Page 43 of The Silent Mountain
“Can I?” he asks, eyeing me thoughtfully.
“You will say something I won’t like,” I say. “But I want you to likewise talk freely to me.”
“You are a werewolf,” he says. “A werewolf princess. I don’t care what you are, you are mine either way. But are you sure your heart is beating for the dragons? Are you sure you have our best interests in mind and not think as the werewolf princess of the royal pack?”
My initial reaction is to lash out at him for the audacity of his words. All I’ve ever wanted to do here is to help the dragons. Lucky for him, I don’t have a bad temper, or there would be blood seeping out of his nose now.
“I upset you,” he says.
“Yes,” I tell him bluntly.
“Having you here is a gift I will forever be thankful for,” he says. “But I need to think of my people too, and I need to know if you are loyal to us.”
“Seriously?” I snap. “This is the first time since I met you that I want to punch you. Yes, I do have the dragons in mind. I am here, if I may remind you. I love my home, my family, and the royal pack, yet I am here with no intention of leaving. I’m working hard to mingle with the dragon shifters, and I’ve made some wonderful friends here. I like the Silent Mountain clan and feel at home here. Have I ever complained? Did I ever say anything that put the royal clan down? Did I ever sabotage anything? What else do you want me to do to prove ‘my loyalty’, as you call it?”
For a moment, we just stare at each other.
“I have trust issues, it seems,” he admits after a while.
“You don’t say,” I huff. “You know, I think I’d better go to train with Barbara now.”
He takes my hand before I can leave. “I’m sorry, please stay,” he apologizes, shocking me once more. This whole talk has been a whirlwind so far. First, he mourns Maggie and worries for Elio, then he gets all dark and broody and questions my loyalty, now, he apologizes. “I know my inability to trust anyone is a weak point. And you are right, all you’ve done so far is help us, and it’s thanks to you we have achieved so much in such a short time.”
Eye to eye, with him being so apologetic, my resolve to remain angry crumbles. Goddess, this man! But I can’t help but like, that he is able to apologize and admit he’s wrong and that he isn’t making any excuses for being shitty.
“The witch you mentioned,” he says when I stay silent. “You think she might be able to help us.”
I battle with my pride for a moment and wonder if I should stay stubborn, but ultimately, the safety of the dragons is important to me, even if their king just pissed me off. “I think she might agree to come here to mentor Cassie. I don’t think she would necessarily want to move to the clan permanently. She is a kind woman of slightly older age.”
Favian takes a deep breath. “I don’t have it in me to trust witches,” he admits.
“I know.”
“Cassie is an exception because she is chaotic and young,” he says. “But I wouldn’t go as far as to say I trust her.”
I sigh deeply. “I know, and I can see why. No one expects you to trust any witch anytime soon. But we might need them. I don’t think Cassie made much progress with the mare. It’s too difficult for her.”
Mentioning the creatures seems to trigger something in Favian because he nods. “You are right. We need more help. Can you contact this other witch?”
“Yes,” I say.
For a moment, we stay silent until he offers me his arm. “I have a surprise for you. I hope it will help you forgive me.”
“Just for your information, I’m not too keen on jewelry.”
“I guessed that much already.”
“I am also not someone whose forgiveness can just be bought.”
“I know,” he smiles. “That’s why I have a much better surprise than anything you can imagine.”
His words raise my curiosity, and I take his arm. “Still mad at you, just so you know!”
“Of course,” he chuckles.
While he leads me back to the castle, there is a loud fluttering noise above us. We both raise our eyes to the sky, noticing a huge flock of birds flying above us, in the direction of the ocean. “Is this normal?” I ask.
“Not at all,” he says with a frown. “Birds don’t move around this time of the year.”
