Page 62 of Dark & Dreadful Brutes

I wasn’t ready to face another assassin.

The last one brought back memories that had nearly broken me, and he hadn’t even hurt me.

I didn’t want to know what the next one could do to me. And if he actually managed to kill Ravv… I’d be entirely alone again.

“The elves’ shield is holding?” he asked.

“For now.”

“How long will it hold?” I asked quietly.

“If the Demon attacks them, they don’t know,” the fae woman admitted.

Veil.

“It’ll hold.” Ravv’s voice was steely.

Since he was the king, I supposed he needed to be the voice of hope and whatnot.

The woman dipped her head again and slipped back through the crowd.

I didn’t bother disagreeing with Ravv’s statement. It wouldn’t do anything except make him angry, and I was tired of making him angry.

Veil, I was tired of everything.

Some part of me ached to go home, but I had no home. I didn’t have a family to return to, or a safe place to hide.

“In exchange for our bond, I’d like a house in your city after the eclipse,” I told Ravv. “Or a ride back to Jirev, if it’s safer there or they have a place for me. I don’t care how big it is, or even if there’s any furniture—I just a want a place to call home.”

“Of course.” He didn’t hesitate to agree, and some of my tension dissipated. “As long as you’ll forgive me for dragging you into this mess.”

My lips curved upward, just the tiniest bit. “I can try.”

“Good enough.” He paused for a moment, then added, “You’ll need to stay with me in the castle until the eclipse, though. After our bond is broken, you’ll be safe.”

Even if I wasn’t safe, I wouldn’t be his problem anymore.

I supposed that was all he could offer me. He’d mentioned possibly wanting us to be life partners, but I was pretty sure that was just a possessive, heat of the moment thing. He didn’t know me very well, so even if he was truly interested in me, it was just because of the bond.

“That’s fair,” I agreed.

A few other fae came to talk to Ravv about their planned route for the next day, so he built me an ice shelter before he went off to talk to them.

I eyed Elwynne, who was chatting with someone else, and debated going over to talk. When she noticed me watching her, she waved me over. I gave her a small smile and shook my head, then made my way into the shelter and curled up on the ice.

Ravv closed it without joining me, and my throat swelled. He needed to act like he wasn’t interested in me romantically while we were traveling with his warriors, so I’d be sleeping alone.

They might have already started wondering if we had feelings for each other, but I didn’t know.

And some part of me was too worried about rejection to ask him if he was coming to share the shelter.

So I just tried to get comfortable on the ice floor, and when that didn’t work, I watched the ice drip until I couldn’t keep my eyes open anymore.

Chapter 13

Laeli

The next two days passed incredibly slowly.

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