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“Isn’t that right, Lily?” She whirled back to him, and Jarek’s lips curled once more. “The Mainas are fond of you. One in particular. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind answering a small favor.”
Aarin was thankfully slow to flush the pieces together. “You’re in good with the Maina family?”
Lily snatched her helmet from him. “Of course I am. I’m the Wraith. I’m supposed to know the other Primordial families.” Lily bit her tongue and slowly stepped backwards toward Jarek. “I mean… I did spend some time in their keep while I was Minerva’s ward, and I’m sure she’ll have no problem granting you access to the city as long as you’re on your best behavior when you arrive. Would you excuse us?”
Lily didn’t notice Jarek let her drag him deeper into the alley until she peeked around him to make sure Aarin stayed put.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“Not letting you chisel away at your good fortune just falling into your lap.” He coolly cuffed his sleeves to his elbows, exposing the corded muscle under his skin. “How hard is it to just agree to whatever he wants?”
Lily tore her gaze from the flex of his crossing forearms. “I’m trying not to lie anymore. If I screwed it up so badly, why not compel him?”
“I don’t think that’s necessary when there are other, more honorable, ways to manipulate what we want from him.”
Why was he in such a good mood? He got as little sleep as she did last night, a fact she knew because he sat with her damn near the whole time.
“Fair, but we’re not dragging Zander into it. He probably got himself in enough trouble for getting me out of Tyrsia. No need to bog him down with more.” Lily pressed her lips and folded her own arms. “Who told you about him anyway?”
“I know about all of the significant events during your time in Rimore from various sources.” He angled around to check on Aarin. “Although Sterling does like to joke about the betrothal, as he tends to do with most things.”
She scoffed. “Betrothal is a very strong word.”
“Oh? What would you describe it as?”
“Nothing more than silly infatuation. We were barely more than children. Besides, Amalia or even Minerva wouldn’t allow any more dilution of the Wraith’s bloodline.” Jarek smiled suspiciously over his shoulder. “Unless something changed that I need to know about?”
“Nothing that I’ve heard. But Aarin’s comment last night did get me thinking.” He turned back to her. “Was the prospect of marriage to someone who wasn’t your true love why you fled or was it the fact that you consider yourself nothing more than, what was it, an asset?”
“You draw the line at compulsion, but find eavesdropping honorable?”
“Or perhaps a combination of both?” Jarek ignored her, tilting his head. “I’ll return the favor.”
Lily considered that. It was tempting so long as she had the freedom to ask about anything she’d like. “No restrictions?”
“No restrictions,” Jarek promised.
“Both,” she answered.
Jarek’s brows pinched together. “Were the Argents cruel to you? Is that why you ran?”
“No… No! They were kind to me. They were… insistent, that’s all. They wanted me to accept a part of myself I never knew was there and give up everything I wanted, and there was never another option.”
“So you made one.”
“Yes.”
“What was it you wanted instead?”
Lily paused. No one who knew about her standing ever asked. Everyone assumed she’d be happy to claim her place as an Imordial until she didn’t, and even then, no one asked her why, only speculated. Not that it mattered since what she wanted was to be like her physician father, but that was impossible so long as the Wraith remained in her body.
“All I’ve wanted is to live my life without the Wraith in it…” she admitted as a vague truth. “I guess I found it in Reave.”
“You were happy there.”
“I was.”
Jarek’s gaze drifted to her aura. “I understand why you made the choice you did. It’s not easy existing for everyone but yourself.”
