Page 51 of Maleen

I give his arm a squeeze. “You have us to talk to. I know we aren’t a replacement for her, but maybe I can help?”

He stares off after Cynder, silent while he thinks. “I feel this pull to her, like I need to keep her safe. I don’t know if it’s because of what happened with Mel, or…”

“Or maybe you like her?” I add, with a soft smile.

His throat bobs and he gives a single jerky nod.

“Well, if you want my advice. Get to know the other males. They have a brotherly bond, and it’s obvious she feels strongly for them.” His shoulders droop in defeat. “But that doesn’t mean that maybe she doesn’t also share those feelings for you. I mean, look at me, I have four fated mates.”

“But we don’t have a bond like that. What if she doesn’t? What if this only hurts more in the end?” he whispers.

“Plenty of other fae choose multiple partners, Lennox, and if you don’t put yourself out there, if you don’t take that chance and put your heart on the line and risk the pain, then you might miss out on something amazingly life-altering and beautiful. Just, lay off her for a bit and maybe talk to Evander’s crew. Aemon says they’re trustworthy, and Talyn wouldn’t have trusted them to rescue her if there was any risk,” I add, hoping to ease his mind.

He watches me for a moment as he cracks his jaw and the muscle in his cheek pulses. “Okay,” he mutters in a mix of defeat and hope. “Thank you. I’m sorry, I know she’s your sister—”

I put a hand up stopping him. “We didn’t grow up together, and I just want to see all of you happy, including her. But I will kick your ass if you hurt her.”

He laughs. “I don’t doubt that you will. That’s one thing I like about you, Rav. You protect what’s yours, no matter the cost.”

I smile. He’s not wrong, but my smile dims as I turn to him. “‘What’s yours’ includes you, Lennox. Are you doing okay? You’ve been distant, and we are getting worried.”

He sighs and gets a distant look in his eyes. “I miss her so much that it’s hard to breathe sometimes. It should be her here and not me.”

“Lennox. You don’t mean that. She would kick your ass if she heard you speaking like that.” I turn to face him fully and grab his hands. “ Look at me. You are wanted. You are loved, and as much as I wish Mel was still here, I would never trade either of you. You both should be here, and if you keep thinking like that you will fall into a world of despair and anger. Trust me, I would know. Don’t pull away from us, please.”

He nods but stays silent, almost as if he doesn’t believe me. “Thanks Rav. We should catch up with the others.”

“I mean it. We are here for you. Even if you just want someone to sit in the silence with.”

He squeezes my hands once and then takes off towards the others and my heart hurts for him, but I don’t know how else to help, other than continuing to be there for him.

WE CATCH UP with the others and Ember is right, the armory is enormous. Swords of all shapes and sizes line the walls, shining with obvious care. There’s everything a warrior could ever want in this room. I honestly forgot about it. My fathers never let me come in here, they were always worried I would end up hurting myself.

Nero eyes all the weapons in awe, and I’m sure if he could, he would be brandishing a dual-spiked mace just like Rozen is now. “Oh, I want to learn how to wield this!” he mutters in excitement as he accidentally lets go mid swing and it knocks over an armored statue.

“Or maybe not,” Ember states, teasing him. “Looks like you need to work on your technique.”

He smirks. “You weren’t saying that last night when—”

She covers his mouth, turning a bright shade of red. “Rozen Stoll!” she hisses.

Laugher echoes in the room and Roz pulls her in for a kiss. “You adore me, just admit it.”

“Yeah, I do; for some reason I like you.”

He stops, eyes wide as he cups her face and I smile, looking away to give them a sense of privacy.

“You can look away Rav, but I’ve been waiting ages for this to happen and now I have a front row seat!” Nero states, spinning on my shoulder.

“You do? You do realize you just said that in front of all our friends, right? Rav, can you slap me? Am I dreaming?” he shouts.

“Of course, you oaf—”

She’s cut off and I’m grinning, working my way deeper into the armory with Lennox and Cynder, who are still avoiding each other.

There’s so much here that we could easily arm a whole division and still have more to spare.

Cynder’s voice knocks me out of my thoughts. “Hey, Ravina, do you know what’s behind this door?”