Page 74 of The Sins of Silas

What happened?

I sighed, shrugging at El and Edmund. My eyes settled on Era kissing Silas, his hands on her hips, her fingers in his hair…and it bothered me.

Why did it bother me?

Chapter Twenty

LENA

There were hundreds of people crammed in the dark tent. How the hell was I going to find Roland?

When I was with him, Silas didn’t even cross my mind. I could move on; I just needed to keep my distance. Dancing together in a dim, sex-crazed tent was a poor choice.

Gods…the feeling of his fingertips brushing my thighs still had my electricity buzzing. I knew he didn’t have magic, but did my touch affect him similarly? Or was I pathetic for craving him this much?

I was stopped in my tracks by Leroy, whose worried gaze trailed over me. “Everything alright?”

His long, golden hair was loose, and with the low light, I couldn’t be certain, but I believed his attire was light blue.

“Yes. Sorry.” I flushed, running my hand through my curls. “I just can’t find Roland anywhere.”

“Ah, I saw him not too long ago with a few of your other friends.” His eyes scanned the crowd. “I’m sure they’re here somewhere.” After looking for a moment more, he turned to me. “How are you enjoying the place?”

My heartbeat calmed, and I was thankful to be directing my thoughts elsewhere. “It’s incredible. How did you manage to build this under the ground?”

Leroy smiled, guiding us over to the bar, where he picked up a drink for himself. It seemed the bartender already knew his order. “When Forsmont was built centuries ago, the founders decided to make an underground escape in the event the kingdom got overrun.” He sipped what appeared to be whiskey. “We actually have this place stocked, should we ever need to hide down here. No one but the'royals'know there is an exit passage. They just know of the main area.”

I raised a brow. “Yet you told me?”

Leroy gave me a half-smile, rotating the amber liquid in his hand. “Your seer told me of you.”

My eyes flared, my head pulling back. “What did you say?”

“Igon Natarion. He stopped in Forsmont a few months ago, telling me about a woman named Lena Daelyra. How she would be replacing him.” His eyes fell on his drink. “I didn’t realize he’d meant he would be dying.”

“Wait.” I shook my head, eyebrows scrunching together. “Igon knew of you? Knew Warlocks ruled Forsmont?”

“Apparently so. We’d never heard of Ames before; you guys had done a great job staying secluded to yourselves. His gift must be how he knew of us.”

“He didn’t mention the Undead, did he? What else did he tell you?”

Leroy finished his glass, setting it on the bar top. “No mention of the Undead, no.” His blue eyes settled on mine, arms crossing. “All he mentioned was that the Mages would be seeking unification with the Warlocks…and that the Prince of Otacia would have a change of heart. That his Soul-Tie would be the new leader of Ames.”

I swallowed, stiffening in place. My thoughts drifted back to that day…how the order of surrender didn’t chime until the moment after I saved Silas.

I danced my fingers on my thigh. “He is my Soul-Tie…yes,” I uttered.

“Does he know it?” he asked, disbelief lacing his tone. “Igon didn’t go that in-depth. I honestly had trouble even believing him until I saw Silas for myself.”

“No, he doesn’t. But he and I have a past. A past our friends don’t know about.”

Leroy stood there, waiting for me to continue.

I sighed. “I used to live in Otacia. It’s a long story, but I met Silas when I was sixteen. We were together for a year and a half before my mother and I faked our deaths and fled the kingdom…when the kill order was put in place.”

Leroy’s jaw fell. “You two have a past?”

My stare drifted over the many bottles of alcohol displayed behind the bar, and I found myself wishing I had my own drink. “He was the love of my life…my best friend. He hid his identity as the Prince for a short while, but I never told him I was a Mage.” My eyes burned as I dragged my lip through my teeth. “It killed me to leave him, killed me to see how he had changed. But that man I loved is still there…I’ve seen him.”

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