He sighed. “Adrien? Years.”
That didn’t seem right. Why would one go so long without seeing their own family?I didn’t want to ask. Stryker was a complicated creature that I was unpeeling layer by layer.
We reached a magnificent castle, white stucco with palm trees that I couldn’t fully admire in the fading sunlight.
A tall man with a strong build rushed outside with a woman clinging to his arm. From the loose cotton shirt blowing in the breeze to the cutlass sheathed at his hip and the tight-fitting breeches, he looked every bit a swashbuckling pirate rather than a refined Ethereum lord. But even so, the man was easily identifiable as Stryker’s brother. The streaks of honey in his shoulder-length dark hair were different, as was the striking teal color of his eyes, but the face was so similar there was no mistaking who he was.
“Brother?” Adrien looked shocked.
I felt Stryker stiffen beside me. “Do you have a healer for my friend? She’s in a lot of pain. I can pay.”
Adrien looked hurt. “Of course. No payment needed.”
That made Stryker coil even tighter behind me. “I will pay for services that I use,” he declared and then jumped down from the horse before pulling me down.
The woman beside Adrien was tall with pale skin and long chestnut hair. She stroked his arm playfully and watched us with a cold expression that gave me chills.
“I’m Adrien,” the man said to me. “This is my fiancée, Elisana.”
The woman’s chin lifted and she looked down on me like I wasn’t worth her time or regard.
Stryker’s eyebrows hit his hairline. “Fiancée?”
Elisana glared at Stryker, but Adrien beamed at the woman,reaching out to stroke her hand. “Yes, recently. The wedding is in a few months. You should come.”
Something felt off here, but I couldn’t put my finger on it and I was in too much agony to care. The rapid healing of wounds sometimes hurt more than what I imagined the normal way did.
“The healer?” Stryker reminded his brother.
Adrien shook himself, as if refocusing, and muttered an apology before leading us all inside.
The healer was waiting, probably called by the messenger. A little bag sat at his feet. He had high-tipped ears, twice as pointed as my own, and a blue tinged nose.
“My lady.” He bowed and held his hands out for me.
“I hurt my—” I began to explain but he just shook his head.
“I know. I feel it.”
I didn’t have much experience with fae that had healing magic. They were rare and our palace back home didn’t have one. I stopped in front of him and he lightly took my wrists in his own. A slight tingle worked up my arms from my fingertips to my elbow.
It was like balm had been wrapped around my wounds. I sighed in relief as the pain fled.
“Feel better?” Stryker asked anxiously beside me.
I nodded, sighing again. I hadn’t realized how badly it hurt until the pain was taken away.
“They’re not staying the night, are they?” I heard Elisana whisper to Adrien behind me.
I scoffed.
Rude!
“Well, if they want to,” Adrien said.
Elisana gave a nervous laugh. “Of course if they want to, darling. I just didn’t tell the maids to make up the guest bedrooms.”
“No need,” Stryker interrupted. “We will stay at an inn and be on our way in the morning.”
