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Dallas watched the four of them leave. He didn’t utter a word until the door shut and they were out of sight.
Then his shoulders drooped, and he sighed. “Why aren’t her powers back yet? She’ll wind up dead if they don’t manifest before the trial. You should have the answers.” He gestured at Maeve, his forehead lined with worry.
What the fuck was going on? The man before me wasn’t the same Dallas I’d come to know in my short time here. He seemed … different, almost like a human being.
He stared at me and said, “We need to figure out a way to get her through this.”
“Your Highness, I don’t have any answers either.” Maeve licked her lips. “This is unprecedented. No one knows how reincarnation works, especially since she was born human. Maybe her powers won’t come back, or maybe it’ll take time.”
“She is right here,” I seethed. I hated when people talked about me as if I wasn’t present. “Maybe I have no powers because you kidnapped the wrong person.” I needed Dallas to become the cocky jackass I blamed and hated. This whole nice-guy act was threatening to crumble the one thing I was certain of: Dallas had dragged me into this mess. He wouldn’t be excused because he was worried about me.
“You really need to stop saying that.” He pivoted to face me, the arrogance sliding back into place. “It makes you look weaker, and denying that you’re the princess will only make others despise you more.”
I wanted to stomp and scream. I hadn’t felt this out of control since I’d turned eighteen and began living in the back of Stan’s community gym, away from the predators that had always surrounded me.
“There’s no chance you aren’t the princess.” Dallas stepped forward, his gaze warming. “You sound like her. You smell like her. And you’re even as stubborn as her.” He reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “If you let me kiss you, I bet I can confirm you even taste like her.”
Ew. His normal demeanor was firmly back in place. Thank goodness. “I’ll pass.”
“Oh, love, we’ve always enjoyed this game.” He chuckled.
Maeve cleared her throat. “She’s supposed to be training. Flirting with her is a distraction. If you want her as prepared as possible, you need to let me do my job. I thought that was why you agreed to let me take over her training.”
Dallas frowned and nodded. “Fine. I’ll go inside so you two can focus, and I’ll keep the idiot fae away, but I wanted them to see that, despite her current weakness, she is stubborn and won’t give up.”
I scoffed. “Are you serious? You want to make me a target for your people?” At home, people were afraid of things that were different … things they couldn’t understand or label. The fae people probably weren’t much different. But if Orla was worried about my place in the kingdom, this was an easy way to make me a target before the trial.
“I wanted them to see that you are important enough for Maeve to be assigned to protect and train you.” Dallas straightened. “Especially since you’re so determined to undermine your place here. They might hesitate now that they’ve seen how resilient you are.”
My head jerked back. I hadn’t expected him to be concerned about protecting me.
“I’ve stayed out here too long.” Dallas smoothed his warm-brown suit jacket. “I need to attend to my visitors. Next time you hit her, try to restore reason to her head.” He pivoted and walked away, leaving me alone with Maeve.
I turned around, ready to spar again. “Let’s go.”
Maeve nodded and strolled into the stone circle, ready to fight.
Time passed way too quickly, with every free moment spent training, eating, or being squashed into a dress. Now, it was the night before the Comortas.
I made my way to the garden. Since I’d been behaving, I wasn’t confined to my room, though I rarely left it. Orla kept her distance, and the few times she’d attended my training to see my progress, her expression had been cold and distant, with no hint of the woman I’d met the night I’d arrived.
My bare feet padded across the cold stone of the castle floor as my fingers brushed the flowers I passed. I tried not to overanalyze the fact that some pieces of this place felt like home.
As I approached the hallway that led to the garden, a warning flashed down my spine.
A hand reached out and clutched my arm, and my training kicked in. I whirled and punched the person in the face, and a sickening crunch filled the air.
“Shit,” Dallas exclaimed, releasing me and jerking back. Ocean-blue blood poured down his nose, a faint mist swirling from it.
I blinked, trying to get used to the color of their blood. With Maeve’s armor, I’d never been able to make her bleed, but I’d expected her blood to be crimson like mine. Seeing Dallas bleed blue seemed like further evidence I wasn’t fae.
“You can’t go around sneaking up on people,” I snapped, feeling awful that I’d hurt him. Yes, he was a creep, but I didn’t need to add assault to my ever-growing list of faults.
He pinched the bridge of his nose, seeming more human-like. “I didn’t realize you wouldn’t know it was me, but at least we know your training has improved your reflexes.”
Prick. If he expected me to apologize, he’d be disappointed.
Beyond the window, both moons were high in the sky. It was late—even more reason for him not to be in the halls. “What are you doing out and about? Shouldn’t you be with Orla?”
