Page 75 of Invidia

“They’re our friends. They care about you, too,” I said firmly, knowing that Meera wouldn’t have gone through to the human realm with just anybody.

He sighed, flopping back on the bed, though a small smile played around his mouth that he was trying to hide. “I suppose you should put on clothes then.”

“Fortunately, Meera brought me some.” We’d had a steady supply of things dropped at the apartment door for the past couple of days, but no one had tried to interrupt us. I felt a little bad about it—surely there were questions that needed to be answered and plans put in place to make sure there was never a repeat of what had happened.

But maybe they realized that Evrin and I hadn’t been ready to answer those yet. We needed time to just be together, to reconnect, to seal what we had first. My fingers idly brushed the raised scar of the mating mark on my neck as I picked through the bag of clothes Meera had packed for me, noting with a smile that she’d only packed things that were loose on top.

Eventually, I settled on a simple skirt, top, and flat shoes before pulling my hair into a low bun so my mating mark was on show. I quickly applied the barest minimum of makeup I needed to feel presentable in public, while Evrin rolled off the bed, draped himself in shadows, and called it a day.

I definitely envied his getting ready time.

“Do you need to siphon?” I asked, grabbing a sweater as we headed for the door.

He nodded, having already ducked out a few times to go top up the energy stores.

“Nervous?” Evrin asked, inhaling deeply as he tried to read the nuances of my scent.

“No, I wouldn’t say nervous. I guess I’m a little worried. All of the things I’ve been able to avoid thinking about for the past two days are seeping into my brain all at once.”

Evrin linked our fingers together, giving my hand a quick squeeze that had the tops of his claws leaving light indents on the back of my hand. “Don’t worry, my love. There is a very capable group running this realm who can figure out these problems without us, though I’m sure our input will be appreciated.”

I suspected Evrin was being sarcastic, but he’d soon find out how appreciated he was. He’d been incredible when everything had gone sideways, taking point and leading effortlessly from the small glimpse of him I’d seen from the cell and from Austin’s words.

“There you are!” Damen grinned as he strolled down the hallway toward us. “I was sent to knock on your door. I lost a bet,” he added with a laugh.

“Fortunately for you, we’re already decent,” I replied, nudging Evrin’s arm. He almost smiled, though he certainly wasn’t as relaxed as he’d been when it was just the two of us alone. I didn’t think he ever would be, but that was okay. I had every intention of being his place of comfort and safety, just like he was for me. “We were going to try to make it to the dining hall before breakfast finished.”

“No need—Allerick and Ophelia have set up a private breakfast. They were hoping you’d join them.”

“Of course.” I looked up at Evrin to make sure I hadn’t overstepped, and he nodded in agreement.

After a brief stop off at the stores so Evrin could siphon, we headed for a small but grand dining room on the second floor.

“Oh wow, everyone’s here,” I said, blinking in surprise. There was a blur of pink, and then Verity was wrapped around me like a cherry-vanilla-scented cobra.

“I’m so glad you’re here! You are okay, right?” She pulled back, scanning my face before her gaze snagged on my neck. “Ooh, we’ve got a mated lady over here! Congratulations.”

I felt myself getting flustered by all the excited attention, but Evrin was more flustered, which had the unexpected effect of making me calmer. I wanted to be steady and supportive for his sake.

Verity moved out of the way for Ophelia to give me a hug, followed by Meera, then Austin. Astrid tipped her chin at me from where she was already seated at the table next to Iris.

To my surprise, Cora and Sebastian were there too, sitting rather sheepishly at the table.

“Are you okay, Tallulah?” Cora asked, eyes filled with tears. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know—”

“I know,” I assured her, giving her a shaky smile, though I clung a little tighter to Evrin’s hand as we took our seats opposite them.

Did she know that Lochan hadn’t survived the event? I glanced nervously at Astrid, who was staring impassively back at me—I was pretty sure that was her affectionate face, though. She pursed her lips, nodding ever so slightly, which I took as confirmation. Though I suspected that even if Cora knew that Lochan was dead, she didn’t know that Evrin had been the one to strike the killing blow, and I was more than fine with that.

The table was piled high with a mouthwatering array of food, including an impressive selection of human-world vegetables from Meera’s garden.

“The first thing you should know is that we’ve moved you out of Elverston House,” Ophelia said apologetically, sitting at the head of the table next to the king. “I’m sorry that it had to happen without consulting you first, but we had ten terrified Hunters show up and we had to put them somewhere.”

“I’ve moved out too,” Meera added. “I packed up your room.”

“Thank you. Where are you staying?”

“Here.” Meera gestured vaguely at the palace.

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