Page 45 of A Hint of Delirium

“And I will be coming to collect,” he added with a grin. “It’s only a matter of time.” He turned his attention back in her direction at the bar. When Vi turned to look at us skeptically, Alec sent her a little wave.

* * *

I waitedfor Vi just outside the piano bar after her shift, smiling to myself when I heard her playing the piano for a solid ten minutes. The soft music filtered out into the street before it suddenly stopped. A few minutes later, she stepped outside and stood behind the bartender as he locked the door.

I caught her eye and she walked over to meet me, and without a word, we started walking down the street toward my apartment in comfortable silence. I couldn’t lie to her. Not just because I was a seelie, because goodness knows I could always deflect. I just didn’t want to. She deserved the truth. My brother was a problem and she needed to be prepared.

“I saw you with Alec earlier tonight,” she finally cut into the silence. “Is everything okay? You guys looked kind of tense.”

I chuckled to lighten the mood. “Everything is tense with me and Alec.”

“You know what I mean.” She eyed me. “Did something happen?”

I sighed. “Yes.”

“Well …?” she prompted.

A man walking his dog cut between us and we separated, which gave me time to think. To tell her or not? That was the question.

“Ansel?” she called out once we were walking side by side again.

“Alec knows you’re carrying the orb,” I blurted, closing my eyes in the process. I heard her breath hitch the instant before she stopped walking. I opened my eyes to see hers wide with fear. I quickly closed the distance to her and grasped her arms with a gentle squeeze. “I promise you, Vi, I won’t let him take you away.”

In hindsight, it was foolish to promise such a thing, but I was desperate to comfort her. And I wasn’t lying; I would do anything in my power to stop him, so there was a good chance it was a promise I could keep. She leaned in close and rested her forehead on my chest. I tensed for a moment before wrapping her in my arms, brushing her long, dark hair.

“I’m sorry, Vi,” I murmured. “I didn’t mean for this to happen, but we knew eventually it would. What do you want to do? Do you want to run?”

She shook her head against my chest. She smelled like cherry blossoms and the first warm days of Spring. It was a comfortable scent that put me at ease.

“I don’t want to run,” she murmured. “I want to face this head-on.” She lifted her head and looked up at me. “I want to fight.”

“Vi—” I muttered.

She shook her head again and held up a finger to stop me. “No one can save me but me,” she insisted. “I need to be able to defend myself.”

“Let’s talk about this at home.” I rubbed her arms and tried to get her to walk again, but she dug in her heels.

“No, let’s talk about itnow. This can’t wait. We don’t know what to expect once we arrive at your apartment.”

She was right. Alec could be up there right now waiting for us.

I sighed loudly. “I would love for you to be able to defend yourself, Vi. I would love to teach you about your powers, but that’s the problem – you shouldn’t have all those elemental powers at once. No full-blooded fae would be able to control them on their own, much less a halfling.”

She quirked a brow. “Who said the only way to protect myself was by using the elements?”

I jerked back in surprise. “You want to learn how to win in a physical fight?” When she gave a short nod, I laughed. “How will that help you when someone throws a fire ball your way?”

“I’ll duck,” she answered matter-of-factly. “It worked when Cael was throwing them at us.”

I huffed. “That won’t always be the case, Vi, and you know it. Cael is a buffoon.”

She shrugged. “Look, the orb is inside me and they all want to retrieve it, not kill me. I might get hurt, but I won’t die.”

“For now,” I clarified. “Just wait until they find out you’re a halfling. Then they’ll put you on the chopping block.”

“Well … we’ll cross that bridge when we get there,” she said calmly. Too calmly.

I exhaled loudly. There was just no getting through to her.

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