20. Elorie #2
She’s been in the training ring day in and out since we arrived, and I sense it’s to keep her thoughts at bay.
“I didn’t realize you were coordinating with Wilder’s court.”
“It’s better than throwing swords at posts.” She shrugs.
Her gray eyes move to Wilder, Rior, and Atlas, distrust heavy in her gaze. When Rior glances over, his expression is more of the same. He doesn’t trust us any more than Greer trusts them, but they’re trying for Wilder’s and my sakes.
The crowd parts as Aurora walks through.
Two silver feathers wind around her shoulders, curving over her breasts like they were molded to them.
They’re all that cover the top half of her body, while a pale-green silk skirt ties to a notch at the tip of the feather, dipping just above her belly button.
It flows down over her hips, pooling at her feet.
She pauses to tell Wilder something, while he continues to watch me. When she’s done, the three males nod, and then Rior follows Aurora out of the room.
I hate that my temples throb and my chest constricts every time she’s near him. The female playing consort to my mate, even if he’s yet to claim his crown.
Wilder’s eyebrows pinch, and I realize that jealousy must have slithered down the thread, so I clamp it off.
“She’s difficult, but she’s smarter than most generals I’ve met,” Greer says, watching Aurora go.
Letia’s eyes narrow. “I don’t trust her.”
I hum, not sure if I do either. But Wilder does, and so I have no choice but to grant her grace so long as he continues to do the same with my people.
“Could I bargain for a dance?” Thomas cuts between me and Letia, his eyes bright as they scan her over.
He’s been pursuing her endlessly, but even as she nods politely and places her hand in his, there’s sadness stirring in her blue eyes. She glances at me as he leads her away. But I don’t sense it’s for Benjamin. There’s something else bothering her.
Greer spots fresh bottles of wine being carted into the room and tips her chin. “I’m getting a refill.”
She crosses the room while I stay and watch. At some point, Seren must have slipped off as well, because I’m alone. And I notice Perame has also abandoned her group.
While no one approaches me, the opposite is true for Wilder. He’s pulled in every direction with his court moving around him. Some Fae I recognize, others I don’t. It’s the opposite of the Ley Court when he was the outcast.
Here, there’s not a moment he’s alone, and he plays that role well. His confidence is easy. His smile warm. He’s nothing like the male I stood beside at Selia’s grieving pillar today. For them, he wears a mask, hiding his grief.
Atlas splits off from Wilder at some point, surprising me as he snags a fresh glass of wine off the table to my right. He pauses, facing the room as he draws the cup to his lips.
“It’s a little overwhelming, but you’ll get used to it.” He takes another sip. “Although, I suppose you might be already.”
Sympathy flares in his eyes, dragging me back to a different time. When I didn’t know Atlas, but he knew me. He was there in the dungeon. He knows what Malachi forced me to do. He kept an eye out for me when Wilder couldn’t; although at the time, I had no clue.
“I’ve been meaning to thank you.”
His brows furrow. “For what?”
“For being there for me in the Ley Court.” My gaze drifts to Wilder, who faces my direction, even as he has a conversation with Rior.
“You were there for me when Malachi would bring me down to the dungeon. To those bodies…” I swallow hard.
“You showed kindness when not many did. Thank you for looking out for me, even if it was only because Wilder asked you to.”
“Orders or not, it was for you, Elorie,” Atlas says. “You didn’t deserve that.”
I nod, swallowing thickly, while Atlas gazes off. When I glance over, I find him watching Greer.
“She’s been through a lot,” I say, not offering any details. “Don’t hurt her.”
Atlas smiles at me. “Wouldn’t dare.”
He offers a polite nod as he turns and walks in the opposite direction, back to Rior and Wilder.
I stay put, absorbing the scene around me.
It’s more relaxed than it was in the Ley Court.
Fae come and go. Those who are here seem to be genuinely enjoying themselves instead of putting on a show.
I take a sip of wine; its full flavor bursts on my tongue and soothes my chest. But when my gaze meets Wilder’s, there’s no denying how my heart races.
“Something on your mind, Starfire?” He smirks, hands tucked in his pockets.
“You.”
A simple truth that isn’t simple at all. His throat works at my confession, and his smile slips. Tension surges between us in the air and through the thread. His secrets cast doubt, but only one truth really matters, and it’s that he did it all for me. He’ll do anything for me.
Gods, I want to let him.
Let him love you.
Let yourself love him.
“Can we go now?”
“All you had to do was ask.” In a blink, he moves from across the room to in front of me, abandoning his conversation as aether wraps my waist. He presses a palm to the air, and the room around us fades until he’s pressing the door to our room open. It clicks shut behind us, and I’m done fighting.
Done denying.
“I need you” is all I have a chance to whisper before his hands thread in my hair, and his lips land on mine.