Page 92 of A Fate of Ice and Lies
When the song finished and Ryenne closed the door, Elias picked me up as if I was weightless. He commanded Hee-haw off the couch, who simply snorted at him and resumed sleeping. He finally listened when I threatenedto feed him to Nalari, and after another derisive snort, he stalked toward Victoria’s room.
“Have you eaten anything?” he asked me.
I shook my head. He put me on the couch with care and draped a blanket over me. After a quick kiss to my temple, he went to the kitchen, where I heard him rustling. A few minutes later, he returned with cheese, fruit, and bread.
“You don’t have very much in your fridge,” he told me, worry lines creasing his forehead.
I wrinkled my nose. “I’m not very good at shopping for food.”
“You own a food store,” he countered.
“I don’t own Colina Verde Community Food Bank,” I said with a laugh. “I worked there before the end of the world happened.” I inched my brows up for dramatic effect. “The owner took off after everything, so I stayed in case some miracle happened, and a fae prince and his Guardian decided to use their magic to fix the broken windows and shelves and grow us food.”
“This fae prince sounds pretty incredible.”
“He’s okay, I guess,” I said. “The dragon, on the other hand, is all sorts of awesome.”
When he leaned back on the couch, I curled up beside him and ate. Between bites, I ran a hand over his shirt and wondered what he’d think if I asked him to remove it. Wondered if he’d make that purring sound again if I ran my nails over his chest. Wondered if he could smell my sudden arousal.
Shit.
This whole super-fae-smelling thing wasn’t exactly one of my favorite qualities.
“Have you had a chance to read the journal I gave you?” In my ears, I heard the way my heart thudded in an erratic beat. “I mean, I know you’re busy, so it’s fine if you haven’t. I was curious, you know?”
His hand traced along my arm. “I finished reading it the other night,” he said. “I’m going to read it again to see if I missed anything. While neither Nalari nor I have heard of a tenebris, we did used to have mages in our realm.”
“Used to?” I asked. “What happened to them?”
“They grew greedy with their power and wanted to not only take over our realm but also cross to other realms to destroy and conquer them as well.” He paused, taking a second to kiss the top of my head. “My ancestors went to war with them to stop them. They almost killed us off before the elder Guardians saved us. They killed the mages, not exactly how you wrote in your journal, but they’re all gone.”
The mages Leanora told me about hadn’t been at war but murdered because the fae had grown jealous of their mounting powers.
“Do you think it’s strange I’m dreaming of this mage?” I asked. “Could she be real?”
He stilled, barely breathing. I peered up at him, at the shadows that danced behind his eyes.
“Elias?” I asked.
“Nalari sensed something dangerous in your home,” he said quietly. “Something that possessed soul magic. The mages from long ago used a corrupted form of soul magic. I don’t know if this Leanora is real, but Nalari and I are both looking out for you. If you’ll allow it, I’d like my friends to read your journal too.”
Thinking, I drew in a shaky breath. While I was okay withBrenton reading it, I still wasn’t comfortable around George. But I’d promised I’d try with him.
“Yeah, that’s fine,” I answered. “Maybe they’ll know something.”
“I’ll keep you safe,” he promised.
While I was sure he meant it, possibly even believed it, I knew he couldn’t keep me safe. Not from someone who lived in my head.
Wanting to change the subject, I kissed the stubble on his chin.
“How was your day?” I asked. “You already know mine went pretty fantastic.”
He chuckled. “Actually, I was wondering if you could help me with something,” he said. “Javier’s been going on about wanting burgers, so my friends and I figured out the right cut and how to cook it.”
I peered up, and the pride in his expression made him look sweet.
“Donnie’s spreading the word, but I wanted to tell you myself,” he continued. “We’re having a party of sorts tomorrow night. Donnie called it a barbecue. There’ll be spirits, music, and burgers.”
