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I wasn’t getting into this, though. Not now. “Somebody. I don’t remember. Anyway—”
His brows pulled together, and he glowered at me. I ignored him and carried on. “—do you know who did it?”
His gaze skittered to the door behind me before finding my face again. “I do not know. Maybe she was killed by a burglar. There are many evil forces in Emlyn.”
I would have believed him if I hadn’t seen his expression right before he’d told me a bald-faced lie. He knew. And he didn’t want to tell me. Which could only mean one thing. He was covering for whoever had done it.
So much for Fae honor. Protecting the murderer of an old woman.I worked hard to keep the sneer off my face. My pulse was racing, and I felt the bite of fear. Who had I shared my bed with? The whiplash of emotions this guy put me through was nauseating. One moment, he saved my life. The next, I wasn’t sure if he could be trusted to not kill me in my sleep.
Don’t be so damn overdramatic. You have no proof at all that he’s involved in this.But my hands were trembling as I picked up the cup of water in front of me. I hadn’t realized until this moment how much I’d hoped he’d be my lifeline once I moved to the royal court. There, I’d be under the magnifying glass, trapped like a beetle.
I’d thought Bleddyn would be the one to keep me safe. Shit. If I needed another reminder of how exposed and alone I was in this realm, I’d just gotten it.
The door opened, and the guard outside ushered in the two servant girls. They curtsied, and the older one said, “Forgive us, milady. We did not realize you would be up and about so early. Otherwise, we would have fixed you a meal already.”
I sat my cup down and smiled to show I wasn’t upset. “Thank you. That’s very kind of you. I’m looking forward to breakfast.”
They giggled, throwing glances at Bleddyn, and moved toward the kitchen. They were inside for barely a minute when the door swung open.
Bleddyn jumped to his feet, pulling his sword in one smooth motion.
“Calm yourself, milord. I am not here for you.”
Daeary sauntered across the room, his eyes aflame. I glanced at Bleddyn to gauge his reaction. He sheathed his blade and sat down again, but his muscles were tense, and he looked like he wouldn’t need much provocation to attack.
Yet his gaze ran down Daeary’s body and lingered a touch too long on his thighs and visible package. Then he licked his lips, and my eyes widened. Bleddyn was into guys. I knew Daeary was. He’d told me as much.
For a second, images of both men hugging and kissing tumbled through my confused brain, but then I remembered how I couldn’t trust either of them. One had lied to me, and the other had hit it and quit it. One had made me feel unsafe, and the other small and unwanted. Both had pissed me off.
I sat back and watched the man with the fiery eyes, my nose wrinkled to show my disgust with him. “What do you want?”
Daeary turned a chair around and swung one leg over the seat, facing us with his arms spread across the wooden bar. He paid no attention to Bleddyn. “I have returned because I cannot stay away, my lamb.”
Bleddyn grunted, and as I glanced across, I caught the end of an eye roll. Focusing back on Daeary, I asked, “If you can’t stay away, why didn’t you say goodbye last night?”
That got Bleddyn’s attention. He sat upright, putting his hand back on the hilt of his weapon. “Last night? What happened last night?”
Daeary gave him a lazy smile, designed to infuriate his rival. “She screamed my name so loud, you should have heard it in the palace,cwtch.”
I swore I could hear Bleddyn’s teeth grind against each other. Before they could come to blows, I raised my hand. “Can you boys just calm down, please?”
Bleddyn spat, “I do not trust him. And neither should you. Do you know what he is? He iscythraul,a devil.”
My eyebrows jumped to my hairline. That was a bit extreme. His eyes were unusual, sure, but to me, all the Fae looked a little weird.
“My mother was Fae.” Daeary crossed his arms across his body. There was hurt in his voice.
Bleddyn didn’t give up. “That may be. But your father was—”
“I never met him. And I am not to blame for my nature. I do all I can to lessen the damage I cause. That is more that can be said of your kind,pendefig.”
I didn’t have to know the language to understand that was an insult. Or maybe it was how Daeary had said it, because Bleddyn’s eyes blazed as he jumped up.
“Okay, that’s enough. Both of you. What the hell do you think you’re doing? Bleddyn, who I sleep with is none of your business. You said having multiple partners is accepted in this world, so you will damn well accept it. Same with you, Daeary.”
Both Fae looked shocked. Maybe women didn’t talk to their men that way in this realm, but they’d better get used to it. Because it might take me a long time to lose my temper, but once I did, I let rip.
“And while we’re at it? Neither of you is gonna get any. Not until I know whether I can trust you. It’s my decision. Mine. Do you understand?”
