Helaina made him believe for a few savory moments that she could want him. That she desired him, not just physically, but the same craving attachment that had been tormenting his insides from day one. The missing piece that had been absent for far too long.
He wished he could have lived in her lie a little longer.
CHAPTERFORTY-FIVE
A mouthwatering aroma coaxed her eyelids to life. Helaina sat up to find yet another delivered meal. As unsettling as it was to know someone had come in here while she slept, she couldn’t resist the tempting arrangement. She devoured the poached eggs and sausages, enjoying the pleasant feeling of fullness until she gathered her courage to exit her door.
She cautiously peered out into the hall, turning her head in the direction of Theo’s door. It was closed. She hurriedly shuffled in the opposite direction.
Elkron was a maze, but she surprised herself with how well she had memorized the intricate twists and turns so far.
Although washed and clean, she could still feel the essence of dried blood on her skin as she rubbed her fingertips together. It wasn’t the first time she had worn someone else’s blood, and if she chose this path and became a Divine, she knew it would not be the last.
What’s your purpose, Helaina?
She couldn’t stop thinking about Callum’s question and how to answer it.
Theo’s words muddled her head too, words of sweet promises and sinful desires. Before she had forced that beast to the surface again. Those words were a trick, his hands an illusion. That’s what any romance had ever been to her. A vile trick, a deception.
But Theo had held such truth in his eyes as he spoke.
She restlessly ran her fingers through her hair, completely at war with her own mind.
Had she overreacted? He hadn’t tried to hurt her... He had lavished her body with many types of affection.
It doesn’t matter now.
What mattered was that she was done living in her own shadow, the one she created from her grief. She was done torturing herself to satiate the guilt in her chest. She was done watching those around her suffer.
That’s why, despite the embarrassment of the night before, she made her way to the valley above. Helaina would train. She would use the bone dagger when she was ready and seek out Ures. No more hiding, nor running or making up childish excuses. She would fight for Keles, not for the family that abandoned her, but for her people. For the kingdom her brother loved so much and wanted to build a better world for.
She would fight for the good in this world. The Agathas and the Adriels and the Krystas.
CHAPTERFORTY-SIX
“You’re still leaving yourself wide open on your left,” Breyer coached from the sidelines as Helaina faced down Fee in the arena.
The fae mates had taken her on as their own personal project. They had supplied her with properly fitting armor and more leathers, even found her a sword perfect for her size. It seemed that by saving Aaron, Helaina had earned their trust. The initial shunning she received in this place had ended. Helaina was grateful for it; they were so skilled and patient with her as they spent every day helping her prepare.
They didn’t push about the bracelet again, although Helaina did reveal its true purpose in time, her own sign of trust to give. She wouldn’t practice with her magic, though, not after what happened. She wouldn’t risk luring anything this close again, especially with Theo, Callum, and Manos gone. The Troika had left the morning she fled Theo’s room, before she woke, to find what or who had attacked Aaron. They’d been away for weeks now.
“She’s so fast,” Helaina breathed heavily, trying to match the feline speed Fee was delivering without success. Fee nearly twirled in the air, landing a kick to Helaina’s left side that sent her sprawling to the ground. She didn’t get up this time, more out of frustration than injury. How was she supposed to compete with an immortal without using her power?
“Why does any of this training even matter?” she muttered. “If I get my full powers, isn’t that enough? Why do we need weapons when we have magic?”
“A Divine who only relies on their god-given abilities is as good as dead. Every magic has its breaking point, where it needs to regenerate. We train so when our magic drains, we aren’t...helpless.” Breyer eyed her up and down.
“I am nothelpless.” Helaina scowled. “I have held my own here these past weeks.”
Fee giggled. “Maybe a break is due?”
Helaina nodded, clutching the left side of her armored chest.
“I could eat,” Breyer agreed, giving Helaina a hand and pulling her to her feet with ease.
Day after day she expected the captain to return, waking her at dawn to push her into vigorous tasks and exercise. She wanted to be ready for that day, to prove to him she was ready for her trial.
Wake up.
