Page 53 of The Dark War

“She can’t hit me, and you can’t hit me anymore! I’m a grown damn elf. Only my future mate can hit me.” He waved his finger around. “Pull on the damn leash, but don’t hit my pretty head! It’s why I don’t think before I speak!” Daine pointed to a vine wrapped around his wrist, like a safety device to pull a child away from danger.

“But I have a mark here,” Odessa weakly spoke.

“Aren’t you cute!?” Daine laughed. “That, my dear, is a hickey, not a true mark. He temporarily marked you, that’s all that is.” Glinda pulled on the leash hard enough that Daine fell backward in the grass with a yelp.

“It’s true. He isn’t your mate. We have come to talk to you about this in private.” Kane growled again. I jumped around, my dress twirling at the shock of how he would be so blunt.

“I’ll handle this, Kane. You need to be more tender,” I hissed. “You are being an ass, and if you aren’t careful we won’t have more play time later.” Kane’s eyes softened, his head bowing to me.

Softy.

“Odessa, you don’t bear his mark. So let us figure this out together.” I tried to lift the tension.

“We’ve told them nothing,” Annabelle said as Glinda approached. “They don’t know.”

“Know what?” Odessa cried. “He’s my mate and no one can tell me different!” she snapped. “Creed, can we go home, back to the cave? Let’s go.” As Odessa tried to leave, my foot stepped out trying to touch her shoulder with my hand, but Kane’s menacing gaze didn’t leave Creed.

“How about we all go, then? Let’s all go meet and talk privately.” I tried to stay diplomatic. “We really want to help, and I want to listen. This is more of a unique situation than what I was planning on walking into, but I think we can work this out. You just need to be honest with me, and I’ll be honest with you.” The eyes of the crowd trailed back to us until Kane let out a loud growl.

“Is she scared?” I linked Kane.

“Possibly. I don’t trust Creed. Adam said he was a serpent.” Kane growled, and Odessa pushed further into Creed’s body.

“Are you sure Creed is a bad guy? He seems so tender with her,” I linked Kane again.

“Adam’s my friend, he wouldn’t lie to me like that.”I wiggled my nose, pouting out my lips as I thought. Turning around, I could see the tenderness in this brutal man’s eyes. His fingers clasped around her hand gently, his movements slow and calculated. Her eyes darted everywhere wary of us, but the moment that her eyes met his, seeking his reassurance, love sparked.

There was something there.

Facts, get the facts,ran through my head. Even miles and miles away from mother, she was haunting my mind.

Zaos led us to the large conference room table. The table was so large the building had to be built around it. Drinks and snacks lined one wall, but we all walked past it, ready to give way to the tension.

As we all sat down, with Creed holding Odessa in his lap, I took a large breath, trying to clear my mind of the day’s worries, and concentrate on the couple in front of me.

Chapter Twenty-nine

Clara

“I’mgoingtoscrewthis up,”I linked Kane.

Zaos gave a brief history of Creed, which I came to understand more with Zaos’ unbiased opinion. Alpha Adam had questioning offenses that Zaos found deemed worthy to bring up to me. Such as dark fairies roaming the dragon’s territory. Of course, they could be seen by the elven scouts miles away due to listening to the foliage.

Dark fairies stayed to the south, their skin far too delicate to travel this far with no coverage. They went great lengths to get here, which caused Zaos to worry. Along with Adam allowing them to be there.

What brought more disturbing news was Odessa’s claims about how she got here. She ran from the duke purposefully because she felt in danger and had no intention of going back.

Sugar, this was going to be tough.

“You are not going to screw it up,” Kane linked me as he rubbed my shoulders, his nose tickled my neck. “Just use what your mother had taught you.”

“So far that hasn’t worked.”I slumped in his arms. “I automatically believed in higher authority such as Taliyah and didn’t hunt deeper as I should have. I assumed Taliyah knew what she was doing.”Straightening my back, my attention went to Odessa.

“Zaos has informed me of the situation about you, and I want to say I’m truly sorry for what you both have been through.” Creed’s enormous arms shielded the small human. “Odessa’s confession of how you saved her as she ran away from the duke has been enlightening.” I sighed. Kane still didn’t believe that one, I could feel it in Torin, but I was going to listen to myself.

“However, we are here to discuss with you, Odessa, why I am here. Please, hear me out before you become angry. I want us all to talk about this calmly. I really want the full story.”

Because something isn’t adding up at all.

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