Page 25 of Whispers of the Water

Holding Aidan’s bitter gaze with my surprisingly calm one, I said, “You say it’s cowardly; however, the cowardly thing to do would’ve been the easy thing. Sure, I could’ve gone after them. It would’ve been the natural thing to do. Give chase, slaughter, and keep being angry. I made a choice to do the opposite. Instead of doing what others would’ve expected, what my very nature begged of me, I chose to walk a different path, one that led me to where I am today. I chose forgiveness, and that takes far more courage than giving in to anger and what it would ask of me.”

Aidan’s brow furrowed as she seemed to weigh my words, but she quickly shook away the idea and said, “That’s not very Fox of you.”

“Isn’t it, though?” Rune asked, placing his hand over mine. I turned to find him watching me, and my heart quickened when I saw the awe warming his eyes. “Foxes are the embodiment of strength. What’s more powerful than compassion and grace? I think we’ve focused on one meaning of strength for so long that we’ve forgotten all the forms it can come in, and it’s Bria’s strength—her heart, her kindness—that drew me to her. It’s what made me realize she was the perfect and only Fox Fae for me.”

A fresh wave of emotion stole my breath. Hearing Rune say something that felt so genuine while looking directly into my eyes left me feeling like the moon and all the stars had just been gifted to me. Yet at the same time, I felt robbed of air, because right now, it was Rune and his Fox Fae girlfriend sitting here, not Rune and Bria. We were putting on a show, but his words felt so real. They confused the hell out of me as I searched his eyes for whether they were true or not.

I swallowed hard and remembered that we were still being watched. Rune had said his mother would be overly skeptical if we were too affectionate, so I glanced at Myra to see if we’d gone too far with our speeches, hand holding, and intimate eye contact. My entire body froze when I saw the look marring her features.

Grief.

That was the first word that came to mind when I saw the subtle yet poignant crease to her brow. Her typically alert gaze was glazed over with a faraway look as she stared at mine and Rune’s clasped hands. Everyone else was so busy staring at Rune and me in disbelief that no one seemed to notice the anguish seeping into the lines of Myra’s face, but I saw it. It wasn’t my imagination.

As I sat there wondering what had evoked this surprising reaction from Myra, Sinopa finally snapped out of her shocked stupor and said, “The kind of Fox you describe doesn’t sound very powerful, Rune.”

Sinopa’s words seemed to bring Myra back from wherever she’d gone, and both she and Rune turned to Sinopa.

Rune’s jaw hardened, and his hand tightened around mine. “On the contrary, the kind of Fox I describe is not only fitting for Bria, but it’s the same kind of power held by another Fox we all knew and respected. A Fox Fae we were all lucky enough to have in our lives while we did. Would you call him weak?”

The question seemed to silence the entire room. No one dared to move or speak. No one but Myra.

She shot to her feet, and her previously sorrowful eyes suddenly blazed like a fire that had been fed gasoline as she narrowed that look at Rune. Her eyes flicked to me with unhindered loathing before the look abruptly vanished all-together. Her features smoothed over as quickly as they’d hardened, and she held her chin high as she strode to the door. “That’s enough visiting. I have work to do.”

Aidan quickly got up to follow Myra from the room like a persistent puppy following its master. Sinopa and Crevan stared at the doorway where the two women had left, but before they could make a move to do the same, Rune leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees, leveling irate eyes on his aunt. “You didn’t answer me, Sinopa. Would you call Balgair weak?”

The hairs on my arms stood at the cold animosity in Rune’s voice. Even more chilling was the realization that Rune had been referring to his father, and he’d been comparing the kind of Fae I was to the kind his dad had been.

Myra’s reaction made much more sense now as she seemed displeased with the idea of my being like Balgair. I wondered if it was because she knew someone like Balgair was better suited for Rune, meaning she’d been wrong in choosing Aidan. Or maybe it was because any reminder of Balgair hurt her. I briefly thought back to how she’d seemed consumed by sorrow when watching Rune and me together. Perhaps Myra had truly loved Balgair, and now, any reminder of him and that lost love sent her to a dark place she wanted to avoid at all costs. Memories of him made Myra feel again, and the woman had grown so accustomed to not feeling that now she was afraid to do so.

Just like Rune.

Silence blanketed the room, and Rune let out a low growl as he hissed, “Sinopa. Was. Balgair. Weak?”

Sinopa swallowed hard, and fear seemed to actually flash across her brown eyes. In a small, quiet voice, she answered, “No. He was not.”

Rune nodded. “Then I suggest you refrain from referring to Bria as such.”

Rune stood and offered me his hand. I gladly accepted it, and together, we left the sitting room just as confident and strong as when we’d entered it.

Chapter Nine

“WHAT A FUCKING morning,” Ardley said with a low whistle. “Now I kinda wish I’d gone to witness this myself.”

Rune and I had just finished telling everyone how tea had gone. We were back in Bassel and Akira’s room, and everyone sat around in amazement.

“I’m glad that shut them up,” Akira said, wrapping a proud arm around my shoulders.

“For now,” I added.

I knew the scrutiny was far from over, though everyone seemed placated for now. Comparing me to Balgair did seem to make me untouchable in a certain sense since questioning my level of Foxness would essentially question his, and I was sure the only one who would dare do so now would be Myra.

“You two are doing the tour with the twins now, aren’t you?” Bassel asked.

“We’re supposed to,” Rune said as he glanced at the clock on the wall, which read 12:35. “They were supposed to meet us in here at noon.”

“Maybe they lost track of time,” Avana offered.

Rune and I shared a worried look. I didn’t think either of us crossed a line during the family gathering, but it wasn’t sitting right with me that the twins were running late right after the tense interaction.

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