Chapter 10
Zephyr
Fuck, how did I not know the woman was human?
The moment I saw her, I knew something was different about her, but I wasn’t able to think much about it before I had to deal with the Nephilim.
And then I just left her. The woman who is to marry my mate—something I’m still processing—and I left her with Finnick.
Fuck.
There’s no mistaking it now. Her skin is a rich, warm bronze, glowing as if the sun favors her.
Curls, dark as ink and full with volume, spill past her shoulders and out of her bun.
They mostly hide her ears, but there’s no mistaking the rounded curve to them.
She’s delicate, like a touch too rough might break her.
I suppose that description isn’t completely warranted when she faced a Nephilim alone. With a pot, no less.
That’s pretty impressive.
There’s a beauty to her, not of the fae but of something otherworldly.
She even smells human, like artificial sweetness, and wears her emotions for all to see.
Her brown eyes, the color of autumn leaves, stare at me with a mixture of reverence and fear.
She’s waiting on me to answer her, the air charged with tension I can’t fathom.
“Zephyr,” I say too briskly because Niko shoots me a warning glare. I’m shit when it comes to introductions, but even more so when I’m looking at Niko’s future wife.
Just his. Not mine. No matter how many times he begs. I don’t—won’t—have room in my heart for another.
“Zephyr,” she says my name, sweet like honey. I find myself wanting to hear her say it again. “And who are you?”
This time, she’s looking at Niko. My mate grins, wearing the same charming smile that has gotten many before me to warm his bed at night. It’s hard to resist. “I’m Niko.”
“King Niko,” I supply.
The woman gasps, a red tint coloring her cheeks. “I’m Evangeline.” She wrings her hands together nervously. “I’m not from here.”
Despite myself, I snort. Niko can punish me for it later if he wills, but this small talk is getting us nowhere. I approach her, far too quickly, apparently, because she scrambles back until she hits the tree behind her. Skittish little thing.
“Where’s Ender? Why isn’t he with you?” At my question, Evangeline flinches. I don’t mean to sound accusatory, but it doesn’t make sense that he’d leave her to fend for herself.
A hand comes down hard on my shoulder, and I turn to see my scowling mate. His anger pulses through our bond. “Calm yourself, Zephyr,” he snarls. “She is not the enemy.”
Perhaps not, but my question still stands. My patience is thin, and our time is even more precious than before. We need answers, more than this woman needs gentle kindness. She won’t find that in me.
Still, Niko turns to her, his gaze moving down her body. “Are you hurt?” he asks, finishing his assessment. There’s an appreciative gleam in his eyes. He’s clearly a fan of what he sees.
“No…but, I’m sorry. I don’t want to be here.
I don’t know why The Guardian just left me, and I think I’ve made a horrible mistake.
I’m not meant for this place. I’m just a chef!
Not some woman fit to fight…whatever the hell those things were.
I thought…” she breaks off, and I swear a single tear runs down her cheek before she wipes it away.
“I just wanted to leave Grym Hollow. Explore the world. But I’m seeing now I shouldn’t have left. I’m not brave enough for this shit.”
Lady Thalia moves closer, Finnick still perched on her shoulder.
She reaches to gently place a hand on the woman’s arm.
Evangeline tenses as if not used to touch, but only for a moment.
Lady Thalia is a healer by nature and has a way of calming even the unruliest of patients.
“Don’t talk about yourself like that, dear girl.
You were brought into this world and left to fend for yourself.
This is not how we wanted to greet you.”
“No,” Niko agrees. The anger in his voice is palpable. For a fae who’s rarely jostled, Niko is far more upset by this than he’s letting on. His emotions rage inside our bond. “The Guardian promised to bring you here safely. He should have protected you. Did he say why he left?”
“He didn’t, but…” Evangeline hesitates, as if not sure how much she should say. An encouraging nod from Lady Thalia has her continuing. “What did you call those creatures again?”
“Nephilim?” Finnick supplies.
“Yeah, those. When Ender brought me here, one of the Nephilim was approaching us. But then it saw The Guardian and backed away, back into the forest. He left shortly after that without explaining why.”
Niko meets my gaze, frowning. He ponders the same unasked question. Why did the Nephilim leave The Guardian alone? The bastard isn’t here to ask, which seems far too convenient for my liking and does little to improve my mood.
“What do you know of us and your role here?” I cut in.
Evangeline’s blush only darkens, but it may be from the cold. The temperature has dropped, and the sun is settling rapidly in the west.
“I don’t think now is the time to question the girl,” Lady Thalia interjects, looking between her sons and me.
I grit my teeth, holding back my ire. Does no one else see the value in getting answers before we make our next move?
Time is luxury, one we no longer have. Every minute—hell, every second—is critical.
And yet, even if I explain myself, it won’t matter. They want to make the woman comfortable. Everything else comes second, even my feelings on the matter.
Finnick flutters off Lady Thalia’s shoulder and lands on Evangeline’s round nose. “Do you want me to retrieve your weapon?”
“My…weapon?” she asks, confused.
“The mighty pot you used to slay the beast,” Finnick says with all the dramatics the little sprite can muster. “A weapon like that shouldn’t be left unattended. Might fall into the wrong hands, and we wouldn’t want that.”
A ghost of a smile plays on Evangeline’s lips, and her shoulders droop slightly. A small piece of her armor coming off. “I would like that very much. I’ll need my suitcase too. I can go—”
“I’ll go with Finnick to retrieve your things, dear girl,” Lady Thalia says.
Niko nods in agreement and takes a cautious step toward Evangeline.
She doesn’t back away this time but looks upon him curiously.
“I’m afraid I can’t take you back to the castle tonight,” he says gently.
“Too many of our soldiers need healing before they can travel. But I can take you to our tent. You’ll be safe there, and it’s warmer than out here. ”
“A tent? Like an outside tent?”
Niko stares at her curiously. “Does your world have inside tents?”
“Well…no, we don’t,” she mutters. Evangeline looks as if she wants to bolt again, but at the last minute changes her mind.
She’s going to be a problem. Not our solution.
Another body to keep safe and another mouth to feed.
Perhaps Niko and I didn’t think this plan through thoroughly.
Feeling my wayward thoughts, Niko reaches out and clasps my hand, giving me a reassuring squeeze. “It’s just a ten-minute walk. We can talk once we get you warm.”
With a slight nod, Evangeline steps forward and ignores Niko’s outstretched hand. Her refusal doesn’t faze my mate—very little does—and instead he walks by her side. I’ve never seen a human before, and I find I can’t look away from her.
Word has made it to us from the other kingdoms that the human women Ender has brought over have all helped ensure their kingdoms’ safety. But who is to say Ender is always right? Why do we continue to put so much unwavering trust in him?
We asked for a savior, and he brought us a chef in a world where food is scarce. This seems like a cruel prank to play on us. Allowing us to get our hopes up, only to crush them in the end.
With that sobering thought, I follow behind Niko and Evangeline. We make the walk back to our tent in silence.