AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“What brings you here, Maddox?” Amell asks when they reach me.
I ignore the question, my gaze moving to Nyssa as I give her a tiny bow. “Your Majesty… looking as beautiful as ever.”
Nyssa grins and pats her husband’s arm when he growls low in his chest. “It’s good to see you, and welcome. I’m going to the kitchens, and I’ll have refreshments sent to our apartment. It appears you two might need to talk in private.”
“There’s no need—” Amell starts.
I cut him off. “That would be wonderful. Thank you.”
Nyssa goes to her tiptoes, curls her hand around Amell’s neck, and pulls him down to accept her kiss on his cheek. “Be nice,” she admonishes.
After she walks away, I echo her last words. “Yeah… be nice. I come in peace.”
Amell merely cocks his eyebrow but then sighs, heading into the castle. “Come on.”
We don’t talk as I follow him back to his living quarters, although I see the fae ravager I tangled with the last time I was here. He gives me a wide berth as we pass each other.
Once inside their apartment, Amell leads me onto the balcony that overlooks Otaxis and moves to the edge where he leans his elbows on the railing. His gaze on the city, he asks, “What does Zora want us to do together now?”
I could drop her name big-time, infer her desire is for Amell to help me, but that’s not quite true. She’s staying out of it, and I don’t want her implicated in any way if I’m able to get Lucien back.
“I’m here on my own. I want to talk to you again about Lucien.”
Amell’s head snaps my way. “I believe that discussion has already been laid to rest.”
“With all due respect,” I say as I lean my hip against the rail and cross my arms over my chest, “we didn’t have a discussion. We obliterated trees and boulders.”
The fight was epic and ended far too soon, in my opinion. I would’ve liked to pound on him some more, and I’m sure he felt the same, but Zora used her infinitely stronger powers to separate us like we were little brats duking it out on the playground.
Amell doesn’t say anything but turns his attention back over the glowing city.
“I’ll owe you a huge favor,” I offer to sweeten the pot. “Anything you want.”
That gets his attention. I don’t like the glitter of satisfaction in his expression when he asks, “Anything?”
It’s do-or-die time. How bad do I want my brother back?
“Anything,” I affirm.
“Leave Zora alone and I’ll do what I can for you,” Amell says as he straightens and turns my way. “Agree to never see her again unless it’s to perform a formal task she requests.”
“You are unfuckingbelievable,” I snarl at him. “You’re married, supposedly to a woman you love, and you still want to keep a piece of Zora for yourself. You can’t stand that we have something.”
Amell doesn’t even flinch. “Lucien or Zora. Take your pick.”
“Fuck you,” I snap at him. “I pick Zora any day, every day.”
I prepare to bend distance, but I can’t think where to go. In that moment of hesitation, Amell’s face breaks into a toothy grin. “Excellent.”
That’s startling and… confusing. “Excellent? You’re glad I chose Zora?”
Chuckling now, Amell walks back into the main living area and I follow. Food and wine have been laid out on a buffet stand near the wall. “You were right and wrong. I do love Nyssa more than any creature could love another, but you’re wrong I want to keep a piece of Zora for myself. I have her friendship, and that’s enough.” He pours a glass of wine and hands it to me before preparing one of his own. “I merely wanted to see how serious you were about her. The fact you’re choosing her over the one thing I know you want more than anything speaks volumes.”
Amell turns and holds his glass up to me in salute. “You have my assistance.”
“Are you serious?” I ask, feeling like I’m walking into some sort of trap. “You’ll bring Lucien back?”
“I’ll assist you in trying,” he says flatly. “I don’t even know if I can do it, but there’s a book that might show me how.”
