Another male stepped forward, gesturing to the coconut I held. I gave it to him, and he turned it over, pointing at the top.
“My name is Callan. I am Kassidy’s older brother.” He said it with pride and tipped his chin down at his sister. “This coconut is still young, so it doesn’t have meat yet,” he said. “But if you find the softest eye, you can pierce through it and drink its water.”
Kassidy gave me her dagger. It was a heavy wooden piece with intricate markings on the handle.
“You want me to pierce this guy’s eye out?” I asked, not hiding the tremor in my voice.
“It’s a fruit, Brent,” Javier said with a tilt of his lips.
“Then why tell me to pierce the softest eye?” I asked, prodding my fingers across each eye to find the weakest link. “It just sounds cruel.”
“You are a truly terrifying fae,” Finley said, a sultry tease in her voice.
I glared at her, my insides fluttering at the smile she gave me. I only looked away when I found the eye to puncture.
“So I just run the blade through?”
“Sure.” Kassidy grinned.
I pointed her blade at her. “You’ve earned my trust by feeding me. Don’t go and ruin what could be a forever friendship.”
“You’re going to push the dagger through the eye, into the heart until you reach a hollow space,” she said. “Then you twist the dagger to widen the hole.”
“Here I go, butchering eyes and hearts.” I took in a slow breath and pushed Kassidy’s dagger as she’d instructed.
Once I got it through and twisted enough to widen the hole, I pulled out the dagger. Kassidy pushed the bottom of the coconut up. I lifted the large fruit in a toast.
“Here’s to making new friendships in a new realm, where we can provide the help our dragons asked of us,” I said, bringing the coconut to my lips.
The same sweetness coated my tongue with a tang of salt and sour. I took another sip and handed it to Elias, who also lifted the fruit before he took his own drink. Round and round, we all drank from the coconut until the last human took the final drink.
Callan clapped the back of my neck, silently ushering us away from the cave. We followed Kassidy and him, with all but two other males and a single female staying back, as we made our way down a clear pathway to an open meadow with tall green grass and pretty wildflowers. The blue sky met the waters of the calm bay in a breathtaking picture.
Wanting to capture it, I took my cell phone from my inner pocket of magic and took several pictures. It was a shame that the connection our scholars in Niev had been able to replicate from the human realm’s internet couldn’t pass through the realms. Teddy would love this place. I could picture all the younglings playing on the beach and in the surf.
Finley nudged her shoulder against mine. “You did good, Brent.”
I preened at her praise, wanting to soak in the pride that shone in her face.
“You did very well,” Elias agreed. “I have you to thank for this not ending in bloodshed.”
I winked at my best friend, but couldn’t deny the light feeling that spread and settled in my chest.
Chapter
Eight
FINLEY
I likedthe way Brenton had come to my defense more than I should have.
That alone irritated me.
I wasn’t some feeble fae but a hardened warrior. I had fought my own battles for years, with only my blade and my resolve to see me through. My death magic stayed sheathed unless I was ordered to use it. It was a last resort I never reached for on my own. Several times, Etienne had stood at my side, but this . . . this was different.
I didn’t need someone stepping between me and danger. Yet . . .
Brenton hadn’t simply stood beside me but had stepped between me and the insult.
