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Elva is brutal. And she burns for me. A smile spreads across my lips and heat pools in another part of my body.
Helena continues to stare at the ground until Elva stands and spots me.
I don’t know what to do. I feel like I’m naked. So, I smile widely and say, “I don’t suppose we can get Fae mead down here.”
Chapter30
Henrick the Hard-Ass
ELVA
When I imagined seeing my best friend again after all these years, I thought she'd warmly welcome us. I was wrong.
Helena is still holding a grudge that I ran out on her brother. In all the times that we texted on the burner FaePhones, she never once mentioned it. Now, it’s all out in the open. We moved to the dining room, which unfortunately did nothing to relieve the tension.
Helena is seated across from us, her gaze frosty as she watches us intently. Nathan has an arm around my shoulder and is rubbing soft circles as he studies the goblet of sparkling wine in his hand. They didn’t have any Fae mead.
The silence has become its living entity, occupying a fourth seat at the table as we look at each other.
“So, this is new,” I say to break the tension, gesturing to the table beneath us. It is enormous and can easily seat over twenty people. The three of us are dwarfed by the chairs, their backs rising far above us.
"Mhmm.” Helena nods, her gaze distant. Usually, she is the picture of poise, but today, she slumps in her chair and runs her finger over the rim of her glass. She watches Nathan out of slitted eyes.
I instinctively stiffen, shooting daggers at my best friend.
I understand her hesitation about him. I do.
Would I have ever picked a Summer Fae for myself? No.
Will I give Nathan up? Never.
Helena must read something on my face because she leans back and sips her sparkling wine. I watch her, my gaze drifting to the enormous windows behind her that open up into the city of Aqualis. The glass is enchanted and warded so we can look out, but no one can look in.
Merpeople swim by outside the window, their arms laden with packages and bags as they go about their daily lives. The faint sounds of conversations drift through the glass, sounding so conventional. They look so normal.
Normalcy has never been something I've been allowed to know.
Dinner is somehow even more awkward. Seeming to sense the tension in the room, Helena’s sister Hallie and her husband made a flimsy excuse about their son Ian and disappearing before dinner is served. I never liked Hallie. She’s all royal manners on the outside but pure bitch inside.
Servants swim in, bearing iridescent cloche after iridescent cloche, placing their dishes on the long table before removing the lids with a flourish to reveal perfectly cooked fish. Salmon with crispy skin and maple glaze, tuna steaks with a sesame crust, and shrimp sautéed in garlic. There's an enchantment around the food that stops it from taking on the seawater that surrounds us.
Nathan's disappointment is a wave that washes over me. He picks at his food, eating only as much as necessary not to insult our host. The clinking of cutlery against china fills the room as every chew and swallow is amplified.
Finally, the servers swim in to clear the plates. Once the table is clear, I pick up my wine and throw it back in one swallow. It’s strong and burns before settling in my body, but it gives me the strength to finally bring up why we came here.
“All right, Helena, that's enough,” I say. “We need your help.”
Before Helena can reply, a voice comes from the door to my right. The sound sends shivers down my spine.
“And why does my little sister need to help you, my elusive fiancé?” the newcomer asks.
I stiffen, my grip tightening on the goblet until my knuckles turn while. A crack echoes through the room, and the empty wine glass shatters in my hand. I watch in clinical fascination when I realize a piece of glass has cut my palm, causing red blood to stream out and color the water.
"Elva, gods," Nathan swears beside me, grabbing my hand before finding a napkin and pressing it against the would. His hands are warm against my clammy skin.
"Yes, Elva,gods. What are you thinking, letting this Summer Fae touch you?" Henrick swims around the table, his tail as black as his soul as it swishes around him.
“Henrik, you weren’t invited,” Helena snarls. I’m floating in the water in an instant, backing away from the table and feeling off-balance and vulnerable.
