AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“There’s only one bed in the room, and he’s too paranoid to let me sleep anywhere else.”
Understanding dawned in her gaze. “Veil.”
“Yeah.”
She rubbed her eyes. “It’s fine. You don’t smell that strong right now. Just don’t get too close to anyone so they don’t pick up on it. And start bathing every morning.”
I nodded, and she leaned against me a bit as we both stared out at the empty cage.
Shortly after that, Kierden joined us on the bench, and the fighting began. They were doing some kind of specialized hand-to-hand combat, with smooth, graceful motions. It was fascinating to watch, honestly.
And the nudity made it even more fascinating.
Hours and hours passed, and it was dark again by the time we left. Despite the lunch we’d been fed in the middle of the day, and the part of hers that Eisley gave me, I was starving.
Our esu had joined us partway through the day, so they carried us back to the castle, and we poured into the dining hall with a group of other fae.
As I ate, I learned that no one except the king and his sister technically lived in the castle, but that it was always open for anyone who needed a break or wanted an escape for a few days. There was a massive pool inside it somewhere, as well as a bunch of space for training, and a huge library.
Since everyone was welcome, there were constantly people coming in and out. There were usually only a few fae staying there, but everyone had done so at one point or another.
It fascinated me that they could rely on each other like that and surprised me to hear that Kierden was so welcoming.
But then again, I supposed I didn’t really know him. It had been less than two weeks since he saved me from my tower, after all.
After we finished eating, Kierden and I went to his room and collapsed in bed. We didn’t talk—he still seemed frustrated about our conversation earlier, and I was still absolutely not interested in being his friend.
Both of us fell asleep snuggled with our bonded esu, and despite the tension between us, I still slept so much better than I ever had in my tower.
Chapter10
Nissa
The following two weeks passed quickly.
I was quiet, but observed the fae and tried to learn as much as I could about their land.
Kierden was still grumpy, but surprisingly enough, not angry or cruel.
I still didn’t give him my name, and he only asked once a day or so. He didn’t try to persuade me to give it to him with his hands or body again, either.
By some miracle, we also didn’t fight. It still felt like a few steps back after the way we’d talked and touched each other while I cleaned his wounds, but that was my goal. What he’d said in the forest about not being interested in casual sex made it pretty damn clear that he had been trying to manipulate me even more than I’d realized, and I wasn’t involving myself with someone like that.
Even when I patched his wounds again after he fought a few more times, we only exchanged surface-level pleasantries about the many flowers and fruits I was accidentally growing, our favorite foods, and other similar topics.
We spent our days at the friendly fighting events, and then started training for thehuman fightthe kings had used as a cover when they brought us to Kierden’s city. Me and the other girls were absolutely terrible with weapons of every kind, so they decided they were just going to have to give us all swords and see what happened.
On the fifteenth day since we’d arrived, my stomach clenched as Bright approached the arena.
Kierden didn’t seem worried for me, but Bright was still trying to give me strategies to help me win the fight.
I really didn’t care about winning. I was just concerned with the surviving part, considering that Laeli had fire magic and Kaelle had wind. They could wreck me, and the worst I could possibly do was wrap them in vines. It was more likely that I’d just end up growing them a damn snack.
Kierden had also tried to teach me to control my magic, but we hadn’t gotten anywhere. He wouldn’t admit it, but I was pretty sure he had adjusted to my magic draining him slowly. He didn’t seem worse for wear, despite his moodiness.
The drain on my power would get worse again after the eclipse. I’d need to convince someone else to bond with me when that came around just so I could live a normal life. I still had two more months to worry about that, luckily.
“I have a bad feeling about this fight,”I said quietly to Bright as she wove through the benches, toward a room behind the fighting cage. We would get ready inside the room.
