Page 127 of Malicent
She pauses, stripping off her gloves to reach for her journal. “You’re awake; how do you feel?” She still hasn’t looked at me. That’s not like her.
“I’ve been better. First time I’ve ever woken up with a collar on,” I reply, tapping at the cold steel.
“It’s unfortunately necessary.”
“So…you agreed to it?”
“Don’t accuse me of being a part of that decision,” she says, sighing as she flips open her journal. Then her gaze finally meets mine, sharper and heavier than I’ve seen before. “You tried to kill Kalix.”
Her voice darkens. There’s a new chill to her that prickles across my skin.
“Iris, Cage attacked me. My magic reacted.”
“You attacked him first. Take responsibility.” She closes the journal. “I’m sorry it’s like this. I wanted to trust you.”
“I’m…I'm sorry, Iris.” I force the words out, pride scraping my throat on the way up. She reminds me of Arcadia—of a version of home that still means something to me. My chest tightens over the thought of Iris shutting me out.
She studies me like some complex puzzle, uncertain on whether she wants to solve it. I suppose I am in some ways. “I’m sorry you had to be collared. I know how awful it must feel being cut off from your magic. You will be allowed in certain situations; Tyran will explain the details.”
The tension between us continues to make me feel uneasy. I spin my ring on my thumb in an attempt to ease my discomfort.
“Kalix is important to me,” she says. “He didn’t go out there expecting to die. He is smarter than that. He planned. Even with all the preparation, I still hated the threat to his life.” Her voice sharpens to a lethal blade. “If you ever hurt him again—if you kill him—I will tear you apart and reshape you into beasts to serve me forever.”
Damn. Touchy. “But you’re not dating, right?” I tease, forcing a small smile in an attempt to ease the tension between us. Some people flinch at a person’s darkness, but that’s not my style. I live there too.
Iris's features soften, a reluctant smile tugging at her lips. “Right.”
She closes the space between us, pulling me into a tight hug with the heavy sigh a parent makes when their child inevitably hurts themselves again. Whatever walls I’m trying to keep up collapse. I return her embrace, just as tightly. I feel her forgiveness and relief untying the knot in my chest. When she pulls away, she gives me a firm nudge toward the door and tells me to seek out Felix.
She’s swamped, apparently, with a backlog of specimens piling up. I catch a few glimpses of Kalix haunting her halls like a shadow hoping for an opening.
I guess the mangos were just a delivery after all.
My search for Felix lands me outside his bedroom. I knock, and when he calls out for me to enter, I step inside.
“Felix,” I say, slipping into his room and closing the door behind me.
He’s out on the balcony, his legs stretched lazily across a lounge chair to bathe in the warm midday sun.
“Princess! Ah, you’re up! Come join me!” He’s all sunshine and mischief, as usual. I half expected my outburst to earn at least a sharp word or two, but apparently not. Ever the stormproof lighthouse, Felix just beams at me like he always does.
I cross the room and settle into the chair beside him, letting the sun soak into my skin. When I meet his gaze, I raise a brow.
“You don’t sound mad at all.”
“I’ve had days to cool off and move past the idea of beheading you,” he says, flashing a mischievous grin.
“Fantasizing about killing me?”
“Naturally. It’s great stress relief.”
I laugh. I’ve come to enjoy our banter. Felix is fire and laughter—a constant positive spark. I thought him foolish and naïve when I first arrived. Now, I find myself seeking out his company more and more. It unsettles me, forming this bondwith a mortal, but Iris’s words echo in my head. She cares for Kalix, and I don’t think her weak for it.
“So, instead I got collared?”
“Correct. Cage placed it under my command. It’ll come off when you’re deployed in the field and need full access. Once you have adjusted, if you and Cage can tolerate each other, and the team deems it safe, then we’ll remove it.”
“A team vote?” I scoff. The idea feels absurd.
