Page 49 of Chosen By the Fae King

Raina waved a hand, shaking off the resentment that had risen. “I should not speak so of them, but,” she sighed, “it's difficult, sometimes, to hold my tongue.”

I nodded in understanding. “I know the feeling. Though, I have to say sometimes it's freeing, not having to constantly watch your words or actions to please another.”

At that, Raina paused, meeting my gaze. For a long moment, she studied me, a considering look in her eyes. Then she smiled, bright and true, and warmth bloomed in my chest.

“I'm glad to have made a friend in this place,” she said.

Friend. The word resonated within me, chasing away the last of my unease. I smiled back at her, reaching to squeeze her hand.

A companionable silence fell between us as we continued down the hall. Our situation may have been difficult, but at least we had gained allies in one another.

Perhaps this wouldn't be such an impossible task after all.

We explored for a bit longer but fatigue was fighting us hard. As we made our way back toward the tower that housed our rooms, a familiar figure in the distance caught my eye.

Liam lounged in a windowsill, one leg dangling over the edge while the other propped up a leather-bound sketchbook in his lap. His brow was furrowed in concentration, a piece of charcoal moving swiftly over the page.

Raina stiffened at my side, her steps slowing. I cast her a questioning glance, but before she could respond, Liam glanced up. His eyes locked onto Raina, and for a moment, his hand stilled.

The sketchbook tumbled to the floor, its pages fluttering open to reveal a half-finished drawing. My gaze snagged on a familiar face peering up from the parchment, pale and ethereal, framed by a cascade of white hair.

Heat flooded my cheeks as understanding dawned. I bent to retrieve the sketchbook, but Liam was faster. He snatched it up, slamming it shut, though not before I glimpsed the storm of emotions swirling in his eyes.

“What are you looking at?” Liam snapped, rounding on Raina.

She blinked, taken aback by his hostility. “Nothing,” she said softly. “I didn't see anything.”

“Good.” He practically growled the word. “It's nothing to do with you anyway.”

Raina flinched, hurt flashing across her face, and fury ignited in my chest. I stepped forward, ready to give Liam a piece of my mind, when Raina grasped my arm.

“Don't,” she whispered. Her fingers tightened around my wrist, trembling.

“Go back to your room, mukana, and leave me in peace.”

Raina gasped, releasing her hold and backing away. Liam gave the tiniest of flinches, but she didn't see it. She was already halfway down the hall.

My anger mixed with concern as Raina's wounded expression played in my mind. I turned to give Liam a piece of my mind.

But I couldn't.

He was sitting on the stone bench below the window with his head bowed. His shoulders were hunched, fingers worrying at the edge of his sketchbook.

Disquiet gnawed at my insides as I approached. I suspected I knew why he'd reacted that way to Raina, and it had little to do with her. Their history was complicated, tangled up in politics and broken promises, but that was no excuse for cruelty.

Still, I couldn't ignore the ache I sensed within him. The loneliness. He'd seemed playful back in Greenhollow, even when I'd attacked him. His past was going to break him.

I sat down beside Liam, close enough that my arm brushed his. He tensed but didn't pull away. We sat in silence for a long moment, listening to a pair of songbirds in the tree just outside.

Finally I reached over and clasped his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “You should apologize to Raina.”

Liam shook his head. “You don't know what you're talking about.”

“I know it would be the decent thing to do,” I told him. “She doesn't deserve your anger, and you don't deserve to carry this hurt.”

He sighed, rubbing a hand over his face, but I could see the fight draining from his eyes. I'd struck a chord within him, and he knew I spoke the truth.

When Liam looked at me again, his gaze was uncharacteristically soft. “You don't have to fight everyone else's fight, you know.”

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