Page 18 of Delphine's Dilemma

To my surprise, Arven agreed. “I’m on the hunt for one woman alone right now. Find someone who sees you the same way.”

My cheeks warmed, much to my own chagrin. I ducked my head and charged forward towards the table she’d picked out for us. Arms crossed over my chest, I dropped down into the seat.

From there, I could see out the front windows. My breath hitched at the sight of the two elven men outside.

“Shit,” I said under my breath as they reached for the front door.

8

DELPHINE

Istiffened and held my breath. Arven didn’t seem to notice the two men now standing in the restaurant’s front lobby. How had they found us? I’d done my best to weave through the streets and lose our scent.

How was I so freaking bad at my job right now? I cut a sidelong glare in Arven’s direction. He had me all kinds of off balance lately. His mere presence turned me inside out and left me perplexed. It was no wonder I couldn’t quite catch my footing.

He claimed the seat across from me, ordered two drinks—neither of which I registered—and told me to sit still. I tore my gaze from the men at the door and looked to Arven questioningly.

“I’m a big man. You’re a small woman. I doubt they’ll recognize the back of my head, so if you sit still and let me cover you, they won’t notice a thing.”

I stared at him while trying to keep my jaw from hitting the table. “Why are you so keen on helping me?”

He lowered his gaze. “I failed you once before. It’s not something I’d like to do again.”

Failed me? He’d ordered the siege on my home! How was that a failure? Nothing quite lined up. I was still left with so many questions. It was as if we’d existed on two separate timelines, but that couldn’t be possible. The threads of fate were out of mortal reach. No one could tamper with them as far as I knew.

Though…Cerri had some interesting friends. I wouldn’t have put it past them if one had the ability to touch the threads of fate. Still, I didn’t see how that would change things for Arven and myself. The butterfly effect wasn’t that far reaching. It would have only changed things for that immediate friend group.

Which meant that someone had lied to us. Since Arven couldn’t lie to himself, I wondered what could have happened to change my perception of reality. I could remember seeing his flags fly over the soldiers that stormed my home. They laid everything to waste under his name. Nothing made sense.

I spared a glance over his shoulder. A bell chimed over the door. I caught the hostess standing in the lobby with her arms over her chest as she glared at the men who’d just exited. I breathed a sigh of relief, but a new pressure built inside my chest.

Arven had the little creature in his hands now. I hadn’t noticed before, but it was a small rabbit with little bird wings and tiny antlers on its head.

“It’s called a wolpertinger,” Arven informed me as he fed it a piece of lettuce that he must have swiped from the salad bar as we passed it. “They’re popular pets in the German fae courts, though I’d heard they were dying out from the growing urban sprawl in this century. It seems people are willing to pay for them nowadays.”

My heart wanted to melt at the sight of him so gently caring for the creature, but I couldn’t stop thinking about the crates in Locke’s warehouse. They’d held things that only Arven should have been able to access. He was the one who’d taken control of my court, after all.

Nothing added up here. I had too many questions to ask, but I could start with the most pertinent.

Once more, I checked to see if the elven men had left. I wondered what the hostess had done to chase them away. When she threw a wink and a thumbs up back at me, I knew I had to leave her a massive tip. I wondered if Arven’s sweet words about pursuing me had given her some hope in men.

I almost rolled my eyes again.

I crossed my arms and leaned back in my seat, a defensive stance that I hoped he noticed. “Did you sell my family estate to Locke Balefire?”

Arven blinked slowly, like my words didn’t quite register. “Why…Why would I have access to such a thing?”

I almost guffawed in outrage.

“I know I failed you once, but I can promise you that I would never do such a thing even if your family home had been in my hands.”

That was it. I slammed my hands down on the table. I didn’t have to stay and listen to another moment of his lies. He acted like he’d had nothing to do with the fall of my home when I know that I saw his flags over it.

“The elves are a bunch of good for nothing war mongers,” I grumbled as I shoved away from the table.

Arven didn’t even call out for me. He didn’t give chase, either. I stepped onto the street, kept an eye out for the elven guardsmen, and trudged away from the insanity that’d been following me for several days.

Nothing meant anything anymore. And, if that was the case, I didn’t have anything holding me down. I could leave. I could go anywhere.

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