Sickness? Curse? Is it contagious? Fuck, that’s not something I thought about before I touched him. Will I meet the same fate? Considering how my luck is going, I wouldn’t be surprised.
I don’t get a chance to voice my fears becausesomething lands on Lady Thalia’s shoulder. A small green man. Finnick? I think that’s what he said. “You found her,” he says, a big grin on his face. It’s wiped away the moment he stares down at the dead man.
“Oh no, Florian.” Finnick leaps off Lady Thalia and flutters down toward the dead fae. He gently closes Florian’s eyes, putting his tiny hand to his man’s forehead. “May we meet in eternity once again.”
“He was your friend?” I blurt out, enraptured by the moment.
Finnick nods once. “We weren’t close, but he was a good fae.” He pats Florian’s forehead once more before flying back to his perch on Lady Thalia, a solemn look on his face.
“Did you find Niko or Zephyr, little love?” Lady Thalia asks.
A rustling sound behind me has me spinning around to see two people walking toward us. My breath hitches at the sight of them. Two of the sexiest men I’ve ever seen in my life approach me. The shorter of the two by an inch or so looks like he belongs in an epic legend. His hair, a river of deep copper and molten flame, cascades in perfect waves over his shoulders. He could be a model for shampoo commercials.
His skin is pale, like snow falling from the sky, with freckles across the bridge of a strong, sculpted nose. He wears a jacket the color of spilled wine, a metal breastplate peeking through underneath. Every inch of him radiates power, and he looks upon me with an intensity and kindness no man has dared show me before.
The other man is his opposite in every way, withdark, umber skin and muscles that detail a life of hard work and discipline. His short-cropped hair shows off his pointed ears and many gold rings adorning his lobe. He looks capable of bringing grown men to their knees with very little effort. His honey-brown eyes bore into mine, making me squirm.
And yet there is something familiar about him.
“You’re the one who saved me,” I blurt out. “You protected me.”
Chapter 10
Zephyr
Fuck, how did I not know the woman was human? The moment I saw her, I knew something was different about her, but I wasn’t able to think much about it before I had to deal with the Nephilim. And then I just left her. The woman who is to marry my mate—something I’m still processing—and I left her with Finnick.
Fuck.
There’s no mistaking it now. Her skin is a rich, warm bronze, glowing as if the sun favors her. Curls, dark as ink and full with volume, spill past her shoulders and out of her bun. They mostly hide her ears, but there’s no mistaking the rounded curve to them. She’s delicate, like a touch too rough might break her. I suppose that description isn’t completely warranted when she faced a Nephilim alone. With a pot, no less.
That’s pretty impressive.
There’s a beauty to her, not of the fae but of something otherworldly. She even smells human, like artificialsweetness, and wears her emotions for all to see. Her brown eyes, the color of autumn leaves, stare at me with a mixture of reverence and fear. She’s waiting on me to answer her, the air charged with tension I can’t fathom.
“Zephyr,” I say too briskly because Niko shoots me a warning glare. I’m shit when it comes to introductions, but even more so when I’m looking at Niko’s future wife.
Just his. Not mine. No matter how many times he begs. I don’t—won’t—have room in my heart for another.
“Zephyr,” she says my name, sweet like honey. I find myself wanting to hear her say it again. “And who are you?”
This time, she’s looking at Niko. My mate grins, wearing the same charming smile that has gotten many before me to warm his bed at night. It’s hard to resist. “I’m Niko.”
“King Niko,” I supply.
The woman gasps, a red tint coloring her cheeks. “I’m Evangeline.” She wrings her hands together nervously. “I’m not from here.”
Despite myself, I snort. Niko can punish me for it later if he wills, but this small talk is getting us nowhere. I approach her, far too quickly, apparently, because she scrambles back until she hits the tree behind her. Skittish little thing.
“Where’s Ender? Why isn’t he with you?” At my question, Evangeline flinches. I don’t mean to sound accusatory, but it doesn’t make sense that he’d leave her to fend for herself.
A hand comes down hard on my shoulder, and I turnto see my scowling mate. His anger pulses through our bond. “Calm yourself, Zephyr,” he snarls. “She is not the enemy.”
Perhaps not, but my question still stands. My patience is thin, and our time is even more precious than before. We need answers, more than this woman needs gentle kindness. She won’t find that in me.
Still, Niko turns to her, his gaze moving down her body. “Are you hurt?” he asks, finishing his assessment. There’s an appreciative gleam in his eyes. He’s clearly a fan of what he sees.
“No…but, I’m sorry. I don’t want to be here. I don’t know why The Guardian just left me, and I think I’ve made a horrible mistake. I’m not meant for this place. I’m just a chef! Not some woman fit to fight…whatever the hell those things were. I thought…” she breaks off, and I swear a single tear runs down her cheek before she wipes it away. “I just wanted to leave Grym Hollow. Explore the world. But I’m seeing now I shouldn’t have left. I’m not brave enough for this shit.”
