Page 191 of Bane of the Wild Hunt

“Thank you,” she said, her gaze remaining lowered as I released her hands. It seemed like she was working up the courage to say something, but then she turned to lead me onward. We checked in briefly with some of her less critically injured patients as we went.

“You really channelled Sage without being initiated into the Wild Hunt?” she asked, having finally worked up the courage to bring it up.

His name on her lips made me irrationally jealous and defensive since she clearly still had feelings for my mate. Especially since he had admitted that he would probably always have feelings for her too. But I did not see any animosity in her expression, she was genuinely curious, so I nodded and was sureto keep my emotions out of my face and tone as we continued to walk quickly.

“He is myanam,” I reminded her.

“Yes, but it is not something allanamdo. There must be deep trust between them before they can share magic. At least, according to the stories,” she informed me.

I had not known that. I supposed my people must have gotten around that with the same instruments they used to harness the magic of females.

“I never got to thank you for saving me,” I recalled, changing the subject from my relationship with Sage.

“You need not thank me, Ornella,” she reassured me, the guilt in her face instantly arousing all my suspicions. “You have done more than enough for my people.”

We seemed to have reached her patient’s yurt into which she was about to duck, but I was not letting her off the hook so easily.

“Why did you walk away initially? Did you know that Ciaran would only let you go if he thought you actually wanted him to kill me?” I asked, even though I was pretty sure I knew her dark secret.

Orlaith hesitated, and I saw a touch of colour kiss her cheeks as her brows condensed before she turned to face me directly again. Then her eyes fell rather significantly to where I knew she must be able to see my neck. I had no doubt that she had noticed the marks earlier, and she knew their meaning. She knew what they meant to Sage.

For the first time, I saw a sharpness in her expression.

“The truth?” she verified, and I nodded immediately because I craved a reason to hate this female. She was so beautiful, Sage still cared about her immensely, and she seemed kind and gentle and beloved. She was everything I was not and could never be, and I worried Sage might come to realize that at some point and regret her.

“I reacted impulsively when I heard you marked him,” Orlaith admitted unflinchingly. “I was angry and jealous, but not for the same reasons as Ciaran who thought that he was protecting Sage. I already knew Sage cared about you, and regardless of the circumstances of how you had marked him, I knew he was at peace with it. For context, he was mine for the better part of a century and still herefusedto allow me to mark him,” she said significantly. “But if I had done to him what you did and forced that mark regardless, he still would have gone away from me. Except that I would haveneverseen him again. So as I was walking away from you, I realized that I would never forgive myself. Sage would never forgive me.”

“So it was for him,” I acknowledged.

“Yes,” she admitted with resolute honesty. “You asked for the truth,” she reminded me with another shrug.

“I did,” I agreed.

“Since then, since you saved this village, I have many more reasons to be thankful that I did not walk away,” Orlaith added assuringly. “But Sage deserves everything good in this life, so as long as you are that for him, then I could never really hate you.”

“Thanks,” I muttered, and she inclined her head before turning to part the beaded entrance and go inside.

Leaving me feeling annoyed that rather than give me a good reason to dislike her, Orlaith had gone and earned even more of my grudging respect instead.

Chapter fifty-one

CONSUMED BEFORE OUR EYES

Amira

“It has been rather difficult to get anywhere near you,” complained a familiar voice. I did not have to turn around to know it was Riordan’s mother approaching where I was standing with Sofia. Where we watched Riordan show Clodagh to the entrance of the new territory that he had spent several days crafting for the Spring Court.

My handmaid winced in an apology for missing the approach of my mother-in-law, but I dismissed it with a quick roll of my eyes before turning to face Andromeda.

“We’ve been busy making the preparations for today,” I explained, even though I knew she knew that. It was not every day one’s mate signed a magically binding contract with a fey king and then renovated his kingdom to make a prison settlement for war-wearied fey. Lunch invitations with a snobby, nosey mother-in-law, admittedly, were at the bottom of my extensive list of priorities.

Especially once we confirmed herconcernsabout disgruntled Imítheos were really just reports of idle gossip that were more about getting her son’s attention. And with everything we hadgoing on, I resented her quite a lot for wasting our time with that investigation…

“It is strange that you should be so involved in it all. My son is capable, is he not? Or areyouthe mastermind behind his sudden maturity?” she asked suspiciously.

Riordan had not discussed it with me fully, but I had deduced enough to know that his relationship with his mother was rather… strained.

“Your son is exceptionally brilliant. But this has been an important development. I needed to support him.”

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