Page 30 of Oaths & Vengeance
“I thought you weren’t interested in sex at all with me,” I said as that invisible hand continued to play with my hair. Why wouldn’t Darrow leave me alone? Was this another game of his to see how far he could push me and then mock me for any desire I showed for him?
The bed creaked a little as he adjusted his position. “That was before I dreamed about you on your knees like you were a few days ago, except this time, you used your mouth for more pleasant activities.”
I rolled over, grabbed one of the center pillows, and flung it toward his head. He blocked it, laughing. It was then I noticed his black and brown hair was free to frame his face. If I thought he looked good before, he definitely drew the eye now.
“Just shut up and let me sleep,” I demanded.
He lifted his brows. “Not until you call me, Dare.”
“No.”
“Would you like me to detail my dream about you further?” he asked, leaning a little closer. “Because I have averyvivid imagination and would love to describe every little nuance for you.”
The man was infuriating! “Goodnight,Dare.”
“That was too easy,” he said with a sigh.
The next morning, I woke before dawn. We were both still far apart from each other on the bed. I was grateful neither of us had rolled past the pillow wall between us to create an awkward situation. To my surprise, though, I’d slept deeply despite him being a mere few feet away.
We dressed silently, ate a few bites of the breakfast delivered to our room, and Darrow kindly offered to let me leave first. One thing we could both agree on was not being seen together as we departed the palace.
He sat lazily in a chair with his legs splayed, sipping tea as I headed for the door. “Take care, Aella. I’ll be seeing you soon.”
“How soon?” I asked, pausing with my hand on the door latch.
“A week or so—long enough to miss me, I’m sure.”
I turned to glare at him. “There is no way I’m going to miss you.”
“We’ll see,” he said with a smug grin.
Perhaps his other goal with our marriage was to annoy me for the rest of my life as some sort of demented long-term revenge. Without another word, I fled the room and then the palace. I kept my cloak grasped tightly around me through the city to the portal ring, thankfully reaching it early enough that the first channeler of the day hadn’t arrived yet. It was strangereturning to Therress as a married woman—even if it was a secret. My life had drastically changed, but the world around me remained the same.
Chapter 13
Aella
I’d been married for a week, but life didn’t feel any different. My uncle had returned to cast his usual gloom over the castle, and my aunt hid in her rooms again. Ulmar was out in the training field, challenging and defeating our soldiers for fun. My younger cousin, Tadeus, had escaped to Maradeyn—the largest city in Therress, about an hour’s ride away. He would likely stay there a couple more days before his father forced him to return.
As for me, I’d chosen my own kind of escape by taking Rynn out for a ride on our horses. She was looking better and stronger than ever. Still, she needed to be closely watched during the coming months as she learned how to handle her new magic. While we already knew she’d develop a healing talent, there were other minor skills most fae could do once they gained their powers. She needed to develop her senses for them. I planned to help her with that while Briauna taught her about her primary gift.
In the distance, through the trees, I spied a hint of movement.
“Let’s stop here,” I said, reining in Astra.
Rynn did the same. “What are we doing?”
“This forest is full of creatures.” I gestured around us. “Most are harmless, but there are vicious ones that you must anticipate coming well before they reach you.”
She frowned, pointed ears twitching. “How?”
“Usually, riding this trail isn’t a problem during the day. It’s extremely rare that anything dangerous is out when the sun is high, but there is an exception in the spring. Do you know what that is?” I asked.
She shook her head and gazed around her, looking in the wrong direction. “No.”
Clearly, she wasn’t sensing anything, but that ability would take time to develop and only through practice. I’d felt the presence before pinpointing where to look. “Do you know what anapaeais?”
“A type of nymph,” she said with confidence.
