Two weeks later:
The castle no longer felt the sa to Aire.
Following the days that passed after the dungeon, and prophecy, wolves looked at her like they were waiting for the exact mont she would destroy them.
Aire hated that. She hated carefulness, she hated pity even more and worst of all, she hated how protected she had beco.
Nate barely let her out of his sight these days.
At first, she found it irritating, then exhausting. Slowly, she began to understand him, as she also couldn’t stay away from him for a full day.
He walked her to als, walked her back from als. Sotis she wanted to throw sothing at his head.
Especially when he gave her that calm stare like he genuinely believed he was doing sothing reasonable.
The worst part?
He never sounded controlling. That was what made it harder to fight him. Nate’s protectiveness had beco terrifying gentle.
The mory of the dungeon still lingered between them in quiet monts, especially after what Mabel had said.
Sotis she would wake in the middle of the night rembering the chains. Then she would realize Nate was already awake beside the fireplace chair watching her.
Aire didn’t know what to do with that version of him yet. Especially because she rembered the version that nearly killed her too.
Alaric, on the other hand, had beco increasingly difficult to understand.
He avoided her. He doesn’t even want to look at her, and every ti she entered breakfast, or the dinning hall, he found an excuse to leave shortly afterwards.
Aire noticed his avoidance. She simply pretended not to.
Xander had beco the exact opposite.
He hovered constantly. Not in the overwhelming way Nate did, but in the quiet way of soone trying very hard to understand things beyond him.
He read more books about faes, and they filled his study now. He read the ancient records, the old wars, the old bloodlines, and the ancient bargains.
He asked the elders questions until they beca frightened of disappointing him.
Aire once walked into the library and found him asleep over three opened books with ink still staining his fingers.
When she asked why he was doing all this, he simply answered, "You are my responsibility."
The words stayed with her longer than expected. They were almost the most sincere words she have ever heard, and it frightened her a little.
Aire exhaled softly as she turned the corner of the eastern wing.
The castle remained quieter this afternoon than usual.
Rain touched the tall windows lightly, and the weather had turned colder these past few days.
She adjusted the sleeves of her gown absentmindedly while walking.
Beta Rhys had ntioned earlier that Alaric was sowhere near the east wing drawing room.
Aire intended to ask him sothing.
Well. She intended to interrogate him, actually. Avoiding her for two weeks was becoming ridiculous.
The man practically disappeared whenever she entered rooms now.
She pushed open the drawing room doors carelessly without knocking, then she stopped imdiately.
Alaric wasn’t here.
Rather, Adele sat alone near the far side of the room behind a large wooden desk.
Sketches were spread across the surface, and dark charcoal stained her fingers slightly.
She looked up the mont Aire entered, and their eyes t.
Adele held her gaze for exactly one second before lowering her attention back toward the paper in front of her like Aire’s existence no longer interested her.
The silence afterward beca imdiate and awkward.
Aire stood there for a mont longer than necessary. "Oh." She mumured under her breath.
Adele continued sketching.
Aire almost turned around to leave imdiately. Actually, she should have. That would have been the smart thing.
However, for so reason, her pride suddenly refused. She have never been acquainted with Adele.
So instead, she stepped inside cautiously.
The drawing room felt warm compared to the corridor outside. Rain tapped softly against the windows too, with cold earth scent filling the room.
A fire burned quietly near the couches.
Adele still hadn’t spared her a second glance.
Aire watched her carefully while approaching.
Adele looked exactly how she always did. She looked perfectly composed, perfectly arrogant, and perfectly intimidating without trying.
There was sothing deeply irritating about people who looked powerful even while sitting down.
Aire swallowed once before lowering herself onto the couch beside the tall window.
Adele finally looked up again.
Their eyes t briefly, and the look Adele gave her was sharp enough to straighten Aire’s posture instinctively.
Adele’s sharp eyes were bossy. That was honestly the only word for it, and Aire forgot she had the power between them.
Aire suddenly understood why people listened to Adele even when she spoke quietly. She have watched her interaction with the maids, and a few warriors a couple of tis.
The woman looked like she expected obedience naturally.
Aire looked away first.
Outside the windows, rain slid slowly against the glass.
The silence stretched between them. It kept on stretching, and sohow kept getting worse.
Aire suddenly rembered the first and only real interaction they had ever shared.
"Nate will be mine." Adele’s voice from months ago echoed unpleasantly inside her head.
Aire frowned faintly at the mory.
At the ti, Adele had looked at her like she was irrelevant, and she’d wipe her off like an awful stench if she make things difficult.
Aire shifted slightly against the couch.
Adele continued sketching. The charcoal dragged against paper steadily.
Aire lasted exactly four more minutes before finally speaking. "What are you drawing?" she asked warmly.
Adele answered without looking up. "A wolf."
Aire blinked in surprise. Adele have been sketching with so much focus, and that wasn’t what she expected her to be drawing. "That’s it?" she asked.
Adele finally lifted her gaze again. "What dramatic answer were you expecting?" her voice ca out sharp.
Aire stared at her. Then slowly rolled her eyes toward the window.
God.
Now she rembered why this woman irritated her.
Adele returned calmly to sketching.
"You were looking for Alaric." She pointed out.
Aire looked back toward her imdiately. "How do you know that?"
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