Page 39 of Vicious Princess
The chair is hard under me, and Adele’s presence is intimidating. She might look like a kind grandmother, but something about her sharp eyes tells me there’s more to her than meets the eye.
The girl in her lap turns to me, and her eyes widen, full of wonder. She points at me. “Your ears! They’re round.Weird.”
She looks back at her grandmother, waiting for an explanation. Adele smiles and gently lowers the child’s hand with a pointed finger. “That’s not very polite of you, Lola. This young woman has ears different than yours because she’s different than you.”
Lola frowns, clearly confused. She turns back to me. After a couple of moments, she pinches one of her pointy ears and says, “I like your ears better than mine. They’re so round!”
“I like your ears,” I say to the girl. She perks up. “I think they’re much cooler than mine.”
Lola pauses, lips parted as if she’s surprised to hear me speak to her. Then she giggles, hiding her face in the crook of Adele’s arm.
“She’s curious,” Adele says, almost apologetically, “because she’s never met a human before.”
“Cadet Wildarrow, would you like to start?” Ezkai Cassandra asks.
I give her a nod and focus on Adele. Slowly, I open up my senses. My chest heaves when the first hit of emotions slams into me.
“Oh,” I murmur, trying to take hold of the intricate network of emotions flowing from Adele to me.
It’s not the first time I’ve sensed fae emotions, but Adele is much more complex than that group of thugs I faced my first day in Jaakii.
She’s…intense.
“Fae and dwarves tend to have much more complex emotions than humans,” Ezkai Cassandra says.
“I’m aware,” I say through clenched teeth.
Adele’s emotions press onto me, sinking into my skin, all the way into my flesh. Damn, she’s feeling many different things.
The curiosity tingles the tip of my fingertips, and I flex my hands to shake it off. She’s also…reserved about me. Uncomfortable to be in such proximity to a human.
I refrain from rolling my eyes. I’m starting to understand all the warnings from Dad about Ekios and the weird ways of its people.
Fae are insufferable creatures to be around.
I push the ache that rises within me away, then focus on the task at hand. I try very hard to rein in Adele’s emotions and prevent them from disturbing my own. Yet, no matter what angle I test or how hard I focus on pushing her away, if I keep my senses open, she overwhelms me.
“Damn it,” I mutter, shutting myself off.
It’s such a relief.
Ezkai Cassandra pats my shoulder. “That’s alright, Wildarrow. We have something to work towards.”
With burning cheeks, I rise from the chair and return to my seat. My revenge plan looks more and more impossible with each passing day.
“What isit with the food in this place?” I look up from my wooden chest to Roman lounging on his bed with his hands tucked under his head.
He arches one well-manicured eyebrow. “What about it?”
“Three days. No meat.”
Roman frowns. “Why would we eat meat?”
Now I’m the one confused. “You don’t eat meat?”
“Of course not. We’re vegans,” he says proudly. His perfect button nose scrunches. “Don’t tell me you eat creatures in Wetra?”
I throw him an unimpressed look and don’t answer. I toss my weapons inside the chest, but before I close it, I hesitate. I should keep at least one blade with me.
