Page 67 of A War of Ruin and Reckoning

“You love me?” she murmured.

“I probably shouldn’t,” he grumbled.

She smacked him on the shoulder. “Probably shouldn’t?!”

He laughed, as if he’d intended to push her buttons, then sobered and said, “We’re both so new at this, but—”

“But our hearts have known each other forever.” She slid her palm over his smooth chest, feeling his beat beneath the bone. It was sad to think that Jace would never again be the driving force behind Leaf’s words. There was much to learn about Leaf. But the heart mattered most, and hers told her that this elf was her one and only. She smirked at the apprehension on his face as he waited for her response. “I guess I love you, too.”

“You guess?” he growled, his elven ears twitching.

“Your ears moved.” She giggled and tried to touch them.

“They do that sometimes.” He ducked to avoid her swiping fingers. “Not human anymore, remember?”

Tension crept into his shoulders, and he tried to brush her off again. With a huff, he turned to find his shirt, but she stood before him with a smile.

“¡Ay, qué menso!Of course, I love you.” She continued in Spanish, laughing about how the big warrior with muscles as thick as her thighs and an ego as big as the tree outside was hurt by her little joke.

Eventually, he captured her hand, held it prisoner against his chest, and said, “Good.”

“Ooh, good, he says,” she mocked, rolling her eyes.

He dropped his lips to her ear and said hotly, “Remember that tonight when these ‘big warrior muscles’ finish what I started in bed.”

At her shock, a self-satisfied smile tugged his lips, and he left to dress in his walk-in closet.

“You understood my words,” she pouted. “I liked it better when you couldn’t understand my insults!”

He returned in his Guardian uniform and tossed her a dress. “I borrowed that from one of the girls.”

She slipped it over her head and tied the waistband. The skirt flared and dropped to her ankles, but the bodice was tight enough.

“It’s nice,” she said. “I’ll have to thank whoever lent it.”

“Clarke,” he grumbled, scowling at Nova’s chest. “I should have asked for something more tailored.”

She tugged at the neckline. It was a little loose, and her girls were flowing free. She finished washing her face and tied back her hair, making sure to put on the hoop earrings Leaf gifted. When she went to apply the lip stain left from the wake, her glowing freckles halted her. Unease started to unfurl in her stomach, but before it spread too far, she finished painting her lips, rubbed some floral perfume on her neck, and joined Leaf in the main room.

“Don’t be nervous,” he said. “You’ll meet just a few now. The rest are either sleeping, out on a mission, living in a fucking palace, or dealing with Maebh’s war. You’ll meet them at some point later.”

“At dinner,” she insisted. “Not just because I want them to like me, but because coming together over a regular meal is important for the survival of a family. Even though you don’t say it, I think these people are your family. So they’ll be mine, yes? The moment my family dinners failed, my family fell apart.”

His brow arched. “I think you’re overestimating your brother’s capacity to be human.”

She blinked. His words sparked something in her memory—something Niles said on that day he’d left. Sensing her worry increase, Leaf’s eyes flashed with defense, and he gently touched her cheek.

“What’s wrong?”

“I… you reminded me that Niles said he overestimated me as a threat. He’d come to dinner to ‘tie up loose ends’—whatever that meant—but then… gosh, what did he say?” She tapped her forehead, trying to remember. It had something to do with… “Oh. He said, in hindsight, I was clueless about being the only person alive who knew everything, and he wasted his time coming.”

“Tying up loose ends means he was going to kill you.” His eyes darkened.

She wanted to say that Niles would never have done that, but it was a lie. She sat down on the bed, her throat closing up. “I almost didn’t make it to Vegas. I almost never saw Jace again—or met you.”

“Don’t overthink it. The Well brought you here to me.” Leaf kneeled before her and touched her knees. “I spent a decade avoiding my fate—I’m sure Clarke will tell you all about how stubborn I’ve been running from it. But I found you anyway, and you’d only thawed months before. The Well wants what it wants, Nova.”

“You make this Well sound all-powerful, but if it is, then why is my brother winning?”

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