“Do you want our camp to get discovered again?” Jaspen snarled at her. “Because that’s where we’re headed. We arebetterthan fae. We can’t sympathise with them when they could take us out without blinking.”
Dropping her chin, Iris hugged herself, avoiding Elyssa’s gaze. Her heart felt as if it was being squeezed, her veins running hot, but Elyssa swallowed her anger and turned on her heel, not caring if Jaspen was done. Stepping away was the only way to keep herself from blowing up and giving Jaspen exactly what he needed to justify kicking her out.
As she walked through the camp, her home, her eyes travelled between the familiar beige tents. No one could tell her to leave her home. She belonged here. It was the one place she could walk around in the open without the fear of being discovered.
She knew Jaspen wouldn’t change. Eventually, Elyssa would have to go and make her own camp.
But first, there was a revolution to be won. While Jaspen was hopeless, she was still optimistic that the others would see the light and break away from his narrow views. They needed to stick together, to fight together, until the world was as risk-free as it possibly could be.
Chapter2
Rhay
The pounding of the music had faded in Rhay’s mind, replaced by the toll of the morning bells. Rolling over, Rhay tried to escape the wretched sound. His hand searched for a pillow to put over his head but only encountered the warmth of the body lying next to him—the beautiful brunette still fast asleep.
Light poured in from the high windows. Rhay remembered the pleasing way of how last night had ended. Him, the now sleeping fae woman, and her equally gorgeous companion, had shared a long and intoxicating night. The other fae had left earlier, but Rhay had decided to stay in the woman’s room for round two.
Or three. Anything to forget the worries plaguing him.
Yet now that his drunkenness had left him alone in the harsh morning light, he couldn’t help but think back on the last week.Amira…
As much as he had tried to cast her away, she still had a hold on his mind. Rhay could still feel the taste of her lips even though he knew her feelings towards him would never change. He wasn’t sure if it was his ego or his heart that hurt the most. He wasn’t even sure of his feelings for Amira. For an empath, he was very bad at reading his own emotions. Or too good at deflecting.
His feelings didn’t matter anyway, only Amira’s…otherness.To protect her, Rhay knew he needed to keep her secret from Karwyn. For her sake, and his peace of mind, she needed to be gone from Turosian forever.
A curse escaped Rhay’s lips, provoking a sigh from his sleeping companion. He leaned in. “I’m sorry, love. I need to go.”
The young woman rose on her arms, her eyes blinking open. “Last night was fun…”
A wicked grin spread on Rhay’s face. “It definitely was.”
“But you know, I’d rather sleep alone,” she said with a lazy yawn before pulling the blanket over her eyes.
Rhay lost his smile. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
Gathering his clothes, he quickly got dressed. His sparkling blouse looked out of place now, removed from the extravagant setting of his party. Rhay hated the morning after when he was forced to come down from his high, when reality, in all its horror, called him back.
As he closed the door, a headache sneaked up on him. Rhay pressed his hand to his forehead, cursing the fae who had stolen his crystal about three weeks ago. Of course, he had gone back to the cute trader who had sold him the crystal. Rio had promised to keep looking for it. Ever since that day, Rhay swore his hangovers had gotten worse.
Or is it your conscience?a voice whispered in his head. As always, Rhay pushed it aside as he headed to his room.
When he opened the door to his bedroom, two hands grabbed him and pulled him inside. Rhay’s heart raced in his chest, his hand going to his left side, searching for a dagger to defend himself. But Rhay rarely carried a weapon inside the palace. Only his trusted flask.
“Where is it?” Amira’s high-pitched voice assaulted his ears. Her puffy eyes filled his blurry vision. Rhay distantly heard his door fall shut behind them.
“Where is what?” he shot back, shrugging off her weak hold on him. He knew exactly what she wanted, yet he couldn’t help but taunt her. He needed to keep his walls up. He couldn’t let himself be distracted by her—by hisfeelings.She needed to be gone and his feelings with her.
Amira’s erratic pacing disturbed his cocoon of a room. She was clearly suffering from withdrawal. The drugs were acting fast. She’d only been off them for a few days, but it seemed as if she’d been on the drug fortae for much longer than a week.
Amira’s eyes were as red as the marks on her arms; her usually glowing olive skin had become dull. She seemed unable to stand still, her whole body pulsating. A strange sensation overcame him. Was it…guilt?
“Where is the fortae you promised?” Amira asked again, her tone so eager. Rhay barely recognised her.
Her use of fortae seemed to have inhibited her abilities. Thank Caelo, he hadn’t seen her have another meltdown like the one in her room a week ago. The issue now was her erratic behaviour. He wasn’t the only one who had noticed. Everyone already thought that the Princess of Allamyst was odd, but now she was a loose cannon ready to fire at any moment.
Even though Rhay was conflicted about Amira, he didn’t want her seriously harmed. If Amira revealed her true self, she would be killed or forced into a blood contract. Keeping Amira’s secret from Karwyn was a betrayal tearing at Rhay’s heart. But the alternative, Amira’s inevitable dark fate, would crush him completely.
“Calm down, princess.” Rhay raised his hands, still feeling dizzy from all the drinking he had done at the party. “I’m working on it. If you want my help, I’d suggest you change your tone.”
