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“I have. So many times.”
“That’s myDee,” Gullie said, “Still as stubborn as ever.”
“But there’s more than that, isn’t there?” I asked, “You just told me there was.” I looked up at Radulf. “What secret is everyone hiding from me?”
Radulf frowned, breathed deep, and exhaled. “I can’t.”
I set my plate down, stood up, and walked up to him. “Not you, too…” I said, feeling suddenly defeated.
“Mother and father have not told me much, but I know I can’t get involved.”
“So, all that stuff you said earlier, about how this was my home… when mother and father show up, you’re just going to let them take me?”
“I intend to mediate discussions between the three of you, because it’s pretty clear none of you seem to know how to properly talk to each other.”
“That’s not true. I’ve been nothing but honest with them, and with all of you. All I get back though are cloaks and daggers. I want to know what’s happening—I deserve to know.”
“I’m going to do everything in my power to help you. I promise. But you can’t run forever, Amara. You know that.”
I felt like sinking into the ground beneath my feet. First my parents, then Gullie, now Radulf. It felt like everyone was aligned against me, like there was no way out of this except through the Royal Selection, with a ring on my finger and some pompous noble Fae for a husband. Was that really my only choice? WasIthe idiot for not trusting my parents and the other people around me?
Gullie landed on my shoulder and sent a small dusting of her Pixie magic my way. I felt instantly better, but also worse. I couldn’t describe it. “Cheer up, kiddo,” she said. “Everything’s going to work out. I know it will.”
“You’re supposed to say that,” I said, “You’re the up-beat one.”
“I think you mean the cool one.”
I rolled my eyes and smiled. I couldn’t help myself. Gullie had a way of lifting people when they were at their worst, and I truly felt like I was at my worst right now. It didn’t matter if it was going to happen in an hour, or in a week, but at some point, my parents were going to show up and I was going to have to go back with them.
I couldn’t put Radulf in a sticky situation because of me—there was no way. Sooner or later, that meant, I was going to have to face the music. I was going to have to get married to Lord Cyr, or some other noble arse-hat. My energy was probably better spent getting used to that idea and making peace with it.
The sooner I did that, the sooner I would figure out how to navigate whatever my life was about to become.
After finishing my bowl of food, Radulf led Tallin and me into a small tent off to the side of the main one. It was cozy, and warm. There were a pair of beds, many, many furs, and some trinkets and charms that hung from the tent’s wooden supports.
Radulf smiled at me and placed his hand on my shoulder. “You know that I love you more than anything,” he said.
I frowned at him. “Where did that come from?” I asked, suddenly taken a little aback.
“I just don’t know if you hear it enough.”
“People tell me my family loves me all the time. Mother says it often.”
“Mother and I are part human. Father… is not. He has trouble with his emotions, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t there.”
I shook my head. “I just wish they all trusted me enough to tell me what was really going on. You can’t tell me everything’s alright anymore. I won’t believe it.”
He smiled again and squeezed my shoulder. “Get some rest,” he said. “You need to recover your strength.”
Turning around, Radulf headed toward the edge of the tent. He craned his neck over his shoulder and smiled at me once more. “It really has been good to see you,” he said.
I smiled at him. “Yeah… and I guess I do kind of want to go hunting with you.”
“You do?”
“Yes, but only with you… if that’s okay.”
“Aren’t you afraid you’ll hurt mother’s feelings if you don’t let her take you on your first hunt?”
