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“Need a lifeline?” Del asked softly.
I cut a sharp glance in her direction as my brows came together in confusion.
“You’re sinking in your thoughts. Do you want a lifeline to pull yourself out? Or do you really want to drown in them?” She stood and offered a hand down to me.
I stared at her offered hand. She was so small; I couldn’t imagine someone of her size being able to pull me to my feet. Yet, we clasped hands, and she managed it with ease. It was all too easy to forget about the wiry muscles that made her a lethal killer, especially when we were in such a relaxed environment.
On my feet, I found myself towering over Del. I licked my lips and recalled the taste of her and how I never got the chance to see that through to the end. I reached up and ran a bent knuckle along the line of her jaw.
Del shuddered, but she pulled away and pushed deeper into the underground court.
Stricken, I stood there and wondered what I’d done wrong. She didn’t pause to spare a look back in my direction. Instead, Del vanished without so much as another thought of me.
“What have I done wrong?” I asked no one in particular.
Of course, Rhoan decided that he needed to answer. “She’s not used to being around people. Displays of affection leave Del really off kilter. Just give her a bit of time to center herself, and she’ll return to normal.”
I slowly turned to face him. Anger bubbled deep in my gut. This man seemed to know so much about her while I was only just now able to scratch the surface of this woman I was so deeply infatuated with. How did he get the right to know her when she’d been torn away from me so quickly?
It took a halting moment to realize what I felt was jealousy. The sensation was so new and alien that it took me by surprise. I had to stand there and digest it for several heartbeats. Even then, the jealousy refused to be dissolved completely. It sat like a stone in the pit of my stomach while I studied the man beside me.
“I’ve worked with Del on and off throughout the past two decades.”
A growl rumbled in my chest. I stared him down and challenged him to say more, but it seemed that Rhoan was blind to my glare. That, or he truly didn’t care. The man was a king in his own right. He had a fae domain and an army of magical soldiers at his back.
I can take them all. No one could stop me on a battlefield.
The thought shoved its way into the forefront of my mind, absolutely unbidden. I sucked in a deep breath and tried to steady myself. This man didn’t want to fight. I wasn’t at war. The fact that my first inclination had been bravado and pride worried me.
“And I’ve never seen her take to anyone quite like the way she’s taken to you,” Rhoan continued. “Del is prickly and separates herself from the group like a cat that knows its going to die soon. She’s been waiting for doom to fall on her head, but you came in and offered another option. I don’t think it’shope, but it’s certainly not doom anymore.
“I think she’s just taking her time to figure out what’s ahead.”
I swallowed back the rising emotions. They mingled and became a sour concoction that made my eyes burn with unshed tears. Pulling my glamour back over myself, the world grew a little larger as I shrank back down to a more casual height.
This time, when Rhoan went to clap me on the back, I pinned him with a red-eyed glare. I shouldn’t have been more intimidating in my elven form, but the king still hesitated. In the end, he went for a firm nod and slipped away so I could pursue Del in the underground court.
13
DELPHINE
Back in Lakesedge.
Again.
I didn’t hate it.
In fact, I gulped down breaths of fresh air outside Cerri’s restaurant. The girl behind the counter had offered another to-go drink, which I gladly accepted. At this rate, Cerri could easily poison me as revenge.
But I didn’t think that’s what she wanted. Maybe I’d betrayed her, but Cerri had a capacity for forgiveness that I’d never before seen in anyone. It was like she truly wanted me to become a part of her little community. I’d never be one of her inner circle friends, but she still wanted me to be a part of her life.
It was an odd feeling, to say the least. After so many years alone and without a court, I could feel friendly hands pulling me into a new one. It felt like the warm embrace of a hug, and I had no idea how to deal with it.
Shouldn’t vengeance be on my mind after finding out about Locke’s involvement with the siege on Eveningwind? It felt as though that should have been the case, but my mind wandered to other places without warning. I couldn’t help but think about what’d been left unfinished back in the domain.
The sun was up. It was like we’d never had a chance to enjoy the full extent of a night together. With the light exposing everything, I wasn’t sure if that was what I wanted anymore. I’d been so ready to give everything over to Arven, and now I saw the error of my lust-driven ways.
Who would I be if I wasn’t alone? I’d built my identity on what I could do on my own. With Arven at my side, I wasn’t sure if I would be allowed to be myself.
