Page 72 of Given to the Fae
‘What the fuck were you thinking?’ he snarls.
‘I-I’m sorry,’ I stutter, not sure what I’m apologizing for.
‘I didn’t tell her, so if you didn’t either, she doesn’t know,’ I hear Locke say from somewhere beyond Jak. He sounds bored as usual.
‘Know what?’
Jak turns his anger toward Locke, and I breathe a small sigh of relief as I peer around him at the other fae.
‘The storms are frequent here,’ Locke says, not looking at me, ‘and the tallest buildings have iron poles to harness the energy for conjures that require more power. Being outside when one is approaching isn’t advisable, girl.’ He glances up at me with a sneer that for some reason I think is false. ‘Especially not for a human.’
‘She could have been killed out there, Locke!’ Jak hisses. ‘If she’s going to be left alone, she needs to be told things like this.’
Locke shrugs. ‘She wasn’t alone. Where’s Morgan?’
I wince at his hard stare. ‘He...went out.’
Locke lets out a long breath. ‘He’s at the pits.’
Jak looks concerned. ‘He’s fighting again? I thought he said he was finished with all that.’
Locke stands. ‘That was before...a lot of things.’
Jak’s lips thin and he glances at me.
Locke thinks it’s my fault, I realize with a sinking feeling. ‘I did what you wanted,’ I say miserably. ‘I made sure he won’t...want to be around me anymore.’
Saying the words out loud makes me want to cry, though I don’t know why.
Jak turns toward Locke, his demeanor changing completely. ‘What is she talking about?’
His tone is as cold as I feel, and I’m glad his ire isn’t directed at me. I slink to the door and take off the soaked cloak that’s dripping all over the floor. I hang it up and realize belatedly with a shiver that it’s wet through. So is the shirt I’m wearing.
I hear them having a quiet and angry conversation, and I ignore them, not wanting to be in the middle of their argument about their friend. Is Morgan fighting now? Will he come back with more injuries that are my fault?
I hear a sharp intake of breath and realize they’re both staring at me, their eyes wandering over my body. I look down and see that the rain has made the shirt I’m wearing practically transparent.
I can’t help the roll of my eyes. Why are they staring? They’ve seen my scars before.
A bundle lands on the seat next to where I’m standing. ‘We leave today. Put this on.’
It’s a slave dress, but it’s not the one from yesterday and it seems clean at least. I pull the wet shirt over my head and put on the dress without much thought, just glad that it’s dry. When I look up, the fae are both looking away. Jak is staring intently at the shelf of books and Locke is gazing at the planks of the floor as if the secrets of the Breach are contained within their grains.
I put my hand in the pocket of the dress in case there was a previous owner who left something and my hand brushes a smooth and cold object I recognize by feel. I draw out the yellow ring, the bracelet Locke gave to me early this morning.
I frown, glancing through the open door into Morgan’s room. I’m sure I left it in there.
I hold the gleaming stone bracelet out to Locke, not wanting to be accused of stealing it in case he’s changed his mind, but he shakes his head.
‘I told you to keep it with you, remember? I’ll tell you when it’s time.’
He says nothing more and I do as he says, putting the bracelet back in the pocket of the dress and wondering why he’s being so cryptic.
Mages.
‘You packed,’ I hear Jak remark and I nod.
‘I was bored,’ I say with a shrug. ‘I’m used to having tasks to do. I’m sorry. I should have asked?—’
