Page 50

His Water Fae

T ertia Waterborn was a bitch.

The longer Nikhail spent in her presence, the more he decided it was a gods-damned miracle that her children possessed a single ounce of kindness.

If River wasn’t nearly her mother’s mirror image, he’d wonder if she’d been adopted. Unfortunately, their likeness was undeniable. The only difference was that where Tertia was all ice and cold, hard edges, River was wilder. Softer.

Even though there were fifty people attending this dinner, Nikhail couldn’t keep his eyes off River.

She’d washed her face and reapplied her makeup after their tryst in the library.

Her hair fell in luscious brown waves around her.

She wore a sky-blue dress that rested above her knees, hugging her curves in all the right ways.

She was fucking beautiful, this goddess of his… and her mother was awful. She’d already made that clear on the Winter Solstice, but it seemed as though Tertia Waterborn was trying to one-up herself tonight .

The Representative of the Fae wasn’t overtly cruel—that wasn’t her style.

But the way she looked at her daughter when she thought no one was paying attention, the slight intonation in her words, the elegant brow she’d arched disapprovingly when River had arrived at exactly seven p.m., all spoke to the distaste she held for her daughter.

Nikhail was this close to erupting out of the seat and yelling at the Representative sitting across from him. It was torture, being across from River and having to pretend that he hadn’t just been kissing her a short while ago.

Two and a half hours had passed since the meal began, and Nikhail was growing increasingly frustrated. He wasn’t sure how much longer this could go on.

Earlier, Atlas had noticed the tense way he’d been holding his fork. The earth fae was sitting on his right, and he’d asked if Nikhail felt okay.

Nikhail had to bite his tongue so he didn’t bark that, of course, he wasn’t okay.

A couple of hours ago, he’d had River on his lap in the library, and she’d made the most beautiful sounds as she’d fallen apart in his arms. He’d forever cherish the way she’d melted for him, like butter on a hot summer’s day.

How could he be okay when he was being forced to watch as her mother slowly tore her down, bit by bit?

He couldn’t say that, couldn’t risk ruining the celebration.

Nikhail had waved away his friend’s concern, asking Atlas about his connection to the land in an effort to distract him.

The earth fae was always happy to talk about the way the land spoke to him, and he eagerly began sharing about the various plants he was teaching about in class.

Listening to the biology professor was better than letting his anger overwhelm him, and Nikhail nodded patiently as Atlas chattered about a new tree they’d discovered in the Western Region over a few courses.

Atlas told him it had mottled black and brown bark and red leaves, like rubies.

The tree was old, deep in a forest that hadn’t been explored for centuries, and Atlas was eager to continue studying it this summer.

Nikhail paid attention to his friend, but his eyes never strayed far from River for more than a few seconds. He was drawn to her, unable to stay out of her presence for long.

The conversation eventually shifted, with Atlas asking him about his work.

“I’ve been busy,” Nikhail said, picking at the remnants of the seafood salad in front of him.

Not a lie. He’d only returned from the Northern Region this morning. Between the captured vampire and all the information they’d uncovered in Castle Sanguis, he’d be busy for the next few months.

Atlas nodded knowingly, his eyes wide and owl-like beneath his glasses. “The balance is shifting,” he replied, rubbing a tattooed hand across his jaw. “The earth can sense it. It’s preparing for several years of chaos.”

A knot formed in Nikhail’s stomach. Only a fool would disregard Atlas’s words as ramblings of a mad fae. His friend had a connection to the land that didn’t always make sense, but shouldn’t be ignored.

Besides, everything his team had uncovered over the past few weeks pointed to the same thing. The Black Night was planning something, and it was a race to figure out what that was before it was too late.

“I wish I could say that’s surprising, but it isn’t,” Nikhail said.

Atlas nodded and gravely said, “The world is in upheaval. ”

That was a truer statement than the earth fae knew.

Servers entered the room, engaging in a silent dance of changing courses. Nikhail’s salad disappeared, only to be replaced with a small portion of seared ribeye steak sitting atop three carrots and a dollop of whipped potatoes.

Gods, he was starving. Would it kill them to serve portion sizes that weren’t made for dolls?

Carefully carving his meat, not that it would take him long, Nikhail glanced up at Ryker and Brynleigh.

The soon-to-be bonded pair occupied a small separate table, much like those at wedding receptions.

Ryker’s arm was slung over the back of his wife’s chair, and his head was bent as he whispered in her ear.

She laughed as he refilled her glass from a carafe of blood wine, the air between them easy.

Nikhail’s heart warmed at the sight of his friend’s happiness. After everything they’d already been through, Ryker and Brynleigh deserved all this and more.

“Do be careful how much you eat, River.” Tertia’s voice was quiet, but there was no mistaking the ice in her tone. “There are still several more courses, and you need to fit in your dress tomorrow.”

Nikhail ripped his gaze away from Ryker, his eyes narrowing as he glared at the Representative across from him. How fucking dare she? His water fae was absolutely perfect just the way she was, and no difference in her weight would ever change that.

To his utter dismay, River sighed and daintily placed her fork on the table. She slowly pushed her plate away, her lips slanting into a frown.

A growl rumbled through the room, and Nikhail didn’t realize it came from him until Atlas turned and raised a brow. “You all right, brother? ”

Shit.

Gripping his fork so hard the metal bent in his grip, Nikhail swallowed and dipped his chin. It took far too much focus for him to stop growling before someone else noticed.

River had barely eaten anything tonight, and it was all her mother’s fault. That icy woman might’ve been the picture of fae wealth and poise in her dark blue evening gown, but that wouldn’t keep Nikhail from fighting her if she didn’t stop bullying her daughter.

This had been going on all night, from the moment the servers dressed in black had brought out bowls of tomato bisque for the first course.

The dishes had barely touched the table before Tertia said something to River.

Her words had been too low for Nikhail to hear, but he hadn’t missed the way River had sucked in a sharp breath, her spoon wobbling in her grasp before she regained her composure.

If it had been the only time it happened, Nikhail would’ve written it off as an isolated incident, but it wasn’t. That had been the first in a long string of remarks that the Representative had made towards River. They were sharp and pointed, each meant to inflict harm.

Throughout the night, River had grown incrementally paler, picking at her food and wilting into her chair. Like a sculptor slowly chipping away at marble, Tertia wore away at her daughter.

It pained Nikhail to see River like this, especially after what they’d just shared. It hurt to see her suffer, hurt to be forced to hold conversations with anyone but her.

Fighting the rebels in Castle Sanguis had been easier than this.

“Hey, man,” Atlas waved a hand in front of his face. “Did you hear what I asked? ”

“Hmm?” Even though it pained him, Nikhail yanked his gaze away from River. “Sorry, no. What was that?”

Atlas raised a brow. Even though he was dressed in a tux, like the rest of the men in the room, the earth fae professor still had a hard edge. It had been there ever since Nikhail had met Atlas. It came from his life on the streets, he thought.

“I was asking what your plans were for after the bonding. Are you sticking around for the reception, or do you have to head back to Lakewater?”

“I’ll be here for a few days,” Nikhail replied absentmindedly. “I’ve got some meetings for work.”

Commander Root had asked him and Jayson to attend the debriefing on the incident at Castle Sanguis. They planned to meet the day after the bonding ceremony, and depending on the number of questions the Chancellor and Representatives had, they might be here for a few days.

Atlas grinned. “Awesome. I have tickets for the laser game at the Midnight Center in two days. Want to come?”

Not really. Nikhail had never enjoyed sports. He was about to decline when Atlas added, “River’s coming, too.”

Well, fuck. It wasn’t even a question then.

“I’ll be there,” he blurted.

Atlas chuckled, his gaze sweeping over Nikhail. “Yeah, I thought you might say that.”

Damn. Atlas had always been perceptive, perhaps even more than Ryker. It shouldn’t have surprised Nikhail that the earth fae had figured out that something was going on between him and River.

Nikhail turned to his friend, keeping his voice low.

“River and I…” His voice trailed off as he tried to figure out how much to tell Atlas, but it turned out he didn’t need to say much at all .

“You’re together,” the professor murmured, raising a knowing brow. “Right? I saw the way she was looking at you outside. The way you both watched each other.”

A weight lifted off Nikhail’s chest at his friend’s words. He hadn’t realized how much he needed to talk to someone about this until now.

“Yeah, we are,” Nikhail confirmed. River was his now, and she completed him. “But we’re not telling people yet. It’s… complicated.”

Atlas glanced at Ryker, then back at Nikhail. “Yeah, I think your complication is going to be fucking pissed with you.”