Page 27 of Whispers of the Water

I fought to keep my face stoic despite the deep cut her words inflicted. It was hard being so blatantly criticized and insulted. Especially since they were comparing me to Aidan. They didn’t know me, yet they were already passing judgment on who I was. I couldn’t put my finger on what I’d done wrong in the short minute we’d been standing here, but I guessed just my presence upset them. I was an unwelcome guest in their world of perfection.

Rune’s face turned hard, and his shoulders went rigid. “Bria is from a well-respected bloodline. You’ll do well not to insult her, especially not in front of me.”

Lilith scoffed at Rune’s effort to defend me, and she brushed past me without a second glance. “We shall see about that. Something’s off. I can feel it. There’s something wrong about her.”

Chills crept along my back. Could she tell that I was a fake? I suddenly worried that something was wrong with my illusion. Maybe something wasn’t placed right, or perhaps part of it was fading. I tried to calm my racing heart as my eyes followed her into the room to where she’d been heading. She left the door cracked, no doubt waiting for her husband to join her.

I turned back to Devoss, who now stood directly in front of me. He searched my eyes, then said, “I’m not quite sure what everyone is making a fuss over. Obviously, there’s something good about you, otherwise Rune would never have given you a chance. It may not be obvious what that is, but there has to be something. Keep your chin up, and show everyone that you are worthy to be in our presence.”

He moved past me to join his wife. I stood frozen, staring at the place where he’d just been. My mind worked to process what had happened, and his authoritative voice continued to bounce around in my head. I had a weird suspicion that was Devoss’s passive-aggressive way of being nice.

When the door to Lilith and Devoss’s room shut, Newt and Greshim stepped back and looked up at me. Greshim crossed his arms over his chest and tilted his chin up in the air, distaste written in his features. “You should’ve told them off, Bria. There’s nothing wrong with you.”

I smiled down at him. “You think so?”

“Of course!” he exclaimed, throwing his hands up into the air.

“Now let’s keep g-g-going,” Newt said, linking his hand in mine once more.

Rune gripped my other hand. “Hey.” He dropped his voice low enough so only I could hear him as the twins chattered. “Don’t let what my grandparents said get to you. They’re just old bats who wouldn’t know anything good, even if it hit them in the face.”

His words were a small comfort in the stinging wake of their rejection. Normally, having two strangers dislike me wouldn’t affect me so much; however, it was the degree to which I’d already been so flagrantly dismissed and disrespected by everyone that made this hard to swallow. I’d known I’d be starting off in a negative place since I wasn’t Myra’s pick, but I hadn’t realized how far back from the starting line that meant. The reality versus what I’d conjured in my head was far harsher, which made it feel like I was swallowing needles when around Rune’s family.

I wasn’t going to let their dislike of me win, though. I was prepared to do exactly as Devoss said. I’d keep my head held high, and I’d prove myself worthy of being by Rune’s side. Because I was worthy, just as he was worthy to be by mine.

Squeezing Rune’s hand, I said, “I’m fine. You think two elder Fox Fae scare me? I’ve faced you and come out alive. I can face anything.”

He chuckled, and his eyes glittered with a fresh wave of need. He glanced at the boys, who had drifted ahead of us. He leaned in close, and his warm breath against my ear elicited a fire within me as he whispered, “I want to taste you on my tongue so badly right now.”

My face instantly pinkened, and I bit my lip as his words brought last night rushing back. His tongue coasting up the seam of my pussy. The tip dancing just shy of my clit then barely flicking over the sensitive bud. Need gripped me tightly, and I wobbled on my feet.

“Hey,” Greshim shouted.

I quickly stepped away from Rune to clear the sensual fog from my head, and I found Greshim glaring at his older brother with his arms crossed.

“No telling secrets,” Greshim pouted.

Laughing, Rune ruffled Greshim’s hair. “Sorry, sorry. I won’t tell any more secrets.”

We continued with the tour, which helped to clear my thoughts of intimate moments with Rune. The second floor consisted of the families’ rooms and lodging for their guests. The twins’ room was on this floor as well, but we skipped it for now. They wanted to save it for last. Because according to them, it was the best room in the house.

The first floor housed the formal sitting rooms, the dining room, a library, the kitchen, and Myra’s private wing. We bypassed that section of the home, but the rest was stunning. Everything looked right out of a Jane Austen story—ornate cornices along the ceiling, pristine sconces lining the walls, and columns at certain entryways—with a few modern touches that Rune explained were his doing, including the TVs on our floor.

I thought with the end of the first floor, the tour was over, but I was surprised to find there was a whole other level to the home. In the basement, we explored a large room that looked much like the training facility Rune and I had used when he taught me self-defense and combat. Blue mats littered the floor, and weapons hung on the far wall, ranging from daggers to bows to … was that a scythe? I swore some of the weapons even had dried blood still caked in spots.

“This is where we all come to train,” Greshim explained, slapping the mats with his foot. “Mother said we have to be strong and ready for an attack at all times. We’ve gotten really good at fighting.”

“Some better th-than others,” Newt mumbled as he glanced at his twin.

My stomach tightened with unease. Newt and Greshim were only ten years old, yet they were already being taught to fight and kill. And I had a pretty good hunch that their target was Water Fae. What kind of things had they been told? What had they been through as they worked to understand what it meant to kill Water Fae? I found Newt’s perfectly healed cheek as I realized I’d seen first-hand some of what they went through. My heart squeezed as I wondered what these two sweet boys would think of me if they knew the truth. Would they hate me as they’d no doubt been taught to?

The lingering thought gave way to another that had been plaguing me.

Rune.

We’d come far in our relationship, and he’d grown a lot in how he viewed Water Fae. He’d admitted once before that while he still didn’t trust them and wanted payback for the death of his father, he also had hesitations about killing them now.

When faced with Dax, my Water Fae ex, Rune hadn’t taken the chance to kill him, and instead, had helped me since I’d just been attacked by Jonah. Before us, he wouldn’t have allowed Dax another breath. More than that, when Rune had been suspicious of whether or not I was Water Fae, he’d blatantly admitted that he couldn’t hurt me, let alone take my life. I only hoped when I finally told him the truth, he’d still choose me over his hate.

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