AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’m coming, shadowy friend,” I singsong. “Just please, please don’t eat me.” I snicker, tripping over my feet.
I trail further away from the music and liveliness, desperate for a moment away from everyone.
Turning a corner around the overflowing side gardens, I’m completely alone on this side of the castle. The bonfire’s glow no longer reaches me over here. Only the silver-tinted glow of the moon peeking out from the abundance of clouds allows me to see at all.
The perimeter wall is barely visible in the distance, a thick, dark line melting into the shadows beyond.
Turning my head up to the sky, I admire the expanse of darkness.
A soft moan reaches my ears, and my head snaps down, silently scanning for the source of the sound.
“Again? Haven’t you had enough tonight,” a throaty, feminine voice says. I squint in the direction it came from.
Propped up against the house’s stony exterior are two figures—clearly having an intimate moment.
I cover my mouth with a hand, stifling a laugh.
The female has her back pressed into the wall, with her curtain of dark hair pulled over one shoulder, exposing her neck to the male that pins her against the wall.
He leans toward her, and her eyes shutter.
I can’t see the guy at all except for his back. His dark clothes blend into the night, concealing them conveniently among the shadows.
Even in the darkness, there’s something familiar about the figure.
I step closer, squinting to make out why he looks so familiar, ignoring the fact that I’m spying on such an intimate moment.
The clouds part, gifting me a stream of silver moonlight. Just enough to see as the woman tangles her hands in unruly, dark hair…hair I just had my fingers tangled in earlier tonight while pouring my heart out through my lips.
It’s Fern I’m looking at.
And—
“Hurry up, Rainer,” she pants.
A terrifying growl leaves him and slams her into the wall, planting his mouth on her neck.
There are many things I’m willing to overlook and forgive. But this isn’t one of them.
Not wanting to face him, I flee back to the celebration.
Behind me, I hear her gasp in pleasure—or perhaps it’s pain?
Or maybe it’s the echo of my own pain. The sound of my heart shattering into a thousand little pieces.
thirty-three
Not Fae At All
Alessia
Desperate to put space between me and what I saw, I run back through the gardens, following the sound of carefree chatter and music until I find the party.
Seeing Rainer with Fern sobered me up, stole my buzz.
I shouldn’t care.
We’re only strangers after all.
