Page 47 of Broken Lands

IwatchedasRileysaid goodbye to both Garner and Annie and made her way over to me. She was glowing today, her skin as vibrant as the bright sun shining overhead.

I’d heard about what she’d done earlier with her earth element. Covering the combat field in wildflowers was no easy feat. That kind of magic took an incredible amount of energy. I’d expected her to look tired, drained, but she looked refreshed and lively.

She smiled to herself as she approached me, something she was thinking about making her feel more content than I’d seen since she’d been here.

I lunged for her, grabbing her around the waist and pulling her to me. She squealed, her laughter sounding like music to my ears as I tugged her in, pressing our bodies tightly together.

I pressed my lips to hers, groaning as I tasted her, the citrusy flavor of oranges lighting up my senses. She melted into me, wrapping her arms around my neck and deepening the kiss.

Fuck. I could not get enough of this girl. The draw I’d felt to her the moment I saw her in the candidate tents had not lessened. Not even a little. It was growing. I craved her. Wanted to spend every minute basking in her presence. The idea that it might be more than lust, that maybe this girl was destined to be mine, that maybe we were mates had crossed my mind a few times now.

I growled as she pulled away and she laughed, stepping back and pushing me gently on the chest, creating distance between us.

“Poor Garner doesn’t need to witness this.” She said, winking at me.

“I guess you’re right,” I muttered, pulling her under my arm and leading us back to the academy. “We have work to do, anyway. Did you forget our tutoring session?” When she hadn’t shown, I’d let intuition guide me to her, somehow sensing where she’d be. Maybe it was a lucky guess, but it felt like more.

“Shit, I’m sorry!” She exclaimed. “I didn’t forget. Not really. I just lost track of time.” She chewed on her nail as we walked.

“What’s on your mind, little dove?” I asked, wanting to know what had caused the little crease between her brows to appear.

“Garner knew James,” she said without hesitation. Her trust in me blew me away. We’d only known each other a couple of days, but she was so open with me. She didn’t treat me like the monster lurking under my skin could take over at any moment. She treated me like I was just Stefan. It was a feeling I wasn’t overly familiar with. I knew most people were wary around me, waiting for the moment I switched. I could sense it.

It made me want her even more than I had before. This beautiful, gentle, powerful creature.

“He doesn’t think James would have joined the rebels.” She looked up at me then, the hope in her eyes burning brightly. “He’s going to send me James’ address. Maybe I can check it out. Maybe there’s something there that will give me a clue where he went.”

The hope in her voice caused my chest to tighten. “Officers have already searched his apartment, Riley. I’m not sure there’s going to be anything there,” I said softly, giving her a little squeeze as the academy gates swung open to admit us.

Her shoulders dropped a little, and I kicked myself internally, angry that I’d been the one to dampen the bright hope she’d just found.

“Maybe not. But it’s worth a look. No one knew him the way I did, Stefan. Maybe I’ll find something that wouldn’t mean anything to anyone else…” Her voice trailed off, the soft sound of a sniffle reaching my ears and I stopped, twisting to face her and lifting her chin so I could see those beautiful eyes.

“Hey. We’ll go there and I’ll help you turn his place upside down, if that’s what you want to do. I’ll follow you anywhere you need to go to try to find him. I promise.”

She blinked, surprise coating her features before she quickly looked away. “Stefan, I—”

Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything and let her hold on to that hope until she got to wherever James had lived and found nothing.

“You don’t have to say anything. You don’t have to thank me. Let’s find your brother and figure out your heritage. Maybe even save the planet.”

“No. I—I need to tell you something.” She chewed on her lip; her gaze averted.

“You can tell me anything, little dove.”

“This,” she said, her voice shaking just a little. She gestured between the two of us. “This is all new. I don’t know where we’re going. I’d like to find out, but I need to be honest with you.”

My brow furrowed as she took a deep breath, steadying herself. I had no idea what might be bothering her this much. A small part of me was elated that she was comfortable enough to broach the topic—whatever it was—despite how nervous it seemed to make her.

She let out her breath and continued. “I agreed to go to the dance this weekend with Lincoln, and today in weapons training… I hurt him, and then I was so relieved that he was alright that when he kissed me, I didn’t think. I felt a pull toward him, a pull he thinks means we were mates, and I kissed him back. I’m sorry. We haven’t defined things. Hell, we’ve been together once, and I don’t know what your expectations are. But I don’t want to hurt you.”

I blinked. What was she sorry for? I waited for her to keep going, to explain her apology further. We hadn’t defined our relationship, and whilst I would hunt down anyone who hurt her, I wasn’t possessive. Polyamory wasn’t unusual among our kind. Most couples were monogamous, but there were enough who weren’t that it wasn’t a shock.

When she didn’t continue, I asked, “What are you sorry for?”

“For kissing Lincoln?” Her brow was furrowed as she asked. The statement seemed more like a question, given my lack of reaction. Maybe she didn’t know. I needed to reassure her. Show her I wasn’t upset. I only wanted the best for her. I wanted her to be happy and loved, to find her brother and discover the secrets of her path. It didn’t bother me if she needed more than just me to make her happy.

“No, Riley. You don’t need to apologize. Fae aren’t always monogamous. There are many that do not settle for just one partner, many that have more than one mate. And you’re right, this is still early days. I like you, Ifuckinglike you a lot and I want every piece of you that you’ll give me. But I’m not against sharing, not if that’s what you want. Lincoln is a pretty damn good choice too. He’s my brother, my best friend. There isn’t anyone better than him. I am not hurt, and I don’t want you any less than I did a minute ago. We are fine. Alright?”

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