Page 54 of Immortal Sins
Erron clears his throat. “My nephew is attractive and powerful, but it’s his mind that sets him apart from his siblings. He doesn’t think like most Fae. He sees beyond what others reflect upon him.”
He guides me to the library. “He’s no fairytale prince. He’s mightily ambitious. He can be downright cruel at times—and impossibly pigheaded.”
I crinkle my nose. “You don’t have to tellme.”
The burgundy stacks gleam in the twilight. The warm sunset plays with my eyes and creates mesmerizing optical illusions, as though rows and rows of ancient books are actually on fire.
“Cole is the most infuriating man I’ve ever known.”
“He wasn’t meant to marry you. As small-minded as it sounds, this…flingcould hinder his destiny and destroy his chances to become King,” Erron admits on a sigh.
I glide my fingers along the closest row of leather-bound books written in Fae script. Their gold titles spiral at the edge of my vision. “All because I’m mortal?”
“Mortalandhalf-demon. If you hope that this realm will look kindly upon that, you’re mistaken. And you’re too young to know what you really want. Cross-realm marriage is strongly discouraged because it almost always ends badly. Our culture, customs, and social cues are different. Most people from your realm can’t wrap their minds around our way of life, what makes you believe you can?”
I slide a Fae dictionary from the shelf. “I’m willing to try.” I’ll start by learning their native tongue.
Erron steals the book from my hands. “How do I know you won’t turn on him?”
I hold his judgemental stare. “You can’t. Just like I’m not sure you won’t kill me now.”
Erron returns the book. “You’re a realist. Elisheba was, too.”
Beth meant a lot to this man. I clutch the dictionary to my chest. “Beth told me she should have married you, but that immortality got in the way. I think she’d root for us.”
A tight breath squeezes past the full lips of the old warrior, his amber stare angled to the ground. “Alright… I’ll support this marriage. Might help you two make it through the month.”
* * *
After my discussion with Erron,I find Cole and Flynn sparring on the grass, down the steep hill, and I hide in the shadow of the building to observe them. Despite the rumble of the stream, their voices rise with a crystal-clear pitch.
Cole disarms Flynn with a quick blow to the wrist. “You’re rustier than a witch’s cauldron.”
The sword tumbles down the hill.
Flynn rolls out of Cole’s reach and retrieves his weapon. “I was stuck at the Academy with your girlfriend.”
“Wife,” Cole corrects him.
Flynn crouches into a fighting stance, now several feet downhill. “I’m not saying that word. It’s blasphemous. We vowed to remain single forever, or have you forgotten?”
“We never made a formal deal.”
“Don’t I know it.” Flynn’s blade meets Cole’s in mid-air with a loudclank. “Whatever happens, I’m not going back to Dark Falls.”
Cole lets his sword fall at his side. “I told you not to visit your family. Grant always leaves you in these moods.”
Four sisters and no parents… I wonder what Flynn’s family is like.
The blond Fae takes advantage of the situation to regain the high ground. “Grant reminded me of my duties. Unseelies breached the wall in Thurst and cherry-picked their victims like it was a game.”
A tremor slices through me, my ears and heart cold at the memory.
Cole buries the end of his sword in the earth. “I’ll speak to the King. He’ll send reinforcements to your brother-in-law. You’re not going to the front.” He runs down the slope and gestures for Flynn to follow.
The blond Fae climbs uphill instead. “There’s nothing you can do to stop the war,your highness. As long as the Unseelie encroach on your lands, people like me will die to protect the borders and our people. This is how the world works.”
Hands tucked behind my back, I flatten my body against the wall, the nook of the balcony still shielding me from their view, at least for now.
