Page 118

“But you don’t mind, do you, Hel?”

“I mind,” Valeen said.

“I think you better go, Lily,” Hel’s voice took on a sharper tone.

Lily met Valeen’s stare. “It’s nothing. Relax. You’re as uptight as they say. I’m just saying hi to my friend. We meet often.”

“Really?”

“Oh yes.” She smiled, and Hel stiffened, and his eyes flashed wide. An odd sudden reaction.

Valeen glanced down and found Lily’s hand sliding up his inner thigh. He shook his head before she could move further. “Don’t. I’m with Valeen now.”

“You like it,” she whispered and began to rub him slowly.

“Lily, stop it.” He snatched her wrist.

Valeen flashed into shadow and had Lily by the throat, dragging her out of the booth, and retook her solid form. She lifted her feet off the ground and held her by the neck. The room went quiet, even the singer stopped. Onyx shadows seeped out of Lily’s eyes, nose, and ears.

“Valeen, wait.”

“You think you can disrespecthimlike that?”

“I apologize. It was rude of me.”

“Rude?” She brought her closer, gripped her throat harder. “If you ever touch him again I will burn through your mind until you are nothing but an empty shell, unable to die but never live. He’s mine.”

Her mouth opened and more shadows rolled out. “I’ll stay away.”

“You better.” She dropped her and shoved her onto the closest table, spilling their drinks, shattering glass. Her gaze swept around the room, and no one stared anymore. Lily quickly got up, not even taking the time to brush the mess of food off herself and scurried out the exit. After adjusting the hem of her dress at her thighs, Valeen retook her seat, scooting up to Hel’s side. Then leaned in and kissed him hard on the mouth to show everyone exactly what their relationship was so no one would question it again.

Hel grinned at her. “I think I’m in love with you.”

Layala tookanother bite of her fruit. That jealousy flared in her now. She turned to face away from Hel so he couldn’t read her easily. The pit of his fruit hit the ground with a thump and Hel brushed his hands together. “Youdoremember.”

“I really don’t know what you’re talking about.” She licked the sweet juice from her lips and shrugged.

Hel slipped his hand into hers, interlocking their fingers. She looked down at their hands clasped together confused. “Why are you holding my hand?”

Wordlessly, he pulled her along beside him toward the hole in the outer wall. After they were on the road, he said, “Are you hungry?”

“Yes...” The fruit was enough to make her stomach rumble for more but not satisfy. In a flash they stood outside the pub they’d been at the night before. The sudden change made her stomach twist and the ground spin. “Warn me next time.”

“You’ll get used to it.”

Once everything stopped moving, she took in the small town, if one could call it that. There were three shabby buildings and a dirt road. In the light of day, the pub looked much larger; even the doorway was at least ten feet tall and nearly that wide. “I thought we were training today?”

“We will. But you’re hungry and we can’t have that if we want to make progress.”

“Isn’t it a bad idea to come back here?” But she didn’t stop him from pulling her inside. The place was just as full as the night before with the majority of the tables filled with patrons. It smelled of roasted boar as well as raw meat. The sun shone in through the windows illuminating the smoky atmosphere.

They found an empty table and Hel gestured for her to sit. “I’ll be right back.”

He’s up to something,she thought, setting down the pit of her fruit on the smooth wooden tabletop. Across the room, he stopped and spoke to a female waitress for only a moment before he abandoned her to slide into the booth.

“What are you doing?”

“I told her to bring us a couple drinks and breakfast.”