AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I have nothing to do with this!” I yell. “This isn’t fair. Release me! Please!”
He blabbers something about how I should be grateful he’s protecting me. That he’s giving me space and safety away from the vampyrs and tainted court.
Except with each step further and further away, my heart aches more for Rainer. It’s like the distance between us rips open a chasm in my heart, and even Eoin’s empath magic isn’t enough to numb the hurt there.
I’ve never felt a pull like it before.
It’s incomprehensible, and every cell in my body screams to turn around and run back to Rainer—despite what he’s done.
Glancing over my shoulder, I catch Rainer watching me with longing.
He mouths to me, so no one else will hear, “I’ll see you in my dreams.”
thirty-seven
I Will Do Much Worse to Him
Rainer
Alessia leaving is like ripping my beating heart from my ribcage.
Each step she takes through the foyer steals my breath, and as she steps through the front doors and out of sight, I almost fall to my knees.
All the lessons I’ve tried to teach her: to fight, to stand up for herself, to protect herself, to believe in her strength. They seem like nothing when I’m the one standing here tearing her down.
For now, Eoin has won. Our debts are paid, we are even.
When I’m certain I can keep Alessia safe, I am coming for her.
As it stands, I can barely protect her from myself, how can I protect her from Tynan?
The spirits?
The woods?
If Tynan is willing to flout our moral code, drain a human and leave them behind so carelessly, what’s stopping him from going after Alessia next?
There’s no love lost between us brothers, and between him and Eoin, the Terra Prince is the lesser evil. He’s a weasel, a threat to my court at worst, an annoyance at best.
As much as I loathe Eoin, he’s a decent male when it comes to humans. He has the means to keep Alessia safe and out of harm’s way.
He thinks he won this battle, but he hasn’t. By agreeing to send Alessia with him as a way to call our debts even, I’ve won. I protect Alessia, and I protect my court.
Placating Eoin means buying myself time to figure out this mess.
I’m already heavily disliked, and I couldn’t care less if I’m ostracized, but I’m in charge of too many people here to let my title slip through my fingers. If I’m replaced, it’s likely the entire court would be, too. And I can’t let them down.
Kenisius’s family has worked in my family’s employ for generations. His stipend supports his expansive family. They rely on his job.
Das Celyn’s status could be stripped, and they would be left with less than they had before. Their family would reject them, and they’d likely end up on the streets with no home, no title, and no money.
Even Fern, as much as I despise that girl, doesn’t deserve to be left for dead. Sure, I need her blood to keep my bloodlust at bay, but she relies on me for safety—from the fae who hate her, and from the faerie magic she’s dangerously addicted to.
And those are only a few members of my court. There are hundreds—thousands more—who rely on my leadership. Beyond that, it’s my magic coursing through the woods. My magic that I will one day regain control over.
I’ve been experimenting with my plants in my mother’s old wing, trying to find a way to reign in the magic and keep the trees under control.
I’m close. So close.
