AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I didn’t know you had a funny bone in that whole body. I mean, I’ve felt other bones, but none of them were very humorous.”
He rolled his eyes. Standing, he helped me up off the couch and beckoned a floor salesman over. The guy in the trademarked polo seemed nervous at first. I couldn’t blame him when he had to look up to meet Arven’s gaze.
We ordered the couch, paid for it, and scheduled to have it delivered. On a whim, I added a coffee table and the kind of tv stand that had a built-in electric fireplace. Arven used to be a king. I knew he had the money for it. The man didn’t even bat an eye at the final price.
On the way back to the warehouse apartment, we stopped at a Chinese buffet and an ice-cream parlor to pick up food. It was then, walking the streets of Lakesedge, that I realized that I truly had a home once and for all.
15
ARVEN
Calen had assumed the throne. Now, every elven realm would know that I no longer raised the banner in my family’s name. Word should have spread far and wide. The spy master would make sure of it.
Del’s reaction intrigued me. She watched me as if waiting for a hint of regret to cross my features. So long as she and I were together, I would regret nothing. I’d been waiting for a reason to fling myself away from duty, I just hadn’t realized it until now.
Fighting had kept me busy. It’d given me a reason to get up every morning. Now, I knew what it meant to be alive rather than just an automaton that moved without feeling. When Del touched me, my heart danced with life. When she glowered at me, I smiled so wide that she almost always threw something at my head.
Locke had been right when he assumed that Del would make me a stronger person.
“Are you ready?” I asked her.
Del was dressed to kill, literally. She wore her kobold leather and had a crossbow—much larger than the hand-crossbow she’d been using—strapped to her back. If she dropped into a crouch, she could use the momentum to swing the weapon over her shoulder and into her hands.
Rolling her shoulders, she said, “Ready as I’ll ever be.”
I recalled the ogre that’d stunned her the last time we’d gone up against Locke. There was a strong chance that same ogre would still be there. I assumed that he’d been a part of the original siege upon her home, the day that everything had changed for her.
Taking Del’s hand in my own, I promised her that I would take care of the ogre for her. He and I would be a good match against one another. I would be more than happy to use this beast I’d made of myself for Delphine’s benefit.
Her eyes hardened. I watched as she tucked away the part of herself that knew fear. It was both terrifying and worrying. This was how she killed. She took the soft part of herself and asked it to look in the other direction while she did the cold tasks that allowed her to survive.
I cupped the back of her head and pulled her in for a kiss. It didn’t warm her cold eyes, but she made sure to show me affection in other ways. She ran her hands up my chest and fisted them in the front of my shirt.
“It’s a deal,” she whispered into my lips. “I’ll repay you when we get back.”
I couldn’t help but smile because I knew there was no future in which we failed. Together, Del and I could do anything, even take down a rival elven court.
The path to Locke’s hidden domain revealed itself when I sniffed the handkerchief that my brother had given me. There was no telling how many wards Locke would have in place. He seemed like the kind of man who everyone wanted dead, so I braced myself for alarms the moment we stepped foot in the domain.
Delphine
My blood sangwith the promise of vengeance…and a little bit of love as I held Arven’s hand. Together, we stepped into Locke’s domain.
The prickle of magic bit at my skin the moment my feet touched the grass. Locke would know that we were here. If he was smart, he would run for his safe room and gather his most trusted fighters around himself. Since I knew there was no stopping him, I yanked Arven close and spared another moment to kiss him passionately.
He growled into my mouth, and I devoured the sound. I let it add fuel to the fire already burning bright in my chest.
Today was the day that I ended the vicious cycle of nightmares haunting my sleep.
Today was the day that Locke Balefire finally paid for his crimes.
I pulled the veil of invisibility over myself and rushed towards the house. Behind me, Arven remained in the middle of the grassy grounds, threw his arms wide, and bellowed. We’d agreed that he would act as the diversion. So long as most of the focus was on him, I would be able to move seamlessly through the house.
Locke knew that the ogre would give me pause, though. He’d seen it happen once. That was how he’d managed to get a shot off on me. The conniving man would keep the ogre close to him today, which meant that I couldn’t leave Arven too far behind. He stomped towards the building at the center of the domain in an effort to remain close to the woman he couldn’t see.
The building itself was massive and gaudy, just like the home he owned in the mortal realm. It seemed like Locke enjoyed showing off his good fortune. I couldn’t wait to set it ablaze. Once Locke was dead, I would torch this place and watch it burn.
No one came running out. Instead, I heard the soft whisper of windows opening and the familiartickof crossbows being loaded. I dropped, rocked my own crossbow over my shoulder, and took aim at the first window. With my homemade poisons, I didn’t need to get a good shot. I just needed to hit.
