"I still wonder about it," I said.
His brow furrowed, eyes searching my expression. "Wonder about what?"
"Whether you're the villain in my story."
~~~~~~~
Mara Monroe is at the center of a war she wanted no part in.
But with her new throne she fac...
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Before we left the clearing, Cedric leaned over each of the fallen fey whispering something that I was too disoriented to hear.
Then, much to my dismay and objection, he carried me back to the country manor.
Shouts of concern came from our friends as we stumbled through the front door. I doubted that most of them even knew that we left, and here we were bleeding and limping back through. Not to mention, Cedric touching me and me not trying to kill him.
That was enough for anyone to have cause for concern.
"What the hell happened?!" Ellie exclaimed jumping up from her position on the sofa. "Mara? Jesus! Your face— you look like something I drew with my left hand!"
I couldn't even muster up enough strength to shoot something sarcastic back at her. She seemed to grow more concerned by my lack of response.
Cedric sat me down on the loveseat and I sat back gratefully into the cushions while the others surrounded us. Cedric explained to them what happened— leaving out some of the more gruesome details— and I tried to make the room stop spinning. By tomorrow, the wounds would be healed, but for now, I had a bitch of a headache.
Fortunately, the headache distracted me from anything else.
"So your father knows you're with us now?" Andras asked, but it sounded less like a question.
Cedric nodded. "If he didn't before, he certainly will when his knights don't return."
I winced, and his eyes shot to my face.
"He also knows," Freya supplied, her tone dripping in frustration, "that he only needs to get to her before you go chasing after!"
I blinked in surprise, looking up at her. "What?"
"The two of you should not be traveling together," she finished.
Cedric snorted. "This again."
My brow furrowed and I looked between Freya and Andras. Both of them were sharing a look. Fortunately, the other three, our resident mortals and Regin, seemed just as confused as I was. Or, at least, they sort of did. Ellie was intrigued, Regin seemed the most confused, and Thea seemed disinterested. Per usual.
"What are you talking about?"
Cedric's expression softened when he looked down at me from where he leaned against the couch.
"Freya is—"
"Not just me," she interrupted, "Andras thinks so too. As does the Queen's guards."
My guards? Since when did they come into this?
"Fine," Cedric allowed, nodding at her before looking back at me, "Freya... and friends, think it's too dangerous for us to go anywhere with each other. It makes it easier for my father to get to us."
