48. Welcome To Avylon

forty-eight

Welcome To Avylon

Alessia

T he days go by as we wait for Tynan to regain consciousness. Nothing really changes as we stay put in Spiritus Court with everyone around us. Any day now, he will wake up, and everything will be okay.

But with each passing day, Rainer makes peace with the idea of losing Tynan.

Rainer and I continue to sneak away to the meadow, losing ourselves to bliss under the open sky. The likely death of his brother impacted him more than he says with words—I can feel his guilt and sorrow through the bond. They vibrate down our invisible cord, hitting me in the chest at the most random of times.

Even with all the horrible things that have transpired around us, it’s not enough to steal the joy of being in love—and having that love returned.

“There you are,” Ken hollers, waiting for us one afternoon. He stands next to the massive tree door, tapping his foot anxiously. “I started to look for you, but when I caught a scent of—”

Rainer growls, narrowing his eyes. “Don’t finish that sentence.”

“Well, I figured it’d be best to wait here for you.” Ken clears his throat, grinning. “Guess broody prince is the little demon’s type after all, eh? ”

Embarrassment washes over me, but when Rainer gives me a private smirk, I can’t help but return it.

“Why were you looking for us?” Rainer asks.

“Oh—you have visitors.” He jerks his thumb toward the door. He pushes it open, gesturing for us to enter first. “They got here a little while ago, but they seem a little impatient.”

Ken leads us to one of the receiving rooms that I never thought would actually be used. He pushes open the double doors with dramatic flair, turning to grin at us.

I expected to see Enid, but instead, an unfamiliar group sits on couches around a table, playing cards and drinking wine. I count six of them.

“Squid!” The blond one yells, throwing his cards down on the table. He turns to us with a crooked grin and jumps to his feet. He kicks the female next to him in the shin. “Lo, they’re here.”

“Asshole!” she yells, and I can’t place their accents.

Most rise, eyeing us with various levels of wariness and intrigue. A curvy female about my height with olive skin and a dark pixie cut separates from the pack. She steps forward, inclining her chin and narrowing her teal eyes on me. There’s a stern expression as she scrutinizes me, and I’m not sure I like it.

“You’re her,” she says thoughtfully. Like the others, her accent tells me she’s not from Dovenak or Avylon. “Hm. Not what I expected.”

I frown. “Who are you ?”

We hold each other’s stares for a second, then she laughs.

“I’m Aife.” She points to the tall, stunning male with long, dark hair pulled into a low bun standing beside her. “This is Lex.” He nods but doesn’t smile. Then, Aife gestures at a brown-haired male in suspenders, wearing a teasing smirk. “That’s Dash.”

“Hey.” He waves.

“Way to forget about us.” The blond one says. “I’m Callan.” He throws his wine back and slams it on the table. “That’s good wine. And that’s Lo.” He jerks a thumb at the female with long, white-blonde braids and upturned eyes. “The asshole behind us is Sora.”

The other dark-haired male with narrowed, angled eyes stays planted on the sofa, refusing to look at us.

I squint at Callan, wondering why he looks so familiar. Then I shake it off.

“Lexyll,” I murmur, my eyes latching onto the one whose name I recognize. His bright green eyes are equally alluring and haunting. His shapely muscles beneath his all-black ensemble as he crosses his arms. “God of War?”

He arches a brow as he stares me down blankly. “Indeed.”

“You’re really a god?”

The male chuckles, and Aife appears amused.

Rainer steps closer to me, and I feel his jealousy radiating down the bond. Whatever expression is on his face causes Aife to laugh again. Her ocean eyes twinkle with amusement.

“Easy, killer,” she says to Rainer. “They’re mine .” She rolls her eyes, then turns to me. “Males, am I right? Always having a motherfucking pissing contest.”

I frown in confusion at the strange turn of phrase.

“What the feck is going on?” Ken mutters loudly. He strides past the group, snatching the wine bottle and plopping down next to the glowering arse on the sofa. Ken angles the bottle toward him. “Sláinte.” Then, he brings it to his lips and downs the whole thing.

“Holy shit,” Callan says with a laugh, clearly impressed by Ken’s shenanigans. “You’re crazy.”

“We came to help you,” Aife says, ignoring the males.

“Enid contacted me and requested assistance,” Lex says, his deep voice booming through the space and commanding attention. The lilt to his words is slightly different from the others—still unplaceable to me. “I brought others.”

“It means a lot that you’d come to help,” I say, nodding my head. I hope they can read the thank-you between my words. I’ll say it to Rainer, but there’s no way I’m saying it to strangers.

“How the feck do you plan to help exactly,” Rainer challenges, stepping forward toward Lex.

Lex sighs, as if he’s tired, and his eyes shoot to Callan.

A whooshing sound cuts through the air as white wings shoot from Callan’s back. I gape, stunned by the sight up close. I’ve only seen wings like these twice before. Once at Ostara and once in the—

“ You ,” I breathe out. “I saw you! Up on Mount Altum in the moonberry field.” Right before I went into the Cave of Reflection and my entire life changed.

“Probably.” His grin grows, and he shrugs his shoulder. “I can’t resist returning home for my favorite snack now and then.” He winks at Aife, who chuckles.

“Hey, I love moonberries!” Ken roars, clapping his hands .

Callan reaches into his pocket. “Want some? I have a few extra—”

“Can we hurry this the fuck up,” Sora snarls from the sofa. “I have things to do.”

“You can shut the fuck up, how about that?” Aife snaps back, rolling her eyes. “Sorry about that one. And Callan—now is not the time to get high.”

“But it’s always a good time to get high,” Ken protests.

Rainer sighs, rubbing his forehead.

Callan laughs, stepping over to Ken to give him a high five. “I like this guy.”

“Share your berries, and I’ll say the same about you,” Ken says, reaching a hand out.

Sora slaps it away, scowling at them both.

I’m still caught up in the strangeness of it all. The casual apology, combined with their unfamiliar accents and word choices, confuses me.

“Where are you from?” I ask Aife.

She glances at her companions. “A few different places.”

I scrunch my nose at her non-answer. “You’re human?” I ask, trying to understand these strange… beings in my court.

“Sort of?” Aife offers. “I identified as human for a while, if that counts.”

“Don’t let her downplay it,” Dash says, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her to his side. “This gorgeous woman here is a—"

Aife snorts and slaps his arm away. “Sora’s right. We should move things along.”

“Where would you like your iron delivered?” Lex asks calmly, getting down to business.

“Uh, here is fine?” I look to Rainer for confirmation. He’s busy sizing up the males as if he’s readying for a fight. I step closer to him, leaning up toward his ear, and I lower my voice. “They’re here to help .”

“I don’t trust them,” Rainer responds loudly.

“But Enid sent them to—”

“And I don’t trust her,” he adds.

His icy blue eyes narrow, sending a chill down even my spine. The strangers are no more intimidating than Rainer. The thought that Rainer could fit in amongst a god has me biting down a smile.

“You don’t trust anyone.”

“For good reason.”

“Okay, I’m hungry,” Callan says, cutting through the tension.

“Me too!” Ken stands, slapping his thighs. “Let’s talk this out over a meal, how bout that?”

“Good idea.” I nod, striding to the door. “I’ll let Das Celyn know we have visitors, so they can prepare something. In the meantime, I’ll show you to the guest rooms so you can make yourselves comfortable.”

Rainer grumbles, and I shake my head as I chuckle to myself.

I pause at the door, turning back to the teal-eyed woman right behind me. “Wherever you’re from, Aife and friends, welcome to Avylon.”