She laughed, tossing her head back before leaning her forehead against my temple.
“You’re so adorable. Well, thanks for trying anyway.” She kissed my cheek, then gestured for a servant to refill my glass of water.
I derived no pleasure from food and felt no joy during our evenings together. But when she sat on my lap like this, laughing and kissing me, there was no other place I’d rather be. The complete and utter absence of worries, fear, and sorrow was the closest a shadow fae could come to feeling happy, and that was exactly what I felt when Elaine was with me.
In the comfort of her arms, I felt content.
I refused to allow anyone to enter Ashgate in search of me, afraid to reveal Elaine’s exact location. But while dealing with all the potential clients as well as Ray’s people, I left her alone far more often than I felt comfortable with. Every moment I had to spend away from her, worry racked me.
Elaine was the dearest, rarest treasure not just to me but in the entire city of Ashgate. I had managed to keep her safe only because the inhabitants of this city had no idea how uniquelyrare she was, but that was a weak protection. One word about her said to the wrong person could put her in grave danger.
She was not safe in the flimsy shack on the beach. I needed to find something better for us to live in, even if it cost more.
Because of Elaine and her unique pleasure that had brought high paying clients in droves, my debt to Ray had been paid in full now, much faster than we’d planned. As of last week, Elaine had been earning money for herself. We had to save, but we could also afford to spend a little, especially for something as important as her safety.
For the entire four weeks since the auction, I’d been trying to move us into a cave in the Wall, but Zayr had been putting off my meeting with Ray.
“Ray isn’t doing any business for the time being,” he had said again and again.
Since I no longer owned Ray money, even getting a meeting with Zayr became difficult. Yet I was not giving up. When it came to Elaine’s safety, I couldn’t rest.
As the sun rose the next day and the busy life in the city had retreated into the shadows of the caves, I got ready to leave our shack. The dwelling looked even more pathetic as we’d slowly been buying things to improve Elaine’s comfort. The plush mattress, the colorful blankets, and the grass-woven basket with her toiletries and clothes by the worn, crumbling wall seemed painfully out of place.
Elaine unfolded her fluffy blanket, laying it out over the bedding on her mattress. The days were hot in Ashgate, just like everywhere else in the Alveari Kingdom. She didn’t need the blanket to keep warm, but she liked sleeping with it anyway. I often found her hugging it in her sleep upon my return. She clearly enjoyed the soft texture of that thing.
“Ready for your nap?” I asked.
She smiled at me. “Time goes faster when I sleep. Hopefully, you’ll be back by the time I wake up.”
“Hopefully,” I echoed.
I took off my left bracer and hung it on the door. I’d take the right one with me. The magic that connected them would keep the door impossible to pry open, which would keep Elaine safe in my absence. I trusted the Gorgonian magic not to fail. These old, shaky walls, however, gave me little reassurance.
“I’ll be quick,” I said, lingering by the door.
“I’ll be waiting.” She blew me a kiss.
Still, I wouldn’t leave. I just couldn’t.
Her smile grew wider. She walked away from her bedding and stopped in front of me, twirling a stand of her hair between her fingers.
“Are you waiting for a proper goodbye kiss?” she asked sweetly.
Last week, she told me that it was customary for humans to give their loved ones a goodbye kiss when leaving home. It sounded like a bizarre habit to me at the time. But she’d since kissed me every time I left our hut. And now, it felt like something was missing without her kiss.
“You said it’s important,” I muttered, carefully shifting my knees apart to give her space to get closer, if she so wished.
Such was the limitation of my life in the chair. I couldn’t grab her, hug her, or bring her closer whenever I felt like it. I had to rein in my impatience and wait for her to make that first step toward me. I had to make herwantto make that step too.
“Customary,”she corrected. “I said the kiss was customary where I came from. If you think it’s important, it’s on you.”
“It’s important,” I said, my voice turning raspy for some reason, forcing me to clear my throat. “It is important to me.”
Her smile softened, the expression in her eyes warmed. Placing her knee on the chair between my legs and her hands on my shoulders, she brought her face to mine.
“Then it’s important to me too…” she exhaled.
Her warm breath fanned over my skin like the softest breeze as she touched my cheek with her lips.
