Page 14 of Hopeless Kingdom
Fury like I’ve never felt before stings my nerves, making my fists shake.
At his thin little hip sits my father’s blade. My only inheritance I’ve ever had rests against his hip as if I didn’t sail into this hellfire land with it in my hands.
“Three Hopeless will bring us our salvation. The time has come, just as I said it would, my master.” The way the Traveler says ‘master' makes more anger flood my chest, but then he says something that halts everything. My whole world stops and comes crashing down when he says, “She is the salvation. She is the Eminence. I am sure of it.”
All the anger in me drains at the sound of his words. My attention swings to the fae who brought me here. Ryder’s shining blue eyes hold my gaze with a look of awe. His full lips part on a breath but no words come out.
Everyone stares down on me, their gazes feeling heavy on my slight shoulders. I can’t seem to look away from Ryder or his gentle eyes. I can’t even catch my breath so I just keep looking to him for some kind of assurance.
He’s the type of person who could say anything and I’d believe it. There’s a defined confidence in him that makes me believe every word he says.
I need him to say I’m not what they say I am. I need to hear him say it.
His quiet words don’t bring me assurance, though.
“Shit. You’re the Eminence.”
Chapter Five
Chemistry
I’m not the Eminence. I don’t think someone with that title is allowed to be as big of a fuck up as I am. There should be some requirements. Some sort of past experience. Eminent training of some sort involved. Eminence boot camp, maybe. My qualifications just aren’t there. Maybe I’m just a temp.
Ryder’s cryptic words from when we first met echo through my mind:
The Eminence is said to be the most powerful Hopeless in the entire world. Someday, the Eminence will come and it’ll either rain wrath on this already demolished world, or it’ll restore it to the beauty it once was.
A shaking breath leaves me as I reject the responsibility of that title.
Tomorrow.Tristan said we’d discuss my future tomorrow.
A stream of denial accompanies me all the way back to my room. My steps trail after Darrio’s, one after the other in a nice repetitive form but that’s all they are. My actions aren’t thought out for once. I can’t calculate anything around me. My mind is a stuttering carousel of one word and one word only:Eminence.
“Are you alright?” A voice like warm hot chocolate sinks right into me and brings my attention back into focus. I drag my gaze from the black dust coating the hall floor to heavy boots, fitted dark jeans over strong thighs, lean hips and a broad chest. Tendrils of a black beard shadow his strong jaw, a stark contrast to his pale, troubled eyes.
“Are you alright?” he asks once more and it’s then that I realize we’ve stopped walking and he’s opened my bedroom door. Daxdyn peeks up at us from his spot on the floor. He’s slumped down at the foot of my bed and exhaustion lines his beautiful face.
“What’s wrong, my pretty little human?” Darrio asks in a whisper. His eyes harden with concern and more hesitation than I’ve ever seen him hold. He slowly brings his hand to my hip. From that simple touch, tingles spread through me, right to my core. The warmth of his palm seeps right into my flesh, almost pushing out the building anxiety I’ve felt since the moment we stepped foot onto this hellish island.
His gray eyes are locked onto mine, and for a moment, I just stare at him. How did I ever let myself become so weak around Darrio? I hate the way it feels. I hate the way I want to just lean into him and let him take care of me.
No one takes care of me but me.
I almost consider lying to him. I could push a fake smile onto my lips and tell him everything’s okay. I could easily say I’m just tired. I’m not feeling well. I’m fine.
But I can’t. I don’t want to. I don’t want to lie to Darrio.
“If he believes I’m the—” It’s hard for me to say the word out loud, but I force it out. “Eminence, he’ll hurt me. He’ll use me, Darrio. Do you understand that? Don’t trust him.”
Don’t let him hurt me,I want to scream. But I don’t. I won’t. Asking Darrio not to trust him is the most I can manage.
How much of what Darrio’s doing is an act and how much of it is real?
His head tilts a fraction, his eyes studying me and the minimal information I just gave him. An odd feeling of fear begins to trickle into me. What if Darrio doesn’t care about who I trust and who I don’t? My word means nothing in this kingdom.
The sweep of his thumb across the fabric of my dress, firmly over my lower hip bone, holds my attention. It sends goosebumps over my skin. With the smallest of movements, he traces circles over my hip as he appears to think.
Then he nods, just a short jarring of his head. “Okay.”
