Page 129 of Amidst the Insidious Courts
He stands in answer, extending a hand towards me. His arm is bare, Espen no doubt slithering the halls in his smallest form to look for any sign of Dare.
“You shouldn’t worry yourself so much,” he whispers, reaching out to soothe away the tiny furrow between my brows.
“Jaro has been missing fortwo weeks,” I whisper. “That’s not like him, no matter what his wolf is up to. The bond is telling me nothing, beyond that he’s nearby, which doesn’t match up with what everyone says about him going for a run to clear his head. But when I say that, you all just ignore me.”
The last anyone saw of him, he was running into the forest with fur erupting from his skin.
“We’re not ignoring you, dragonfly,” Bree murmurs. “But is Jaro in pain?”
“No,” I admit, huffing in defeat. “But his wolf is restless. What if he’s stuck again? We need to find him. Lore could…”
“Given that the last time Lore persuaded Jaro to return to human form, he did it by stabbing him, are you sure that you want to unleash the redcap?”
“No,” Drystan says, having appeared in the doorway while I wasn’t looking. “We discussed this. It’s better to wait until Eero has sworn his vow, and then we get Jaromir and get out of here. It was a bad idea to have an out-of-control wolf shifter in the Summer Palace, anyway.”
Like it's any better having two under fae. At least shifters are high fae and Jaro wouldn’t suffer the scorn I’ve seen Lore and Bree enduring.
“It doesn’t feel right without him,” I say for the hundredth time. “I mean it, there’s just—”
“Feelings are inconsequential,” Drystan dismisses me. “Logic says he is fine. He hasn’t drawn from you, as he would if he were in true danger, and personally, I think him taking the time to make sure he’s stable and not a danger to his mate is a decision that shows wisdom beyond his years.”
I deflate, and Bree squeezes my hand in sympathy, but anger follows on the heels of my disappointment, and I shake out of his grip.
“That’s bullshit.” My harshness takes both of them by surprise.
Mab gives me a small, approving nod, then disappears, as my guides have begun to do whenever they sense the conversation is about to get personal. I don’t mistake her absence for her not being there—I suspect none of them can truly leave me for long—but the illusion of privacy is a gift.
“Excuse you?” Drystan chokes.
“If you truly believe feelings aren’t important, why have you all been walking around me on eggshells since Jaro left?” I meet his eyes with my own, steeling myself for an argument. “You haven’t so much as kissed me since we learned he left the palace.” Since he saw me fight back tears. “I think you consider my feelings more important than you want anyone to know. I think theyscareyou.”
“They do n—” He chokes, physically unable to finish the lie, and then his eyes widen as he realises what I’ve said must be true.
“I’ll meet you both downstairs,” Bree murmurs.
Without giving Drystan time to demand that he stay, he flees the room, Wraith hot on his heels, as if the emotion thick in the air was hard for even the barghest to swallow.
Now that we’re alone, the dullahan runs a hand through his long black hair, tugging on the ends with exasperation.
“I am not… Calimnel is…” For once, the high fae lord is lost for words, and I’m almost satisfied to see the change in him. “Winter Court fae do not embracefeelings.”
“Is that all you have to say?”
“What else is there?”
Gah, thismale. “An admission that you care wouldn’t go amiss.”
His eyes bulge, and in the corner, another chair catches fire, reduced to cinders. Then, without warning, the winter fae reaches into his pocket and jerks out his hand. “This is enchanted.”
I frown at the mass of twisted metal in his palm. “What?”
Sometimes, following his thought process is more difficult than following Lore’s, and that’s saying something.
Wait… I study him a little harder. Are his cheeks pinker than they were a second ago?
“Lorcan spoils you with gems, and you consider that an act of caring, correct?” he asks. “Why can’t I do the same?”
Shaking my head, I back away. “Is this…? You can’t just buy your way out of admitting your feelings for me, Drystan.”
