Tenebrys gestured for her to sit up, and he washed her clean with a soft flannel. Delphi felt floaty, like she wasn't entirely in her body.
In silence, Tenebrys finished cleaning her and lifted her from the tub. Delphi's legs were trembling, but she managed to remain upright as he dried her before wrapping her in a robe. He carried her back into his chambers and set her in an oversized armchair by the fire.
She stared at it, eyes wide. It was the same fireplace, carved of stone roses and roaring lions that she had been dreaming about for years.
Of course it was.
For a horrible moment, Delphi thought Tenebrys was going to leave when he opened the main chamber door, but instead, he retrieved a large tray and a bundle of clothes.
Tenebrys set the tray of food on a small table beside her and sat down in the chair opposite her.
"Now, my little flower, you and I are going to have a very honest conversation."
20
Tenebrys filled a plate with cooked meat, vegetables, and fruit and offered it to Delphi.
"I thought I was the only one who cooked," she said, still a little uncertain about Tenebrys's softer side.
"It would seem that Felix made the exception for you. Eat. You had a long night, and it's already afternoon again," he replied, getting food for himself. He waited until she had started eating before he tried any of the meat himself.
"What do you know about witch fire?" Delphi asked, needing to start the conversation off somewhere.
Tenebrys's eyes widened. "Where did you hear that?"
"Those crazy fae who were trying to kidnap me last night," Delphi said and ate some of the roasted potato. "One of them was babbling about me being a carrier of the witch flame and how their lord was going to use my power to make the land bloom. He sounded drunk. The only type of fire I know of is the normal kind."
Tenebrys leaned back in his chair, looking thoughtful. He had laced his trousers back up, but he hadn't covered any other part of him. Delphi stared shamelessly. She liked looking at hisbig body and wanted to touch the gold arcane symbols on the black bone on his chest. She wanted to know what they meant, almost as much as she wanted to know what they tasted like.
"Long ago, the fae began to breed with humans. The mortality rates with hybrid children were lower than those of pure fae, and the human and fae offspring inherited special abilities like magic. Best of all, that touch of fae in them made them unique breeding stock for the pure bloods," Tenebrys said, his eyes troubled.
"That's how they created the witch bloodlines," Delphi said, remembering the tale from a book she had read.
Tenebrys nodded. "Yes, it was meant to be a breeding program. Unfortunately for the fae, magic has its own plans, and the powerful witches soon started to band together to protect each other. The ones that could escape from Faerie back into the human realms did. Unfortunately, they were unknown creatures to both humans and shifters, and so they were always outcasts. They did better in the shifter realms and in those that had already accepted magic, like Arkaia. Chantelun tolerated them until the fae war, and then both humans and the fae rounded them up to take back to Faerie or to be killed."
Delphi could taste smoke, and she shifted in her chair. "Narcisse made me go to the last witch burning to make sure I always knew to hide what I am," she admitted, hating that her voice cracked. "I still have nightmares about it. I was five at the time."
"Your father is a piece of shit," Tenebrys replied, anger lacing every word. "I'm sorry he forced you to witness that kind of horror."
"It worked, though, didn't it? I never tried to learn more about my power because I was always too afraid of it and being discovered." Delphi pushed a piece of meat around her plate, not looking at him. "Someone must have found out because Louisshowed me a wanted poster. I would be burned as soon as I was found. That's the only 'witch fire' I know about."
Tenebrys's tail curled around her ankle, a warm, comforting touch.
"No one will be harming you again, little flower. I don't care how many times I need to tell you until you believe me," he said firmly.
They held each other's gaze for a long, tense moment before he finally continued. "You know how I mentioned the original fae mating with humans? That first line of children had exceptional magical power from the fae, but none of their vices. Their human side helped balance them out and kept the magic from turning them mad. One of the most prized abilities was what they called Witch Fire. It could level battlefields and then make them bloom again. It was one power capable of both destructionandcreation. This is why they want you so badly. A witch with your abilities hasn't been seen for centuries. It's so strong that some fucking high lord can feel your power all the way into Faerie."
Delphi pushed a hand through her damp hair. "But, Ten, I don'thavethat kind of ability, and I would be surprised if I have a full drop of fae blood in me. My magic is like a little ember of power right now, good to light some fires and heat things. Those fae have to be mistaken."
Tenebrys shook his head. "Believe me, Delphi. The power is there. Locked up and smothered but there. A few nights ago, the fae that stabbed me with the blade said they had come through the gateway foryou. I didn't want to frighten you more than what you already were, so I didn't tell you. It was why I was so insistent on you staying in the château last night."
"You could have told me or warned me without being a bastard about it," Delphi replied, her eyes narrowing. "I was pissy as it was, and you made it worse."
"I only wanted to keep you safe," he growled. "I just didn't say it right."
"I don't know why you want me safe at all," she said, her frustration bubbling over. "I really don't understand you, Tenebrys. One minute you're an asshole, then you're protecting me, then you're punishing me, then you're feeding me. I can never figure out what version of you I'm going to get!"
Delphi didn't realize she was yelling until Tenebrys's tail tightened around her calf.
