by Rebecca Grey
“Don’t worry about Shavarra. We are not together, not in that way. And,” he held up a finger. “You never let me get point number two out as to why I came to your room.” Unfazed by our awkward conversation, Dace pulled the chair away from the small desk and sat on it, balancing his elbows on his knees as he leaned forward. Everything in me yearned to sit near him, to listen to the velvet of his voice. The attraction between us was clear. But I couldn’t afford to be a love-struck idiot.
I thought back to the night he took me out in the Acture Court. It hadn’t been a date. Not a real one, not an official one. But it still felt like I was being courted. The same feeling of wishing we were not so different traveled through me now. I was nymph, only just now free of enslavement. He was a fae prince who had lost his crown.
Yet, I didn’t want him to leave the room. Not yet. “Alright, give me your pitch.” It took both hands to close the wardrobe, but I was able to finagle the fabric inside, enough to be able to lean against the doors and watch him.
“I can help you find ways to utilize your powers in combat,” he shrugged. His scent was strong and I found myself taking a deep breath of the pine needle aroma.
“And..? What's the trade off?”
“And you’ll help me keep it a secret that I’ll be training too.” One hand came up to rub the back of his neck. “I know I have the capability to transport items with me, people even. My power just hasn’t been worked hard enough before.”
“Why does it need to be a secret?”
Dace laughed and leaned back in the chair, hanging one arm across the back. He tilted his chin up. Ever the picture of confidence, even then, he spoke, “Because it’s embarrassing, that’s why. I'm a noble fae. Royal blood. I can barely manipulate my own travel, much less bring someone or something with me.”
“It must be hard not being good at everything,” I gave him a fake pout and ran my finger over the closet door. His teeth bit into his bottom lip, his eyes trailing my finger. Excitement made my heart beat harder, so I laughed to release the tension and gave him a playful smile. It was hard not to imagine that I was brushing my fingertip over his chiseled chest.
“Don’t do that to me, Ryker,” he hummed.
“Do what?” My arms folded over my chest as I watched him with raised brows.
“Tease me.”
“Oh, learn how to take a joke. I’m only poking fun.”
“I know.” He stood, his loafers tapped against the floor, the only sound other than my trilling heartbeat. A wicked grin made the skin around his eyes crinkle. “I like it when you play with me. That’s what makes it so dangerous.”
I swallowed, trying to give life to my dry mouth and throat as I looked up at him. If he came any closer I could press myself against him, align our bodies in the way that my mind kept suggesting. We could brush our lips together in a moment of ecstasy that would, at some point, sizzle out. His teeth could scrape against the sensitive skin on my neck, douse the last of the scent from the tamer. Dace hadn’t said anything about the lingering scent. But occasionally I would catch his eyes drifting to the exact spot.
“You can’t sway me with your beauty,” I lifted up on my toes to speak against his lips. I could kiss him right now. I could answer the lingering question of what his lips taste like.
He pulled away, just enough to be able to see the entirety of my face, “You’ve said that once before, yet somehow we always end up together.” He leaned down, pressing a gentle kiss against my cheek.
Heat like I had never felt before burned up my cheekbones to the tip of my ears. Goosebumps rose over my arms. The air in my lungs was stolen by the smallest of movements.
“If you’re ever in the mood to play, let me know. Or if you're done playing and you want to get a little more serious, I’ll be around for that too.” Ignoring the shiver he sent through me, Dace walked back to the desk chair and pushed it back into place. He paused at the door, looking at me with his blue sky gaze. “Meet me in the stables tomorrow night. We can start training.”
***
Dace
I had said what I said and I hoped it wasn’t too much too soon. Ryker couldn’t tease me like she did. Not if she meant to keep me at a distance like she tried so hard to convince herself to do. It turned so sexy in an instant, and it damn near took everything in me not to act on the scent of lust in the air.
With the door shut behind me, I wiped my sweaty palms against my pant legs, my fingers roaming to touch the tips of the daggers on my belt to reassure myself that I was, somehow, still put together.
Hopefully she believed me when I said that Shavarra and I were not a thing. No matter how many feelings Shavarra may or may not have, Ryker was it for me. Ryker wasn’t just my sun or my moon. She was my whole damn sky. She just might not be ready to know that yet.
It was a perplexing thing to be so near her, to know what we could be together, and not act like we were already there. I’d waited so many years, I could wait a little longer for her to figure it out on her own. But, damn, if I didn’t want to fully kiss her just then.
Before I continued down the hall I adjusted the hem of my shirt, taking a moment to collect myself. It had been a shock to hear that Shavarra was awake. Why had no one told me? It almost made me ill to think that maybe no one had been there when she woke up. I should have been there.
The crumbling hallways were often filled when I walked them. Nymphs roamed as they had never been allowed to before. They made the most of it and I admired the joy that many of them carried once they got their freedom back. It made it feel like this war was worth fighting.
It wouldn’t happen overnight, and even this court still needed some mending. Occasionally, a nymph would walk by and still give me a dark glare or put space between themselves and I. Many of them still did not trust me. They only tolerated me because Ryker had let me in with open arms.
I came to the infirmary, one of the few rooms that hadn’t been totally trashed. Beds had been lined up and filled with nymphs. Many slept or entertained themselves quietly, but I heard a bout of laughter as I entered and I recognized it in an instant. Shavarra had a blanket pulled up over her head and cocooned around her, her legs crossed under her, and her winning hand of cards sprawled out on the small table between her the bed next to her.
“Maybe next time, Rinny,” she beamed.
“Can’t let yourself get rusty, can you?” I whispered, wrapping my arms around her shoulders and pulling her up to me.
“I thought you forgot about me,” she said squeezing my arm and leaning against me.
“No, though I’m mighty upset no one told me you were awake until now.” I tugged the white blanket off her head, her blonde hair was pulled up messily. Through her pale strands I could see the long, dark-pink cut that was mending back together.
“You didn’t wake up alone, did you?”
“No, there are like twenty of us in here.” She gave me a sad smile.
“I’m so sorry, Shavarra,” I said softly, brushing the frizzy strands of hair that had stood up when I pulled the blanket away, “For a lot of things. Listen,” I glanced at the nymph across from her who took the hint and pulled away from their game of cards. “I don’t want to lead you on. And if we need to be through, if you need me to stay away, I get it. Just know that I do care about you, Shavarra. You’re more to me than just meaningless sex. You’re my friend. You built the refuge with me.”
“No, Dace. I’m sorry. You’ve been straightforward with me about everything from the get go. I knew there was never any room in your heart for me. It's my fault for letting myself catch feelings when I knew they could never be reciprocated.” She grabbed my hand, pulling it away from her face and holding it between her palms. It calmed the chaos in my mind.
“So we can still be friends, right?”
“Always.”
“Thank the gods,” I breathed. “Scoot over then, let me get in here with you.”
She laughed, making room for me on the bed, and li
fted the sheet for me to shimmy under. Her bedding smelled like her, clean and sweet, like blooming lavender. Where she had sat was still warm.
“I think she finally hates me less.” I leaned into the backboard of her bed.
“Well, tell me more,” she answered, drifting back against my shoulder.
And so I did. Shavarra was my only real friend since Torrance had proven to be just as fake as everyone else in our court. Eager to use me for some sort of gain of his own. What did he get out of it though? Favor with my parents? My eyes traveled the expanse of the room, over the white bedding and quietly talking nymphs. Shelves along the walls housed oddly-shaped bottles with a rainbow of different color selections.
“Something about taking charge of this place… it chipped away at her anger. She’s stronger now. Happier.”
“Are you happier now?”
Me. It was always about me. Shavarra was always concerned about how I was doing and it was never about her.
“You know what,” I patted her leg, “I’m happy right now. With you. Let’s not talk about her right now, or me.”
Shavarra’s face flushed. “What do you want to talk about then?”
“You. You know what? Maybe you can tell me how exactly you got so good at playing cards.” I smacked my lips, thinking. I didn’t actually know that much about Shavarra. Where was her family? What was her favorite meal? Or her favorite place to visit?
“Something’s gotten into you, Dace,” she laughed, pushing my hand off her leg.
“Call it a rude awakening.”
“This may be good for you.” She pointed a finger at me, the polish that had once coated them now chipping away.
“But we aren’t talking about me, now are we?”
Her small, button nose crinkled with a smile. “Where do I even start?”
Crossing my legs at my ankles, I snuggled into her bed. I waited on her every word, determined that I would listen and learn for once. I would be better. Better to her, the friend who had done the most for me, even when I took her for granted.
“How about you start at the beginning?”
TEN
Ryker
Dace hadn’t been seen out in the valley the entirety of the day. Rumor had it, he was in the infirmary with his friend, Shavarra. I still wasn’t convinced that they were not an item, but Dace hadn’t given me a reason not to trust him yet.
The sun was heading toward the horizon. Nymphs who had put in a hard day of work training and growing stronger out in the valley were turning back toward the castle. Men, who had organized themselves as our castle guard, switched positions and walked the perimeter.
Daethian unwrapped his hand, examining his knuckles. I leaned over the railing that had been made using the old frames of our tiny beds and glanced at his hands. As I expected, they were bright red and practically busted open. Daethian had pushed himself hard today when he sparred. A side of him I hadn’t seen too much of. Almost like something else, something very angry and dark, had taken hold of him for a while.
“Maybe tomorrow you stick to just trying to manipulate your powers?” I pointed to his hand. “I think you should stay away from sparring, you nearly gave that one kid a concussion.”
“Yeah.” His eyebrows furrowed. “I didn’t realize I had been going that aggressively.”
A single strand of his dark brown hair fell forward into his face and he pushed it back into his sweat slicked hair. His shirt had long since been discarded on the side of the ring and his chest was still heaving with panting breaths. His tan had deepened, though a touch of sunburn had left his shoulders and cheeks flushed.
“Are you okay? You’ve seemed a little out of it lately. Just kinda out of touch with yourself.”
“Believe me, I touch myself more often than a man should,” he winked.
“Gross, Daethian,” I laughed. “I’m being serious.”
“I know, I know. It’s just, I don’t know what's wrong with me. I feel… off, but I can’t quite figure out how or why. And I have these moments where time just escapes me. I’m doing things, but I’m not really present for them. Does that make sense?”
“Not at all,” I shake my head. “Maybe you should have Suzetta take a look at you.”
“Nah, I’m sure it will pass.” Daethian gave me half a smile, leaning down to pick up his shirt and slip it back over his head. The material clung to his chest and his abdomen, darkening with sweat. “What do you say we go catch that meal together?”
“Actually, I already have plans.”
He gave me a weary look, but we both started walking toward the castle. “Is it with who I think it is?”
“I don’t know, who do you think it is?” I teased.
“Well it definitely isn’t Randsin, because he hasn’t left the motherdamned bedroom. But let me think… Does he look white as a fucking ghost? Is he overly cocky, despite the fact that he no longer has anything to offer?”
“Ouch. Man, you’re really just trying to drive in the fact that you don’t like him.”
“Who said I didn’t like him? What’s not to like?” He shrugged his shoulders and bumped me with his hip. My steps staggered, but I swerved back on to my path.
“He saved me from Ganglin the night you were taken to the Acture Court. It could have been so much worse than some annoying fae chomping on my neck and taunting me. His scent will fade with time. Ganglin’s, that would have stayed forever. And I don’t think either one of us could have handled that.”
“You’re right. Okay, I get it. Generally, he is a decent fae. I’m just jealous because I wish you’d spend a little bit more time with me.” He batted his long lashes at me.
“Don’t make me feel more guilty than I already do. I promise, tomorrow, we will have dinner together.”
“It’s a date!”
“It’s not a date,” I pointed out with a half-smile.
Daethian rolled his eyes. “Two people alone--”
“We won't be alone, a ton of other nymphs will be eating dinner at the same time.”
“Alone. Enjoying a fine meal, with a couple of glasses of wine. Sounds like a date if I ever heard one.”
“Daethian.” I punched him in the arm softly.
“Fine, but if you change your mind, I promise I’ll clean up really nice for you.” He leaned down and pressed a small kiss against the side of my face, the hair of his beard scratching my cheek. But the kiss didn’t do anything for me. Not like I thought it might. It felt practically platonic. “Hey,” he straightened himself. “Have you heard anything about Ganglin? Or Hattie, for that matter?”
“No. It’s been days since Graceson left, and he hasn’t sent any messages. I’m hoping Windre’s spies might have information for us. On either of their whereabouts.” At night it was harder and harder not to think about the fact that Hattie hadn’t returned. Sleep had been nearly impossible, and when I did sleep it was always a nightmare. “I really hope she’s okay.”
“I’m sure we will hear soon.”
We stopped at the beginning of the mountain of steps that lead to the castle doors. Daethian turned, one foot resting on the first step, and looked at me. I couldn’t help but stare back. We had come so far together. Starving slaves to practically running our own castle, and all because we never stopped believing in our right to freedom.
“This is where I leave you. I’m heading that way.” I pointed toward the stables. “Why don’t you go and talk to that girl. What’s her name? Apaula. She watched you spar nearly half the day. Practically drooling.”
“I don’t know, I’m still pending a date with someone much prettier than her.”
“There isn’t a date, though,” I laughed, walking backwards as he took his first step.
“For now, but things could change,” Daethian yelled over the growing distance between us.
“Nothing is going to change.”
“We’ll see about that.”
With a smile and a short laugh, Daethian turned and jogged up the st
airs. I watched him for a minute, laughing to myself about how flirtatious, yet lighthearted, he was being. Careful not to trip on the dirt path, I headed for the stables. At this distance I could see the worn, sunbleached wood. The doors on either side were open, as they usually were, to allow some sort of a breeze in for the horses.
The valley had completely emptied now. Dew would soon form over the makeshift structures and targets we had created. Darkness covered them, but couldn’t hide the way they made hope rise up within me.
Since returning to the Heathern Court, I had yet to come to the stables. Even the thought caused my chest to tighten and my stomach to knot. But tonight something else came with the idea of the stables. Excitement? Anticipation?
Rounding the corner, I could hear the horses braying and the flick of their tails as they brushed along the edge of their own personal prisons. There wasn’t an intense odor, like I had expected, and the horses remained brushed and fed. Someone had been taking care of the stables. Guilt riddled me in an instant.
Most nymphs had taken back their regular jobs, something they were familiar with and could do well. Yet, I still had not done my part.
“Hello there, love,” a voice called from the hayloft. Dace’s feet hung over the edge as he swung them back and forth. He smiled down at me.
“Well, are we doing this or not?” I looked around wondering where exactly we were going to do this. When I looked back up, Dace was gone. “Dace?”
“Almost didn’t think you were going to make it. Thought you might be getting caught up with that not boyfriend of yours.”
I jumped as his voice came from over my shoulder. Whipping around, my hair smacked him under the chin as I faced him. “Yes, the same could be said of you with your not girlfriend. Didn’t see you in the valley today.”
“You see,” he began, clearing his throat, “I’m trying this new thing out. I’m not particularly good at it. It’s called ‘being a good friend’.”