Page 98 of Dark & Dreadful Brutes

Veil.

He was admitting he had feelings for me, but what did that mean for our future? And what did I want it to mean? That, I still didn’t know for sure.

My cheeks warmed. “I don’t know what I want to tell them. I’d rather we decide what we’re going to be on our own, and let everyone else know after.”

He nodded, and his eyes finally focused on the city around us. “We’ll keep up the façade until you’re ready, then.”

I tried to ignore the way my heart sank just a little, even though I was still refusing to admit the truth about what I felt for him.

I remained silent as we slipped inside and headed down a few flights of stairs. Every fae we passed acknowledged Ravv, and most of them did the same for me. It was strange to be recognized that way, but not unpleasant.

We passed a few hallways before we reached the bottom of the stairs. I itched to take Ravv’s hand for comfort, but forced myself not to.

Maybe I should’ve agreed to Ravv’s idea about telling the truth.

The smell in the prison made me shudder, and he gave me a concerned glance.

It wasn’t the scent of old blood, or death. The prison honestly didn’t smell like it had been used any more frequently than he claimed. It was just the scent of being underground that triggered me.

I met his gaze, not letting him see the fear that made my hands tremble in my pockets.

I wasn’t in prison.

Ravv wouldn’t trap me.

No matter how many times I repeated it, I couldn’t seem to convince myself though.

“It’s alright if you need to wait outside,” he said, his voice gentler than I expected.

“No.” My voice was steely. Or at least, I hoped it came out that way.

I followed Ravv into the dark hallway. There were very few lights, which made me more nervous even though I could see just fine.

We found Elwynne and Orvay leaned up against a wall, their shoulders pressed together. They weren’t speaking, but they grinned when they saw Ravv.

“Has she said anything useful?” he asked.

“No, she hasn’t,” a feminine voice called from inside the cell to the right of them. “You know, my people will be making plans as we speak. In the time it took you to recover, they could’ve already infiltrated your walls.”

“She’s been like this the whole time,” Elwynne said.

Ravv nodded, and his eyes flicked to me. “Wait here.”

I obeyed his command until he’d disappeared inside Ria’s cell. When he had, and I was sure it was safe, I stepped up next to Elwynne so I could see inside the cell.

The chained woman’s hair was the same color as Ravv’s, but where he was built thick, she was all sharp angles and toned muscles.

“Careful.” Elwynne’s warning was barely more than a whisper.

I nodded, my gaze lingering on Ria as her lips curved up in a wicked smile. “Hello, Ravv.”

“Tell me how many people you have left and where you’ve hidden them, and I’ll do what I can to spare them,” Ravv said calmly.

Her smile widened. “At least give me the respect of asking reasonable questions.”

“If your war was reasonable, you wouldn’t have killed a child in our parents’ city. Your tirade became a joke the moment you ended an innocent life.”

Ria’s smile vanished. “That was an accident. A casualty of war.”

---