Page 38 of The Dark Elf's Surprise Baby

“Come with me.” Her voice is hard, but her hand is tender. She knows the truth.

Somehow Layla has figured out the secret that I have been hiding for four years. And I don't even know how.

Layla shoves several people unceremoniously out of the way, pulling me gently along behind her.

We stop in front of a window that looks out over the vast, beautiful gardens of the property.

She shakes her head at me as we stop there.

“Look.”

And there he is.

Demethys.

Alive – certainly not an apparition. Alive with a bottle of elf spirits in his hand.

Alive, breathing, and crying apparently.

He takes another swig of the bottle and then starts walking. Though it is more of a stumble.

My heart lurches when he stops, and wipes tears off his face.

Why is he crying? Why is he crying like someone broke his heart?

I know exactly where I was when I got the news that Demethys had died in battle. I can still remember the way the fabric of my dress irritated my skin that day.

I can still remember the taste of the tea on my lips and tongue, and the way my neck was tired from working.

I relive those moments every day.

And now, I will never forget today. I will never forget the scent of Layla’s perfume, and the sounds of laughter from the crowd.

Today. The day that I realize that Demethys is alive.

“He is alive, Harper. See?” Layla lifts a hand to my face and wipes away tears that I didn't even know were falling.

I am glad. Because I am too frozen in place to do it myself.

“You should go talk to him,” Layla says. “Trust me. I know what you’re feeling better than you think.”

I can almost believe her.

And after patting my shoulder comfortingly, Layla leaves me standing there.

Demethys is only a few paces away, out in the garden. I can be near him, in his arms, in less than five minutes.

He could be meeting Addie, his daughter, in less than ten minutes. She’d be delighted to meet her father.

But something stops me from running out to meet him immediately. I am not sure what.

Maybe it is because all of this feels like a dream.

I could never have imagined that I would ever see Demethys alive again. This has to be a dream.

17

DEMETHYS

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