Page 73 of The Divine and the Cursed

Arianna furrowed her brow. “You used to meet her at the border? Were you and my mother—”

“Gods no. I mean.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I’ve never agreed with Brónach’s treatment of half-breeds and humans. Who am I to judge someone according to how they were born?”

“So when the slaves spoke of others vanishing.”

“I took them to the border whenever I could. I did it a lot in my twenties but eventually, my brother gave orders to keep the slaves away from me. He thought I was killing them of course. Your mother caught on to where the slaves were coming from and met me at the border line one evening. She tried to speak to me, but I took off. Thereafter, she was always waiting.”

Arianna smiled. “You were the male in black. She said you were a mystery but that she didn’t pry because it wasn’t her place.”

Rion gave her a rare smile. “She seemed kind. I think you get that from her.”

Arianna cleared her throat, fighting back tears and changed the subject. “You said the Dark Fae wouldn’t hurt me. Is that just because I’m The Divine?”

Rion held a branch for her to pass under. “No, they generally don’t hurt anyone unless provoked. At least, not this far south.” She didn’t want to know what that meant.

“Where do all the stories come from then?”

“From fools who don’t understand this mountain.” She went quiet and Rion softened his voice. “Even without the Dark Fae, this mountain isn’t for the fainthearted. There are a multitude of predators, and the storms are brutal if you’re not prepared for them. The Dark Fae have pity on those who die here so they carry them to the forests’ edge. When they’re spotted doing so, they get the blame.”

“Just like you?”

Rion paused again. “Not everything they say about me is a lie. I’ve killed for no better reason than having a bad day. Sometimes just because I felt like it. I’m not a misunderstood saint.”

“I know.”

“And that doesn’t bother you?”

“It does, but it’s in your past. We’ve all made mistakes.”

“What if mine are beyond forgiveness?”

“Do you want to be forgiven?”

He opened his mouth and closed it again. “I’ve never thought about it. I just—I want to be with you. I want to be a male you’re proud to have at your side. But I also don’t want to give false pretenses.”

“I knew who you were the first time you walked into that cabin. I didn’t run then. I’m not running now.”

RION HAD caught a stag using his magic. A beautiful, majestic creature that she would have rather seen run wild for the rest of its life. But they had to eat. Such was the natural order of things.

Arianna left him to it, opting to collect herbs from the forest floor as she followed their tracks back to the cabin. She didn’t want to hear the creature die, nor watch him dress the animal.

Rion returned with a bloody knife and a considerable chunk of meat. She tried not to imagine other blood on his hands.

“Where’s the rest of it?”

“I took our share and left most for the Dark Fae. Unlike the Fairy Folk, they’re not vegetarians. If I don’t share, they tend to sneak into my cabin while I’m gone and snatch my food.”

“How rude of them.”

He laughed, actually laughed. “If they closed the door afterward, I wouldn’t mind as much.”

Rion cut the meat and she boiled water. Arianna couldn’t help peering at him while he worked. His fingers moved with precision, cutting and separating everything into neat piles. Is this what it’d feel like to live with him? Would he always be talkative and relaxed around her? Or would he tense up the moment they entered the real world again?

“What are you thinking about?”

She didn’t realize she’d been staring. “The future.”

Rion carried a tray to her and set it on the table, watching her finish the rest. “Things won’t be easy. Nothing about my life has ever been easy, but I’m willing to do whatever you need. I’ll be whoever you need me to be.”

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