need to go far; the darkness gave me privacy. I stripped, grabbed soap from my pack and then—
Oh no.
Calpurnia… she didn’t.
I’d told her to pack sleeping clothes, just in case, and she’d packed fucking lingerie!!
I pulled out a red lace nightgown that barely covered my ass and a matching thong.
Was she trying to encourage the mate bond with Titus?
Well, this sucked.
I didn’t want to put my dusty clothes back on, but I couldn’t wear that… could I?
Surely there was something else.
I dug through the bag and dumped everything out—small toiletries, snacks, water, and a small rolled-up blanket.
That was it.
I guess I could cover up with the blanket until I got to the tent.
I waded into the cool water and scrubbed myself thoroughly. That’s when I noticed the stars. They were so much bigger here—another thing I’d miss. I probably should’ve been afraid of whatever lurked in the dark forest, but I wasn’t. I’d never been afraid of the dark.
I’d always found it peaceful.