Page 139 of Serpent In White

Dinner tonight is awkward, for a myriad of different reasons.

First off, Rhiannon and I are diningwithDarian and the wives. I’m not serving the dinner, I’m eating it, and that on its own is beyond bizarre.

Also, having Rhiannon here seems to be setting Darian on edge. He doesn’t trust her. I get that. Apparently, the feeling is mutual, because Rhiannon is like a dog with a bone. She’s convinced Darian is up to no good.

When she found out he hasfivewives? Forget about it.

“Abdiel, he’s using you,” she said while we were getting ready for dinner. “He’s in a position of power. He convinced all these women to marry him for his own selfish reasons, and now he’s doing the same thing to you.”

“You sound jealous.” I’d given her a pointed look.

We’re friends, but still. She’s anewfriend. I’ve known Darian all my life, and I’ve been in love with him for a while, even if we did just start hooking up. He’s a part of my world, ingrained in who I am. She’s wrong about him, and I just wish she could see that.

But she’s triggered, and it’s very uncomfortable for all of us.

We sat down for dinner pretty much knowing it would be tense. And it certainly has been, worsened by the fact that I can hear everyone’s thoughts.

Gina is onto us. Notexactly, but she knows something is up. She’s wondering why I’m eating dinner at the table I’ve served for years as she and the other Domestics serve our meals and replenish the drinks.

The wives are wondering the same thing. Kiara and Alissa are jealous of Rhiannon. They don’t even think twice about me, whereas Emithel and Lauris seem keen to Darian’s homosexual tendencies. I can barely even eat, or look in his direction, for fear they’ll see the eyes I give him and call us both out.

Rhiannon is quiet the entire time, seething about our little disagreement from earlier. She also happened to pick up on some of the tension between Drake and me when we visited him at the lab, and now she’s convinced there’s shady shit going on in The Principality.

What she doesn’t know is that it has nothing to do with our family or our community. It’s the three of us who are tying each other up into knots, lying and hiding things, from each other and the rest of the Regnum.

And then there’s Darian. I feel awful for bringing all this stress into his home and laying it all on his table. He just missed me so badly, as much as I missed him, and all he wanted was to celebrate my return with lots of kissing and touching.

But instead, we’re dealing with the Rhiannon stuff. He’s tense as hell, wondering what to do about her, listening to her half-cocked theories about him while sitting there trying to keep a polite face.

So by the time dinner is over and everyone retreats, I feel immensely guilty. Darian goes up to his bedroom and slams the door. I flinch as he does, my heart aching to run up there and be with him. The fact that I can’t is making me nuts.

We meander around for a bit afterward, talking with the Domestics. Rhiannon seems to be getting along with Gem and Emithel, and they take her around the Den, giving her a tour while I talk to Gina. I’m working a day shift tomorrow, which will be good. Believe it or not, I’m excited to get back to work after all the craziness we experienced up on that mountain.

I need some stability.

As the house goes quiet, and the Domestics all retreat to their trailers for the night, I take Rhiannon outside to talk.

“Look, Rhi, I’m so happy you’re here, you know that,” I start while we walk down to the lake, “But you have to lay off Darian.” She looks like she wants to protest, but I cut her off before she can. “It’s hard enough for him knowing he’s disappointing his family by not being able to give them an heir. But to be made to feel like he’s doing something wrong by being with me… It kills him. He already carries so much guilt.”

She gives me a wide-eyed stare, considering what I’ve said. “I’m sorry, Abdiel, but I just… I’ve seen it enough times to know. If he wants to do right by you and his family, he needs to tell the truth.”

“Okay, well that’s something he’ll do on his own time,” I sigh. “You’re not making it any easier.”

“He doesn’t need it to be easy,” she says. “Tough love time for the Head Priest. And I’m not talking about him coming out. I mean getting rid of the wives.”

“Yea, well, I think most of them know his situation, anyway.” I rake my fingers through my hair.

“You seem really stressed.” She squeezes my arm. “Oh, Abdiel, I’m so sorry. I don’t want to upset you. You’re the only friend I have at this point. I know I’m skeptical of a lot, but you weren’t wrong about this place. It’s amazing…”

She says this, though I can hear her thinking about how we all seem brainwashed. She’s just so damn suspicious of it all, and I’m not sure what would help her see that we’re not full of shit.

“I’m gonna crash.” I give her a quick hug. “You remember how to get back to my trailer?”

She nods. “Yea. I’m fine. Go, get some rest. I’ll see you in the morning.”

We go our separate ways, and I head inside, to the lounge. I change into sweatpants and a t-shirt, getting settled in the giant bed. It’s strange to be sleeping in here, in the open. For people to know I’m here is odd, and I think it’s part of what has Gina on high alert. I mean, I could have just slept in their trailer, or at Jordan’s.

Darian so quickly insisted I sleep here—in the lounge too, not even in the guest bedroom—and my heart wants to believe it’s because he’s done hiding.