“I was shopping,” Aerin offers, gesturing to the plethora of bags scattered around the room.
Khortland narrows his eyes at her, seeing through her lie.
“Whatever,” he dismisses with a wave of his hand. “Two things: first of all, why the hell would you tell Reyna you can turn her Fae?” He raises a questioning eyebrow at her.
Aerin shrugs, “Because I can.”
“Do not be glib, Aerin, not about this,” Khortland warns, playing with the fabric on the corner of the couch. Aerin sees through his nonchalance but allows him the armor regardless.
“You should be careful how you speak to her,” Malice says, carefully controlled, opposite to Khortland’s endless fidgeting.
Khortland whips his gaze to the Dragon-Fae, his dark eyes assessing before they fall back to Aerin, incredulous.
“In my own Royal Village? Really?” Khortland questions. The dismissal of his warning has Malice prickling, but Khortland continues to address only Aerin.
“Dark magic has been lost to time, and even if you can manage it, that type of magic always comes at a price. I won’t let you experiment with her,” Khortland states, making it crystal clear this Human means too much to him.
A Human!
Aerin wants to shake him. Wants to remind him that his little toy will age rapidly compared to them, that it will only be a few short years, a blink of an eye for a Fae really, before she ages and dies. That every time he thinks of her, he’s risking his own devious and cruel king discovering her and taking her from him. She wants to remind Khortland of the danger he puts her in with each visit to that stupid apartment that doesn’t even have wards, for fucks sake. That every time Khortland allows her to showher face at a party or a club just so he can get his dick wet, he’s putting her fragile life at risk.
There is a reason Fae don’t mess with Humans that has nothing to do with ethnocentrism or magic. Humans die. And Fae… well Khortland should be the first to know that Fae don’t deal well with that kind of loss.
“I don’t care about the Human,” Aerin finally answers. Khortland opens his mouth but snaps it shut again, his façade cracking around him. “But I do care about you,” Aerin adds. “The magic I can offer her won’t be permanent. It’ll change her appearance only—no magic and she won’t truly be Fae. But it will give an added layer of protection, and perhaps slightly more freedom for the two of you to…” Aerin waves her hand, searching for words she doesn’t want to say. “Be together, I suppose.”
Khortland smiles a smile Aerin knows to be facetious.
“And why, exactly, would you do that?”
Aerin gives her Paramyr her own flippant smile. She unfortunately knows that he can see right through her pathetic attempt at brevity. Can see down to Aerin’s core, to the center of her hurt.
She lies, and Aerin hopes Khortland can see the truth in it, even if she doesn’t necessarily want him to. “I always enjoy having you indebted to me, Khort.”
Khortland rolls his eyes, leaning back against the chair once more. He looks at his hand with longing, like he wishes it held a drink.
“What was the other thing?” Malice asks after a beat of silence between the two Royals.
“Hmm?” Khortland asks, slowly dragging his eyes from his empty hand.
“You said there are two things,” Malice elaborates, only slightly annoyed.
As if snapped back into himself Khortland sits up straighter, “Right.” He brushes down his shirt and casts his gaze back to Aerin. “My father wants an audience with you. Tonight. Before dinner. Alone.”
“I don’t like this,”Malice says, finishing the zipper on the back of Aerin’s dress. Aerin pulls her hair to one side, running her fingers through the curls.
“So you’ve expressed…” Aerin murmurs to her reflection. She looks impeccable, as she always does. Moving to the bed, she sits to slide her heels on. Emrys leans up against the headboard, legs crossed at the ankle, arms folded over his bare chest.
“I agree with him,” he seconds. Both of them: grumpy.
Aerin gives him an annoyed look.
“You’re not supposed to side with each other. Go back to the dick measuring,” Aerin huffs, pulling on the second shoe.
“We will always agree on keeping you safe,” Emrys replies, missing the point entirely.
“Well, I can’t exactly deny an audience with the most powerful Fae in this city, can I? Never mind the fact he is theKing,” Aerin rebuts, letting her gaze flicker between the two males.
“Let me come with you, in my Wolf form,” Emrys supplies.
