Page 10

CHAPTER 10

MIRA

My throat burns as I stand in the graveyard next to Yvette and her mother. I’m not becoming emotional because of the particular man who’s about to be put in the ground, but because the last time I was here for a funeral was when I buried my parents and brothers.

I place a hand on Yvette’s back, hoping to bring her comfort. Her father was always a difficult man, and while he’d never laid hands on her or her mother, he’d made their lives plenty painful with his dark moods and constant yelling. But despite the man’s unpleasantness, Yvette appears forlorn and occasionally sniffles. Her mother, likewise, appears distressed and keeps dabbing a handkerchief to her eyes.

It's just the three of us, the gravediggers, and the priest. No one else came to Mr. Harmon’s funeral, but I can’t claim to be surprised. He was known for his bad temper and tendency to cheat people in business deals. It’s very likely that his fraudulent tendencies are what got him killed. Two days ago, he was discovered in an alley with a knife in his back.

The priest reads passages from The Book of the Gods, but I don’t really pay attention. All I can think about is how relieved I am by this outcome. Just recently, I’d hoped Mr. Harmon would choke on a chicken leg, and I’d also offered to hide Yvette and her mother from the awful man. But now they’re free. Yvette and her mother won’t have to walk on eggshells anymore, and I imagine the two of them will be a great deal happier. Once the initial shock wears off.

After the funeral concludes, I invite Yvette and her mother to my house for a late lunch. Typically, friends of the deceased serve a large meal in the temple house after a funeral, but given that Mr. Harmon lacked friends, that’s not an option. Still, I hope my gesture brings them comfort.

It suddenly occurs to me that if I died tomorrow, I would be in the same situation as Mr. Harmon. A small funeral with not enough friends for a meal in the temple house. All because I was spotted with Kaiden, who happens to be the freaking Warden of Trevos.

Two approaching women pause, gesture at me while whispering to one another, then hurry to cross the street. My heart sinks. I recognize them as Mrs. Trey and Mrs. Baker, two of my mother’s dearest friends. Once, they were like aunts to me. Now, they’re acting as though I’m diseased or even cursed.

“We appreciate the meal, Mira,” Mrs. Harmon says as she gives the two women a sharp look. “I suppose Yvette and I have always felt a bit like exiles ourselves. No one wanted to get too close to us on account of Mr. Harmon, may the gods watch over his dark soul.”

“It’s my pleasure,” I say, forcing a smile. But Mrs. Trey and Mrs. Baker’s rejection stings, and my smile quickly falters. I strive to compose myself as Sunflower Lane comes into sight.

“It’s a right shame that fae warden had to bother you,” Mrs. Harmon says, “though you should count yourself fortunate that he didn’t kidnap you. So many young women have gone missing since the fae’s occupation of our city began. Some young men, too.”

Yvette sighs. “Megan Storm from next door disappeared last week. No one has seen her since. Her parents are devastated.”

“That’s terrible,” I say. “Poor Megan. I hope she turns up soon.” Anger heats my blood. Kaiden is the Warden of Trevos, and he’s allowing his soldiers to steal young women and men away from their families. For nefarious purposes, no doubt. I glance toward the castle, tempted to march there right now and give him a piece of my mind. But we agreed not to see one another again, and I’m not certain I would manage to control myself around him.

I let him kiss me.

Guilt settles on my shoulders as I regard Yvette. She knows Kaiden has bothered me, but she has no idea about the passionate kiss we shared in my living room the other night. A kiss that took place on the very day the criminal burned along with King John.

When my house comes into sight, I pause in my steps as I notice the porch. Additional firewood has been added to my pile. Not just a few logs, either, but so much that it nearly takes up the entire wall. It’s enough to get me through the remainder of winter and then some.

“Wow, Mira,” Yvette says, “that’s a lot of firewood. You’ve been busy. Did you sneak into the forest again?”

“Something like that.”

I almost expect to find Kaiden in my living room, but he’s nowhere to be seen. His scent, though, it lingers. My entire house smells like honeysuckle and masculine fae male. Yvette and her mother don’t appear to notice, but there’s no mistaking it. Kaiden visited my home while I was out. Not only that, but he brought me extra firewood. My anger toward him wavers a bit.

I fix a massive meal of roast chicken, boiled potatoes, and stewed vegetables, and Yvette and her mother seem to appreciate my efforts. They become more animated as the afternoon wears on, and the shadows of grief start to leave their faces. I send them home with plenty of leftover food, including two apple cakes and a loaf of dandelion bread.

Once they’re gone, I linger on the porch and gaze at the huge amount of firewood that’s neatly stacked against the wall. I think of the day Kaiden walked me home from the forest and how safe I’d felt with him. I also think of how much I’d enjoyed our conversation as well as the moments of companionable silence. That is, until we got into an argument in the passageway. When he’d informed me that he was the new Warden of Trevos and his people planned to remain in my city indefinitely.

Will I ever see him again? I can’t help but wonder.

Perhaps I’ll only glimpse him from a distance from now on. Like when he’s standing on the main balcony of the castle making an announcement or sentencing some poor soul to death.

The cold night winds eventually drive me back inside, and I curl up by the crackling fire, feeling more alone than I have since my parents and brothers died. The solitude never bothered me this severely. Until I met Kaiden. Until I experienced his warmth and a deep sense of camaraderie with him.

Now that I’ve had a taste, I want more.

What’s he doing right now? Is he thinking about me too?

Oh gods, I have it bad. I have a big, huge, terribly inconvenient crush on Lord Kaiden of Linnshire in the Summer Court, otherwise known as Warden Valloc.

But if I’m being honest, it feels like more than a crush.

Not being with him feels like the worst agony, a wound that will never heal. It’s not so dissimilar to the sharp grief I experienced last winter when I lost my entire family, though I feel guilty for making the comparison.

I find myself downing copious amounts of blackberry wine as the evening goes on, desperate to quell the ache of my loneliness and my immense need for the fae lord I can never have.