Page 146 of The Forsaken Heir
“Hello.” I nodded at Delphine. “Elle, are you free?”
Her brows raised. “I think so. Is something wrong?”
“I guess…” I shook my head. “I need to get out and about. Would you like to go for a walk?”
“I’d love to.” She glanced at Delphine. “Are you good if I go?”
Delphine waved a hand. “You go. Have fun. I’ll find something to occupy my time.”
I took Elle’s hand and led her out the door. We walked in silence like that, my hand in hers, enjoying the silence. Outside, the sun was warm, but the wind was a bit crisp. I inhaled deeply, smelling the sweet scent of fallen leaves. The estate and the mountains around it had turned to a glorious palette of reds,oranges, yellows, and browns. It was one of my favorite times of the year.
The gardens, however, were steeped in magic and was still bright green. Flowers, fruits, and vegetables continued to bloom even with the chilly mornings we’d had the last few weeks.
“Do you want to talk about it, or are we gonna play charades?” Elle asked as we stepped into the waist-high hedge maze that lay at the center of the gardens.
I snorted a laugh. “I suppose we could, but that might be tedious.”
Her smile faded. She squeezed my hand and stopped walking.
“Seriously. What’s on your mind?”
Shaking my head, I sighed. “It’s a lot, that’s all. There’s a lot that can go wrong. So much that alreadyhas. I’m worried. That’s all. I needed to get my mind off it a bit.”
“You know it’s okay to be worried, right? I know not everyone is the great Aurelius Decimus, prince of dragons, but the rest of us are worried too.”
I groaned. “Don’t call me that. It’s damned pretentious.”
“Would you prefer something more grandiose?” She poked me gently in the side.
“Certainly not,” I said, tugging her along. “I’d rather just be Aurelius while I can. I’ve already got enough nicknames. Trust me, hearing people call meThe Peacemakerdoesn’t fill me with as much pride as it used to. Not when it looks like war is inevitable. Hell, it may havealreadystarted. History will mostlikely look back and say it began that night in your parents’ conservatory.”
“All right, that’s it,” Elle said, slicing her hand through the air. “No more talk about that shit. Let’s talk about something totally pointless and irrelevant. What’s your favorite sitcom?”
The laugh that burst from my mouth was like a breath of fresh air. Unexpected, refreshing, and cathartic. Finally, I said, “That’s actually pretty easy.The Golden Girls.”
Elle looked at me like I had three heads. “Seriously?That show is likefiftyyears old,” she said.
“Hold on there,” I said, raising a finger. “First of all, comedy knows no time. Second, it’s a classic. Third, it’sreallyfreaking funny. Besides, I’m gonna live for a couple centuries. I can’t get bogged down in what’soldandnew.”
“Okay, okay, fair enough,” she said.
“What’s yours? Since you think mine’s ridiculous.”
She shrugged. “Can’t go wrong withThe Simpsons.”
I made apfftsound with my lips. “Hang on, you just said my show was too old to be good. Your show is nearly that old.”
“Yeah,” she said, holding up a finger. “But it’s more culturally significant because it’s been on for like forty years. It’s lasted multiple generations.”
Already, I felt better than I had only a few minutes before finding her. Elle reallydidmake everything better. My inner dragon was inexplicably drawn to her. It was a sensation I’d never really encountered before, and even after all these weeks together, I was trying to figure it out.
Rasp leaped out from behind a thick wall of grapevines heavy with fruit. “Hang on,” he hissed, keeping his voice low.
“For fuck’s sake, Rasp, you scared us,” I growled. “What’s going?—”
“Shh,” he said, jamming a finger to his lips, then pointed down the hill.
Elle put her hand to her chest and grinned. “They look so sweet.”
