Page 12 of Eclipse of Fate
“I was tickling her… it’s not really what it sounds like, but Kait is blowing things way out of proportion.” He stands, shoving his hands into his pockets as he begins to walk to the hearth, but stops short, pulling parchment out of his pocket. “Oh shit! Raelle! With everything that happened with Dax, then the infirmary, Ambriel, and then Kait… I totally forgot about these!” He holds up an envelope and a portrait, and my eyebrows furrow as I try to understand what he is rambling about.
He rushes back to me, lifting my hand and placing the envelope in my palm. My name is written in a messy scrawl across the front. My eyes stare from the parcel and back to Trent.
“What is this?” I flip the envelope and then look over the portrait. I don’t recognize the Fae. Which, I guess, doesn't mean much considering… no memory of the last year…
“I found these after the fight with Dax. After hepummeledme into my father’s desk, breaking it…the drawer popped open, these were inside.”
“Who are these Fae? What’s so special about these?” I ask, confused about what's got him so excited.
“Well, the male here,” He points to the handsome man, his hand resting on the shoulder of a woman cradling a baby. “This is my uncle, Declan. I’m not sure who the female or the baby are. He had no wife or child that I’m aware of. If anyone were to know, it would probably be Dax, but maybe you should read the letter first.” The banging around intensifies from the ensuite, and then Kait busts into the room, bringing both my and Trent’s attention to her.
“Sorry, Raelle, I’m not in the right frame of mind to be here. I have to leave again. I’m not shifting, though.” She pins Trent with a glare.
“That’s ok, just be safe. You mean a lot to all of us, and we’ve missed you. Come back soon.” She doesn’t respond with words, but her gaze shifts to mine, softening just the slightest before she nods and leaves us alone.
Chapter ten
“Either you order oryou leave.” A burly bear of a female barks at me. Her single eyebrow dips to a point at the center of her forehead. I flip a coin off my thumb in her direction, and she snarls as she catches it, tucking it into her large breasts. The stretched brown fabric of her dress barely conceals them. The gesture does as I wish, though, and she leaves me to sit at the table near the door. The perfect view of the tavern and everyone who comes inside.
I like Loema. After watching Fae over the last few years in all of the territories, I’ve found Loema is usually the most interesting. Maki, being the ruler, has attracted the most eccentric of Fae. A true melting pot of Fae kind. It makes my time spent people watching more fun—in the little down time that I do have.
Sitting with my back toward the wall and the hood of my cloak up to conceal my face, I take in the Fae around me. Using a leatherstrap, I sharpen the small onyx blade that I keep in my sleeve, and I allow my eyes to sweep the room.
“Here’s your ale.” The bear growls as she places a mug down in front of me roughly, foam sloshing over the side and spilling onto the table. Slowly, I lift my eyes to hers, though she can’t see me in the shadows of my hood. The mere nothingness she can see and my silence, the way I allow my power to emanate from me, and the darkness that I carry myself with is usually enough to get people to leave me alone. The way she shifts on her feet tells me that she will be no different. I'm not here for friends. I've spent the last few years of my life in the shadows of the realm with no one but myself for the most part, and that's not going to change until I’m in Raelle and Dax’s good graces.
The only time I risk speaking with anyone is to get laid or information. Both of which usually require little words anyway. I learned long ago to take what I want, and Fae these days tend to break far easier than my will to bend. It suits me well that often the town’s gossip usually finds its home with the most willing of females, information that tends to come with pleasure.
The smile that brackets my mouth dies as the door to the Tavern swings open, hitting the wall loudly. A Fae walks in, standing in the entrance rigidly, before they brush back their hood, and I about choke on my ale. Soft, dirty blonde hair frames a perfectly angular face with scars ripped down one side. Her brows are pinched into an angry scowl as she looks down her beautifully sloped nose—at the Fae in the room, who openly gawk at her and the carnage of her skin.
“The fuck are you looking at?” She spits like venom into the room, and my eyebrows pitch at the same time as the corner of my mouth. Sliding my blade back into my sleeve, I pocket the leatherstrap and take a drink of the ale that was brought to me. Regretting it immediately, the warm drink tastes like piss on my tongue. I choke down what I already have in my mouth as I watch the small creature taking up most of the room with her aura. I narrow my eyes as I think about how she looks familiar to me. The blonde from Ravendene, who our queen has taken a liking to.
Her head turns back and forth around the tavern, noticing the lack of space in the tight space, then zeros in on the table closest to her with an open seat.
Mine.
Her eyes whip to me in the confines of my cloak, and they narrow as though she can sense something from me, but even with the grin on my face, I’m confident that she sees nothing of my identity. I’ve seen her around—from before my death—there is a good chance she remembers me.
“I’m sitting because I have to eat; no other reason, so don’t get any stupid ideas.” My smile widens at her brashness. She reminds me so much of my sister with her fighting attitude, but I say nothing. I like when a female can hold her own. It’s why I taught my sister all I could to be self-sufficient. Good luck to the man who gets tied to her.
She scoffs, then takes the piss-tasting ale that was given to me and chugs it down, slamming the metal mug down on the wood table with more power than necessary. She’s trying to prove that she is tough. My tongue rolls out over my bottom lip as I think about taking that bad attitude of hers and teaching her a lesson.
The bear woman ambles back over to the table we occupy and crosses her arms as she looks between the two of us. I pull two coins out, slide them across the table to her, and point to the little creature in front of me with my thumb.
“I don’t need your coin, you scab.” That earns a chuckle out of me, and her eyes flare at the sound. “You know, actually,” She turns to the bear and smiles; the motion pulls the scar on the side of her face tight. “Bring me a plate of whatever you have for dinner tonight and a whiskey. Don’t bring that piss ale back to this table, or you’ll be cleaning up puke and whatever blood is spilled.” She checks the woman with her eyes, narrowing them as she folds her arms and lifts her booted feet onto the table, crossing them at the ankles. The bear looks at me, shaking her head.
“Leave it to you to drag in the crazy.” I assume the little creature is going to retaliate, but instead, she rolls her eyes and stares at me. My gaze shifts to the bear as she looms over the table.
“Leave us,” I growl. Her eyes go wide as she hears my voice for the first time, but it has the effect I wished for, and she fucks off. When I bring my gaze back to the little creature before me, she is still staring, her eyes narrowed.
“Take your hood off.” I don’t, and I sit silently waiting for her next threat.
I watch her as she begins to seethe. Her stare burrows into my soul as she tries to see within the shadows of my cloak. We sit there saying nothing for a long moment, and she finally lets out a huff, turning her gaze away from me and into the tavern. Mine stays focused on her. The tension bracketed around her mouth, held in her shoulders. The fierce ocean churning in her blue eyes. Though her skin is scarred, her beauty is unmatched, and the fierce fire within her shines through it all. I can see the pain she carries, but I can tell she does so with a warrior’s heart. It’s stunning.
The food she requested gets set on the table with a thud, and some of it topples off the dish and onto the table. “What great service this shithole has,” She mumbles under her breath. Thebear doesn’t hear her, but I do, and it brings a grin to my face. Something about this Fae has me intoxicated.
Her attitude is toxic, but her venom is addictive. I watch as she shovels food into her mouth like a starved little creature. With each bite she takes, she looks up at me through her lashes, but she also keeps an eye on the room, as I do. When she finishes, she pushes the plate to the center of the table between us.
“Well, as fun as this is, I’m going to fuck off now. Thanks for dinner, asshole.” I don’t move as she gets up—scoffing as she slides the chair out and it protests across the wood floor, loudly. Rolling her eyes, she saunters through the door, leaving the tavern without a second glance.
