Page 75 of Courting War
“I owe you a debt,” he whispered into her hair. “You saved him.”
The hair on her neck rose like a bird’s feathers puffing out. She shifted her shoulders as if trying to brush off his comments before changing the subject. “You shouldn’t feel bad. The gods set you up to fail. They know about dyslexia, and they also know that you’re a poison expert.” She wiggled her fingers on his chest as if she didn’t know what to do with them. She gulped down an emotion he couldn’t read, painting her irises midnight purple. “They set you up.”
He’d already figured out all of this, but it felt good hearing his suspicions confirmed. “They set the game up to make sureyou wouldn’t have help from your priestess.” She continued, “Not that I would have helped . . .”
Morrigan trailed off, her eyes storming with the sorrow he felt churning his stomach.
“So you are sabotaging me?” It was both a question and an acknowledgment of what they already knew.
“I am not trying to sabotage,” she whispered, her breath caressing his cheek. “I never meant for your friend to get hurt. I just didn’t want to help you.”
“Because of the gods?”
“Because of my mother.” Morrigan’s eyes flared, and a storm of thoughts and feelings that he couldn’t read flashed across them. “And because I’m not good.”
She wasn’t, but she also wasn’t as bad as the torment behind her eyes. Kellyn wanted to ask her about her mother, but instinctively he knew she would burrow back into her shell if he did.
Morrigan was an enigma.
Her throat bobbed, and her fingers curled into his chest, almost as if she wanted to pull him closer. “You’re so kind to me.”
Kellyn’s face scrunched in confusion. He’d just yelled at her.
“Why?” The hand on his heart balled, and she said the word with dripping anguish.
“How have I been kind?”
“You’re patient.”
“I just yelled at you for saving my friend’s life.”
“Yes,” she shook her head, confounded. “But you didn’t hit me. You didn’t hurt me.”
Kellyn swallowed, his teeth clenching. What type of relationships has this girl had?
“You’re ruining everything I’ve ever known,” her voice cracked, “All my understanding.”
Kellyn ran a thumb along her jaw. “I would never hurt you.”
Her eyes glistened from holding back tears. “Even in this conversation, you’re still being fair. I would have probably—” She inhaled sharply, desperately trying not to cry. The girl hated showing weakness. “I’ve been terrible to you, and yet you helpedme. You thought I killed your friend, yet you still nursed me back to health.”
“Yes.” His brow furrowed. He didn’t understand why this was so confounding to her.
“And you’re in these games without divine help. Theodra has forsaken you just like all the rest. Why does this fact gut me?” Her fingers curled around his side, pulling him in as if asking for help. Then her eyes went vacant—haunted. “What are these horrible human emotions?”
The real question was, what was she? Cecile said she was a member of the War Court, and Kellyn was starting to believe Morrigan wasn’t human. Could she be a banshee, vampire, or fury? Long-lived mortals were devoted to the War Court, which made the most sense.
“I didn’t ask for this.” Her voice shook. “I didn’t want this.” Her eyes snapped back to him. Morrigan was like a melted candle wick. Empty and burned up. “I won’t let them kill you.”
The tattoo on her arm squeaked as if it agreed with her, and he noticed just how close they were standing. Too close because she washistype of dangerous.
“Yes, Dahlia,” she answered it.
Kellyn expected anything else but what she did next.
Morrigan tilted her chin up, her expression ravenous, and then she touched her lips to his neck like a vampire readying to devour his blood.
He slightly flinched, but he couldn’t deny that even if she were a vampire, he would let her. Sucking him dry.
