Page 38 of Invidia

“Speak about me like we’re long-lost buddies again, and I’ll cut out your tongue,” Astrid said calmly. Lochan smirked at her, but wisely kept his mouth shut.

“Why don’t you elaborate on the peace offering thing a little more?” Ophelia suggested, looking to Sebastian for an answer.

“Sure. I’d love to do that. It’s just… Where’s Verity?”

To my surprise, it was Damen who answered. “I strongly suggest for your own safety that you don’t ask that question again. My brother is a possessive mate, and ill inclined to control his temper.”

Sebastian paled before attempting a relaxed smile. I wondered if he knew that his acrid scent gave him away.

“It’s pretty clear that the Hunters’ plan wasn’t working. As Ophelia—Queen Ophelia—pointed out, fear is part of the balance. She said removing the Shade presence would be shortsighted in the extreme and, well, she was right. Things have been…”

“Wrong,” Cora volunteered when Sebastian’s silence extended. “Just wrong. There’s been a general air of wrongness since the portals closed—like the very air itself tastes strange.”

“Can you see why we might have reservations about believing you?” the king drawled.

“Absolutely.” Sebastian nodded enthusiastically. “That’s why we’re here. We are at your mercy, all but helpless in your realm, ready to prove our intentions are honorable.”

“And those intentions are?” Damen laughed. “Find Shade mates of your own and make a home here? Make your own personal contributions to our power stores?”

“Yes,” Cora said with a decisive nod of her head.

Her brother shot her an appalled look. “If that’s what it takes. But we’re here first and foremost as a delegation on behalf of the Hunters Council. We want to work together, to find long-lasting solutions that benefit everyone—Shades, Hunters, and humans. Sebastian and I have been given considerable decision-making power in this regard so that we are able to negotiate without constant delays to get feedback.”

“I might be more optimistic if they hadn’t sent a lawyer and a PR manager,” Astrid muttered. “Why are you here, Cora?”

“Because I wanted to come, and my brother isn’t good at saying no to me.”

Lochan’s expression, and his scent, soured at this—I suspected because Cora was speaking the truth. It certainly seemed as though she’d talked him into allowing her to tag along, and he was frustrated with his decision.

At that moment, Tallulah and Meera edged to the front of the crowd, and my focus shifted from the new arrivals entirely to Tallulah. She looked so beautiful in her dark green dress and her hair elaborately tied up with a ribbon, as she hesitantly glanced between the new Hunters, the royal contingency, and me.

“You’re here to… negotiate?” Meera asked warily. “On behalf of the Hunters Council?”

“We are.” Sebastian nodded earnestly. If he was an actor, he was a good one. “This probably won’t surprise you, but there have been plenty of mixed reactions to the Council’s edicts, and those who felt that their strategy was… short-sighted and ill-advised have become the loudest voices.”

Tallulah and Meera exchanged guarded looks, and I desperately wished I could climb inside her head and see what was going on in there.

The king and queen made their way over to where Tallulah and Meera were standing, speaking in low voices. I shifted around the edge of the crowd, hoping it looked like I was just circling the new arrivals for security purposes and not so I could eavesdrop.

“…not mention Iris. Would you be comfortable with them staying at Elverston House?” Queen Ophelia asked them. “Or you two could move into the palace for the time being? We’re not sure it’s a good idea to have them in the palace, though. Obviously, we need to be careful what information they are exposed to until we know if their intentions are genuine.”

“I’m more inclined to keep our enemies closer,” Tallulah said, though she looked cautious. “If they’re in Elverston House with us, we’re in a better spot to assess their intentions.”

Meera nodded. “It would probably be wiser than leaving them to their own devices.”

“That’s irrelevant if you two don’t feel safe and comfortable,” the king interjected. “We can easily set you both up in the palace and assign guards who are allowed on the grounds of Elverston House.”

Tallulah shook her head, looking more determined this time. “No, it’s better if we do it. They’re more likely to slip up around us, and we’ll have a better idea of what to look out for.”

“If you’re sure,” Queen Ophelia said sternly. Why wasn’t anyone asking me if I was sure? Because I was not. I didn’t want Tallulah around this at all.

It physically hurt to hold back my opinion, but I wasn’t entitled to give it. If only my head would get the message it was over, because it certainly didn’t feel over. It felt like there was an invisible string connecting us, and while the edges had frayed a little, it hadn’t snapped yet.

For the briefest of moments, Tallulah spared me a glance that was entirely honest, and just for me. A wide-eyed hint of the worry that plagued her, despite her best efforts to hide it. But then she pulled herself together as though it had never been, straightening her spine and smiling determinedly at the royal couple.

Of all the cruelty I’d experienced over the years because of my lack of horns and the disappointment I’d caused my family, not being able to walk up to her and pull her into my arms at that moment might have been the most agonizing blow.

And she’d allow it, which almost made it worse. The Shades closest to me shuffled away with as much discretion as they could manage, a reminder of why this connection between us—as amazing and right and perfect as it felt—could never be.

---