And I took that out on Ryc…
Until I finally retreated. I came out here. To be alone. To clear my thoughts.
With a heavy sigh, I pull my clasped hands away from my heart as I stare at the center courtyard. Emerald green curls around my left wrist, a growing cuff against my skin.
There’s no point in tearing it away.
It will return within the hour.
Not being able to control an innate is worse than not having one. Especially when it’s hellsbent on leaving blatant reminders everywhere. The bracelets, the vibrations, the veilflowers in my hair…
And yet it eludes me.
The wide sleeve of my cloak hides the naturistic bracelet away as my arm falls to my side. A cold wind carrying the scent of the mountains in the north sweeps through and I shudder against it.
I don’t think I’m going to be able to control this innate.
Not until my soul’s been mended.
Which means I’m a danger to everyone who dares come close.Ryc knows it too, which is why Eve and Cyran lurk somewhere on the stairs behind me. For the first time, I don’t feel like they’re protecting me—they’re protecting othersfromme.
I know what veilflowers are capable of in the veil.
I don’t know what they’re capable of here.
Here, they seem to simplyexist. No one has been ensnared, despite the damn things being in full bloom. A blessing, I suppose.
Getting rid of a copse of veilflowers in full bloom isn’t going to be easy. I don’t know how it’s done. It’s one of the many things Netharis handled outside my presence. And if these are here because of me—because veilflowers are my innate—I need to figure out how to control them. A tall ask for someone with a fractured soul.
Despite knowing the dangers, the researchers continue their work from sunup to sundown. Whether they’re brave or foolish remains to be seen. Thus far, the veilflowers and vines haven’t reacted to their poking and prodding.
But they havegrown.
Stretched and reached and expanded.
The center courtyard has become an otherworldly jungle, and were it not for the ward, they would smother the city. A slew of massive vines as thick as tree trunks and flowers, large enough to hide in, press against the ward. They curtain off the center of the courtyard, hiding away a small wild world the researchers dare to explore.
Ryc was right to raise the ward.
The veilflowers are a danger—Iam a danger.
A sliver of shifting dark blue catches my attention through the curtain of vines. A nearby group of researchers judging by the few voices. Hidden beneath my hood on the outside of the ward, they go on about their business none the wiser of the demon among them.
It’s easy enough for me to pay them no mind.
“Ask the one royal guard—the one with the mark to come out here and burn the vines,” a male voice carries through the vines.
I stand corrected. Itwaseasy enough to pay them no mind.
By mentioning Eve, they’ve earned the whole of my attention.
“She’s not Royal Guard,” a female voice counters. “She’s a mercenary. Private hire.”
The male laughs. “Yeah, hired to protect the king’s mate. ThusRoyal. Guard.”He emphasizes the words by drawing them out.
“It doesn’t matter,” another female voice says, annoyed. “I’d rather not be in the company of a contracted fae.”
It’s a valid stance, one any self-preserving mortal should have.
