Page 16 of Blood Lord

Yet, through all of that, I feel relief. Because, even through all the negative emotions that are clouding my feelings for Selene, it's strange and even refreshing to be feeling anything at all. It's almost a reminder that I am actually alive when I have felt like a ghost of my old self for so long.

Her lyrics filter into my mind, drawing me back in, and I realize what she is saying for the first time. It sounded sad at first, and maybe it is a little.

Selene sings of true love in the face of everything. She weaves a tale of how it is timeless, an eternal love, and though it melts my heart, I know that it isn't real. Humans believe their love to be lifelong, following them past death, because of their short mortality. To them, eternity isn't as limitless to me.

To vrakken, an eternal love just isn't feasible.

But for a moment, I can see how it could be. Because the way I feel about Selene is more powerful than anything I've encountered, and I could believe that this—this intense, raw, desperate need for her—will never end.

I had believed for so long that two creatures could only tolerate each other for so long. It's usually only a few thousand years, but occasionally, a pair can make it a few centuries before they would inevitably drift apart.

That was all that life was to me. It's all I thought it could be.

But now, I think I was wrong.

Because as I listen to Selene sing, it feels like everything is shifting in me. The way I feel, the way I see things, all of it is being transformed by this human woman. And I wouldn't go back for anything.

Her song comes to a soft end, drifting off so softly that it sounds like the wind has to carry the last note away. We sit in stunned silence after she finishes, and I find that she has affected me so much that I don't know what to do with myself.

Selene stares at me expectantly, and I lick my lips, trying to find a way to tell her all that she just put me through. Instead, I murmur a soft, "Thank you," that feels all too inadequate.

But her eyes widen a bit, her eyebrows pinching together, and the corners of her lips tug up. I'm tempted to lean forward and rub my thumb along her bottom lip, but I clench my hand into a fist.

"No one has ever thanked me for singing before."

In a flash, I'm filled with rage. No one has thanked her before? She has blessed others with her gift, showing them something truly exquisite, and they took her for granted?

I nearly snap out that I will hunt down every dark elf in Liiandor and force them to sing her praises before killing them, but then amusement dances in her eyes and all the breath whooshes out of me.

Akeldama, what is this woman doing to me?

I lose my head around her. I was more than willing to raze a city to the ground to make things right for her, and I can't do that. I can't reveal myself.

I'm not even supposed to be doingthis.Wasting time sitting here with her when I should be out, plotting the downfall of the dark elves and whatever magical creation they've drummed up.

But Selene's smile grounds me in this moment, and I tell her gently, "Sharing your gift is a gift in and of itself. It should always be met with gratitude."

She relaxes her small frame, her shoulders curving in as she wraps her arms around her knees. An emotion flickers over her face that I can't quite place, but she seems to be pleased with my response.

I still find that I didn't say enough, but before I can praise her more, she changes the subject. "I answered your questions," she says quietly, her golden eyes flicking up to look at me. A shudder chases down my body from the way her gaze licks across my skin, and I nearly miss her next words. "I think you should answer one of mine."

I swallow, feeling uneasy as waves of emotions pulse through me. I want to know what she's going to ask, and I'm on the verge of telling her that I will give her anything. But I know that is a dangerous thing to say, so I bite my tongue and nod.

"If a dark elf didn't give you your wings, how did you get them?"

Her eyes dart to the tips poking up over my shoulders, and they twitch in response. Her eyes widen, and out of curiosity, I let them flare a little, which isn't much in this cave. Still, she lets out a soft gasp, and she leans forward. They intrigue her.

I want to tell her. I want to tell her everything, to take her out of this cave and show her how it feels to fly. I want to show Selene everything in life she has been missing out because she has been with that inferior race, the dark elves.

But I don't know if I should. Even whispering to her the name of my race could go wrong if she were to tell anyone that she met a vrakken. Any dark elf will immediately know that word, and it could put her in danger. And it could jeopardize my mission right now.

I still don't know what I'm going to do when my week is up, but right now, the reality is that she will stay aboveground and I will have to go back to the wildspont where my race is.

While that should sway me to keep my secret, it doesn't. It is so rare that I feel emotion, and I don't want to clamp down on it now. So, I make a rather rash decision, and I grin as my wings expand to curve around my shoulders.

"They were gifted to me by my god when I was Made," I tell her, and her brow furrows, making my smile grow wider. "I am a vrakken."

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