AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter8
Espen finished buildingthe bookshelf while I continued reading. I was slow after so long without looking at anything with words on it, and focusing hard was making my head throb, but in a good way.
I closed the book when he finished the shelf, though, ready to kick him out so I had space to breathe and think before the meeting with the people who had apparently been his father’s advisors.
“Thank you,” I told him, slipping off the bed. My bare feet met the floors, and I was surprised yet again by how warm it was. The warmth was nice, and calming, and reminded me of home.
The home that was now gone.
My chest ached for it, though.
“Mmhm.” He grabbed a stack of books.
Shit, he was planning on staying.
“I can organize these myself. I’m sure you have more important things to do right now,” I told him, completely bullshitting in an attempt to get him out. Anyone could organize books; you just stuck them on the damned shelf. Any order would do. Some people organized by color, or size, or series, or subject, but random would work too.
“I locked you in my fucking dungeon for multiple months, Akari. Building and organizing a bookshelf for you is the least I can do to make that up to you.”
Well, I supposed he did have a point with that.
Not one that changed my mind about anything, though.
“I’d rather be alone right now,” I said bluntly.
“And I’d rather you never spend another minute alone in your life,” he countered, just as bluntly. “We’re both compromising here.”
I huffed a bit, but stopped arguing.
He was feeling guilty—it probably had something to do with the fated mate connection we were sporting.
“So you’re not close with your brothers,” I said, thinking I might be able to make him uncomfortable enough with some questions that he’d leave.
“No.”
“And Horvis is your best friend?”
“Horvis and I are complicated.” There he went again with a vague answer.
“Complicated how?”
He didn’t answer immediately, so I prodded again.
“Are you lovers? Half-brothers? Kindred souls?”
He snorted. “It’s not even possible to have a half-brother in our land, Akari.”
Right.
Night fae could only procreate with their mates. Which had become a problem, given how many fae had begun dying when the brothers went to war. None of the fae in other lands had evolved that way, as far as I knew, and that made them—us, I supposed—uniquely vulnerable.
“Lovers, then.”
He snorted again. “We’re both very much attracted to women.” He grabbed a new stack of books off the floor near the door, where they had been placed. “Horvis has wanted to take the throne from my brothers and I for a long time. My father always said to keep your enemies close, so I have. But at this point, he’s running my portion of the kingdom so thoroughly that I don’t think my people even answer to me anymore. I’m their fucking mascot.”
My forehead wrinkled. “I’m sure that’s not true.
“It is. I’m the king, but he’s the ruler. And we’re friends to an extent, but we both know who would win if he challenged me for the throne. I’m sure he would already have ended me if he didn’t know that my magic would go to one of my brothers the moment he did.”
