Page 106 of Cages and Crowns
“Speaking of things between you guys…” Enzo asks the question without asking.
“It’s not mine.” Nithe says after a second.
“I know. She told me today.”
“We are assuming it’s Tobias’s, but she said there were a lot of men who visited her while she was in the dungeons.” Enzo inhales sharply, and I can picture his face. His green eyes filled with pain. He’s had enough pain today.
“Who?”
“She doesn’t know. Just that there was a rotation.”
“Gods.”
“Yeah.”
“It has to be Tobias’s. She told me about the shadows. That she’s been seeing him.”
“What?” Nithe’s voice deepens and the smoke returns.
“She’s been seeing him. She thought she was attacking him when she killed that guard. She thought she was defending herself.”
“Why didn’t she tell me?”
“She’s not well. She’s scared.” It’s silent before Nithe speaks up again.
“Is it horrible if I say that I wish it wasn’t his? That I wish it was one of the other men who raped her?”
“No. Because if it is his, I don’t know what we will do.”
“Exactly.”
“When were you going to talk to me about the tattoos?” Silence follows. “I know what a tattoo for a life oath looks like, Nithe. You seem to forget that Fleur and I had them, although ours didn’t shimmer. They were just slightlydarker than our skin tone.” More silence. Who’s Fleur?
“It’s not the same.” His hand untangles from my hair, and I feel his fingers brush my left arm.
“Are you serious? It’s exactly the same. Only people who are—”
“Stop. Okay.Stop. It’s not that.” He cuts him off. Who’s Fleur? What is he talking about?
“Why can’t you just accept that there is a chance she might love you someday?”
“She won’t. She stills loves Tobias. She cries for him in her sleep. She even told me she still loved him. But she also said she was in love with Theo. She doesn’t have room for me.”
“Both of which aren’t here. One is a demented asshole, and the other is dead.”
“Great, so I’m third place.”
“She needs space and time. She’s been through so much the last nineteen years of her life. We all have. And we are all so young. She just needs time.”
“We don’t have a lot of time. I have a weird feeling that our lives are so close to being over.” Nithe’s voice trails off and I get the feeling that he’s right.
“Since when did you become a prophet?” He snorts, and then I feel the brush of a finger on my forehead. I feel exhaustion pulling at my senses and I try to push it away.
“She looks so peaceful. I think being asleep is the only time she looks this way. Like she isn’t burdened with everyone’s problems.”Wake up, Elaenor!
“I can’t believe she went off on your father like that.” I can feel my consciousness slipping away and I fight it.
“I can. She’s strong. She just needs to realize it.” But it wins.
