17. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

The High Fae are not dragons, but they know of things that dragons do not. Where we are cold, they are warm. Where we are slow, they are fast. Where we sleep, they lie awake. The High Fae are not dragons, but maybe that is why Calyr trusts them.

~Kasan the Lifegiver, A History of Magic and Dragons

I walk straight to the house that Lee and Darian live in because I expect Cole to be there. I need help to get this boar home. Moving him was impossible, and I really think that the only way he's getting back to Aerwyn is if we get an entire troop of Fae to help. The thing is enormous. As I get close, I hear angry arguing from inside.

"She doesn't know. She can't know. That's all there is to it." That one's Cole. What is he asking about?

"She's furious, Cole." That's Lee. "You can see it in her eyes. Those unanswered questions are having her suspect everything. You need to answer some. If you're not careful, she's going to walk away."

He sighs the way he does so often. "I can't answer them all, Lee. The cards have to fall the right way. We all know that. She can't…" He stops, and I know I'm caught.

Instead of hiding like someone who'd done something wrong, I open the door and immediately confront Cole. "What can't I know? What new terrible secret are you too afraid to tell me?"

Cole glares at Lee as he stays silent for a moment. Then he smiles, and it's almost more terrifying than if he'd snarled. "I need you to pretend to be my betrothed."

I blink. "What?"

The smile doesn't crack. He continues to show me what can only be described as a court smile because there's not an ounce of happiness behind it. "If you'd like to survive Draenyth for even a handful of days, you'll pretend that we're going to be married soon. Any other option or suggestion will end with someone having to physically stand next to you at all hours of the day. Even then, I'm not entirely sure we can protect you."

I shake my head. No, there's no way I can pretend to be engaged to someone. "Why? You're a prince, aren't you? Doesn't everyone have to do what you say?"

He blinks, but the smile doesn't budge. "I'm the Prince, but you smell like shadows, and the only way to cover that up is by hiding it with my scent. So, no, there are not any other options. Either you become my betrothed, or you'll probably end up dead in Draenyth."

I'm shaken. Cole's stare is impenetrable. There's no discussion or hesitation in those eyes. No wiggle room at all. He's sure of himself, and from what I've seen, once he becomes sure of something, there's no changing his mind. "What does that even mean, Cole?"

His court smile cracks into a grin. For the first time, he looks like he actually finds something amusing other than fighting. "There's a ritual, Wyrdling. It will connect us magically and will let others know that we're both claimed. It's not normally used to hide people's scents, but because yours is so light, it should do the trick."

"So I don't have to do anything… inappropriate with you?"

He stares at me, long and hard, before answering.

"You'll be expected to play the part of a fiancée. I assume that will entail the occasional public kiss, and we'll be sharing a room. No one will think it's anything other than me trying to piss my father off, something I've taken great pride in throughout the years. You'll be safe long enough for you to accomplish your goals. I'll have something for the people and court to talk about, and I'll get to see my father furious that I'm betrothed to a Wyrdling. It'll be fine."

Lee turns to him, concern in her eyes, but she doesn't say anything. Cole's eyes harden against her gaze, and I don't know what they're silently arguing about. Another shiver runs up my spine. More lies. More secrets.

"That's all you were hiding from me?" I ask. "A plan for how to survive Draenyth?"

"That's what I was talking about when you barged in, yes." Cole's still lying, and I plop down in a chair, trying to look annoyed but relaxed. Inside, I'm screaming. That lightning is bouncing around inside me like it's begging me to pull off my mother's ring to uncork the bottle.

"You know, I'm getting tired of the lies, Cole. I know you won't tell me everything, but the thing that doesn't make sense is why you'd keep everything a secret until the very moment that I need to know something. Why did it take me eavesdropping for you to tell me the plan you have to keep me safe in Draenyth? Eventually, you'd need to tell me the plan, so why not let me know in advance so I can mentally prepare for it?"

That court smile falls over his lips once again, and he crosses the room. When he's standing directly in front of me, he reaches down and wraps his fingers around my wrist in a steel grip, and he yanks me to my feet.

"Because you're not trustworthy," he snarls as he shows me my wrist with three little tally marks on it. "No one under his influence is ever truly trustworthy. If you weren't important, I would have left you at the first sign of those debts."

I want to be angry at him. I want to lash out and defy what he's saying, but everyone knows that there's no way out of a debt with the Shade. And I have three.

"I've had no one else to turn to three different times in my life, Cole. Unlike the Prince of Flames, I've had no control over my life since magic became involved. Not all of us have lived the life of the Prince."

Even the court smile can't hold back the anguish that I see in Cole's eyes. Mixed with anger, it's confusing, but the heat that wells up around his fingertips isn't confusing at all. Cole pushes me backward against the chair and turns around. I don't miss the flames that surround both hands as he walks back to where Lee is standing silently.

"If you want to learn my secrets, pay your debts, Wyrdling. Until then, trust me. I've done nothing but keep you safe." His head is bowed, and his shoulders are slumped, but he still says, "Tomorrow night, we train with sticks again. You and Darian as well, Lee. The things that are coming won't care about where you stand on violence, and you know that. We're in a fight to save everything that matters, and our enemies are the most ruthless Immortals that were ever born."

Then he walks out of the house, leaving me and Lee alone. Seconds pass as we both look at the door.

"He didn't have an easy life," she says. "Nothing about his life has ever been easy. He's a good one, though. Better than anyone else. He's… he's what the world needs."

I don't respond, and Lee sighs. He may be a good one, but he's still a Fae. He still has more secrets than anyone, and maybe that's the thing that I'm still struggling to grasp. I'm just a Wyrdling trying to help my cousin because of a stupid mistake I made. Let him keep his secrets and his struggles.

I'll just keep surviving. Which reminds me.

"Lee, is there any way you could help me? There's a boar…"