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A low growl escapes Dreyden’s throat as I slip from his grip.
It takes everything in me to not turn back to him, to plaster myself to his hard body and rip his clothes off.
But we have more pressing matters.
“Let’s get down to business,” I breathe. “What are we going to do with them?”
Dreyden’s breath is hot on my neck as he stands behind me, sending waves of chills down my overly sensitive skin. “What choice do we have but to keep them here? If they are indeed linked to you, we can’t send them away.”
“True,” Izan chimes in. “Do we have enough… food? For all these people? Supplies?”
I hadn’t even thought of that. We don’t have an exact number, but I was guessing there were well over ten thousand lost fae outside the castle this morning. Their numbers are overwhelming and I don’t know what kind of back-up plan Dreyden has in place for things like this.
Then again, nothing like this has ever happened that I’m aware of. Ten thousand people don’t just show up out of nowhere.
Until now.
I’m feeling every emotion possible, and I don’t know what to make of it. I’m energized by the new power flowing through my body, but I’m unsure what to do or feel from here. The massive army of lost fae outside came here because they believed they were being led by Zeus. They’re looking at me as their leader now, and I don’t know that I’m prepared for a role this large.
Dreyden makes running Fire Court look like a breeze. Even though he is gone six days a week, everything still runs smoothly. The power and respect he holds keep his people in line, but will these lost fae hold me to the same level? How will we house this many people in Fire Court? How do I lead ten thousand people within his court?
If I were anyone else, he’d tell me to get lost, but he can’t because I’m his mate. He’ll give me the unfair advantage and be more lenient with me than he would with absolutely anyone else. Can I live with that?
I don’t know.
But I’ll have to figure it out as I go.
Dreyden sighs, reminding me I’m standing in the room with three other people and can’t get lost in my own thoughts for longer than a few seconds. “We have enough food to get us through a little while, but we’ll need to come up with some other means of meeting their needs if they’re going to be here longer than a couple of weeks.”
“Do you think they’ll be ready to leave in a few weeks?” I ask him.
He shrugs as he raises his brows. “We’ll have to see how it goes and adjust our plans according to what they’re doing. Once their memory returns, they’ll need to leave Fire Court. We can’t support this many people.”
Instant dread drags itself through my heart, and his words feel wrong. “We can’t force them to leave. Where will they go?”
“I don’t think that’s our problem.” His words are cold, like ice against the back of my neck from where he stands.
“It sure feels like my problem,” I snap, looking toward the stars swirling on my arm. “I’m not leaving them.”
He watches me, unsure how to proceed from here. He’s mulling over his response, carefully choosing his next words. “You’ve chosen to over-exhaust yourself instead of processing the grief you’re experiencing. Denial only works for so long, Adeena.”
I stare at him, anger flowing from me in the form of fire at my fingertips, a bad habit I picked up from none other than my mate himself.
“We’ll check on the progress being made outside,” Izan says quietly as he stands from the table. “Let’s go,” he waves his hand toward Lyra.
Lyra rises from her chair without saying a word. She follows Izan out of the room, and they close the door quietly behind them.
Dreyden is standing dangerously close to me as fire flickers from my fingertips. I turn around to meet his glare, and we’re nearly standing nose to nose.
“You’re smothering me and it’s the only way to get away from you.”
His hard glare turns soft as my words strike their target. “I’m away in Tartarus all the time. I don’t know how I can possibly give you more space than that.”
I shake my head as I look down, my eyes landing on his chest. “I don’t need that kind of space. You don’t allow me to make decisions for myself, and you’re constantly hovering over everything that I do. You may be bonded to me by the gods, but you are not the one in charge of my life.I am.”
He closes his eyes, inhaling a deep breath, then slowly exhales it as he says, “It feels as though you’re pushing me away, and this is my natural way of responding. I’m not doing it on purpose, but what do you expect from me when I feel like my mate is rejecting me?”
Rejectinghim? Is that what he thinks I’m doing?
