Without another word, Navi sweeps out of the room, the candlelight glinting off the gold in her sheath. My brows knit together as the door closes behind her. Strong and stoic, Navi rarely shows emotions. She’s the one I trust to be there when I fly into a rage. But something is bothering her, of that I’m certain. I need her to focus. With Maaz on our scent and aware of Verity’s existence, I trust Navi more than anyone else to protect Verity.
When she returns with a broth soup, she doesn’t stay, and I don’t ask her to. Alone, I drink the soup greedily. I haven’t eaten since the disastrous dinner with Fayne. As I drain the last drops of the soup and consider calling for another, the door creaks open.
I suppress a smile when Verity pokes her head into the room. Her brows are crumpled nervously, but when she catches my gaze, she plasters a look of confidence on her face. I stare stonily at her and set my bowl aside. It clatters loudly but she doesn’t flinch at the noise.
“What do you want?” I ask, arching a brow as she closes the door behind her.
She strides towards me, dressed in a simple, form-fitting gown that perfectly accentuates her figure. I drag my eyes over her hips and breasts, pleased when I hear her breath hitching in her throat. Her skirts rustle as she settles into the chair at my bedside.
Verity holds up a book and waves it at me. “I’m here to read. I thought you might be bored,” she says. She eyes me. “Was I wrong?”
“Quite.” I toss her an arrogant grin. “I find my own company stimulating.”
Her eyes dart to my groin before returning to meet my eyes. “I’m sure.”
I chuckle. “Curious?”
“Not at all,” she quips, standing. “I’ll leave you to it then.”
I watch as she stomps to the door, her hips sashaying attractively. When her fingers graze the doorknob, I call out to her, “Wait.”
“What?” She twists, a soft blush creeping to her cheeks.
“Read to me.” She raises her brows but doesn’t move. I sigh. “Read to me please.”
With a victorious smile, she returns to my side. She opens the book. “In the year 532 a great beast roamed the lands. He made his home in the mountains, deep in the dark caves and abandoned mines. He was the only one of his kind and felt very lonely.”
“Is this a children’s book?” I scoff.
“I thought it would be simple enough to hold your attention,” she says, snickering.
“I think you’ll find my attention can be focused for a very, very long time,” I say, my voice low and soft.
She runs her tongue over her lips and then shifts in her seat and I know I’ve got her. “Then I’ll read the real story. I found it in your library.”
“Which one is it?” I crane my neck to read the title.
She angles it towards me. “Runyun.”
“Ah.” I lean back, smiling to myself. “One of my favorites.”
“You’ve read it?” She asks, surprise lacing her voice.
“Verity, I’ve read every book in that damn library twice,” I sigh. “What else would I do with a thousand years of stagnant existence?”
She frowns, brows furrowing. “I’m sorry. I wish I knew what to do, but I don’t.”
“Don’t think of it.” I wave a hand. “Please, read.”
“In the days of the fiercest barbarians and tribesmen, there arose one stronger than all the rest. A young Fae boy named Runyun. He could crush a mountain troll’s skull in one blow with his great hammer. Bloody a Fae warrior’s head with one strike of his bare fist. He ruled over the clans and created their laws. Runyun was the most powerful Fae in all of Alnembra. He had everything. But he didn’t have a woman…”
Verity’s voice is soft and melodic as she reads the tale of Runyun. I close my eyes, letting the vision of Runyun’s heroic search for a lover flit across my eyes. I was a boy when I first heard this story; told to me by my nursemaid. My father disapproved of such stories, but my mother loved them. And his heart belonged to her, so the tales continued. I sigh, forcing my thoughts to stray away from my dead parents and back to Verity.
As she reads, her voice grows softer and softer. Or maybe I’m just going farther and farther away. I drift off to sleep as she reads of his first encounter with the mortal maiden. And I dream of Verity.
Chapter 12
Verity
I tug the waist of the ball gown, frowning at myself in the mirror. The strapless gown is made of teal satin, with heavy beads dotting the bodice and the full skirt. Fae maids laced me into it only moments before, after pinning my hair up in a complicated braid. I pick at one of the beads on the bodice, a large crystal, and wonder if it’s real.
Altair had the gown made for me. He delivered it to my room himself this morning, when he told me that he was throwing a ball. I try to quell the excitement tingling in my chest. My own wedding would have been the closest thing to a real ball that I had ever gone to, but I never did make it. And this gown is more exquisite than my wedding dress. The color is rich, and the design is simple yet elegant. I never thought I would like a dress with such a heavy skirt, but with my waist cinched so tightly, it looks beautiful.
Altair is recovered now, just in time for the surprise ball. He healed quickly, but he told me he would. I’m still having a difficult time accepting the fact that he truly is Fae, a fairytale creature. But I’ve seen enough now that there’s no denying he isn’t human. I close my eyes and picture him, what he might look like when
