“Maethrel said to trust the two travelers. I know it’s them. It has to be,” I finish eagerly.
“And who says we can trust Maethrel completely?” Daegan rubs a hand over his chin, deep in thought.
“He gave us his blood,” I say.
We all look at one another, stumped.
“We don’t have to make any decisions yet,” I say. “We can keep meeting here, keep training, and maybe the right decision will reveal itself to us. We just need to be careful what we say.”
“Which we should be doing anyway,” Raef says, and we both side-eye Daegan.
He tilts his head back. “I know. I know. I’m an idiot.”
“Wow. He admits fault,” I say.
“I have plenty,” he says softly, the intensity in his stare kicking up again as he looks at me.
“You know…” Raef muses, interrupting whatever the moment was. “Our invitation to stay in this wonderful kingdom was not indefinite. Eventually, we’ll have to travel back home…”
My stomach turns sour at the thought. I’ve gotten used to them here already, oddly enough.
“Well, we’ll have to figure it out before then,” Daegan proclaims with confidence. Then he takes off back toward the table.
Another night spent in the library, another night with no progress. We talk about exploring the castle again, but I need to be here so Gaethri and Rhydra can get their library time in too. We decide we’ll all try to be more observant and look around the grounds in our spare time when we’re not in here.
Both Daegan and Raef walk me home after a late night this evening, with Raef making me laugh several times while telling tales from their youth. Daegan even allows a rare smirk or two to escape.
When we reach my room, my stomach drops.
Adrian is sitting against the wall next to my door. He stands abruptly when he sees me approaching from down the dark hall, and we all stand in awkward silence as he takes in my company with displeasure written all over his face.
I feel Daegan tense at my side, his arms crossing as he plants his feet.
“Elle, where have you been all day? Can we talk?” Adrian asks, ignoring the males beside me now. He has a fresh cut on his cheek and a small bruise on the other side.
I hesitate, standing in awkward silence as all the males seem to await my answer.
“Sure,” I say, stepping toward him. “Thanks for walking me home,” I say to Raef and Daegan as I leave their sides.
“Yep. Any time,” Raef replies, retreating with a mock bow.
Daegan lingers a moment longer, his body tense and his eyes never leaving mine. Finally, he nods and then follows Raef.
Adrian watches until they’ve completely gone from our sight, then he releases a breath and faces me. “What is going on with you?”
“What?”
“Why are you spending time with them? Again?”
I stand tall, holding my shoulders back. “I like them.”
“What?”
“I like them. They’re my friends. They’re interesting. And different.”
“I don’t like it.”
“Excuse me?”
