The Awakening

Chapter Seventeen

Mocking laughter erupted from Ernin, his gaze alight with humour as he watched Lugh fumble over his words. Avelon suppressed a chuckle and concealed her own amusement as she watched the exchange. Lugh's brow furrowed in concentration, and Avelon found herself holding her breath in expectation. Briefly, she wondered what type of Fae Lugh would be.

"What is your name?" Lugh asked, tilting his head, his voice laced with hope that a direct question would yield the information he sought. Avelon bit her lip, deliberating her response once again.

"My name is whatever you want it to be." She remained evasive, a small smile creeping its way onto her face.

Ernin's laughter boomed, his delight evident as he leaned back in his chair, eyes twinkling at the spectacle before him. A flicker of playfulness crossed Lugh's features at Avelon's evasion, and a faint blush of embarrassment tinted his cheeks. Avelon drew a deep breath, steeling herself for his next move, which could either display his Fae-born assertiveness or the destructive tendencies all too common in Teine.

"Fine," Lugh conceded with an incline of his head and a smirk, taking note that Avelon would not reveal her name to him.

"Nameless then." He savoured the words, his eyes narrowing decisively as he leaned against the table. His smile grew as Avelon lifted her brow at him.

"Care to get me a drink?" His tone shifted from playful to commanding, a sinister smile playing on his lips as he fixed his gaze on her. His tone change had made it evident that he did not find Avelon's responses very amusing, but he also delighted in the challenge. He waited for Avelon to object, crossing his arms over his chest. She almost mistook his posture as a direct challenge.

She smiled sweetly- condescendingly, and nodded only once before replying, "Coming right up."

With that, she pivoted sharply and made her way to the drinks table, leaving behind Lugh and his incessantly snickering friend. Her eyes widened as she registered her encounter. She was playing on a dangerous line, one that could snap any moment.

Ernin and Lugh's voices had drifted toward her as they dove into a heated discussion. She paid no heed to the mumbled words, and she decided not to decipher them.

Retreating from their presence had made the tension that had coiled within her shoulders begin to ease. The sudden realization of how perilously close they had come to an unfavourable outcome overshadowed the surge of boldness she had experienced while speaking to Lugh and Ernin. She had been too bold and too challenging with complete strangers.

Yet, a self-satisfied smirk played on her lips as she relived the moment—she would not change a thing. She enjoyed the bickering and banter. She refused to embody the flawless image of a docile servant. She was not a subservient figure eager to please.

She was more than just that.

As she moved away from their table, she could feel eyes following her. Clearly the following eyes had taken note of the time she had spent in the presence of Fae who meant something to Vexar. To those wandering, noticing eyes she was only a slave.

Her gaze hardened with loathing for the Fae in Vexar who took pleasure in the suffering of others. How could they remain passive at such an atrocity? Had their daughters and sons not gone through enough?

She would find a way to stop ritual. She would stand and fight for those who could not. Her thoughts ignited a barren fire within her heart. She needed to remind herself who she was dealing with. Chin lifted, Avelon prepared a glass of wine for Lugh. Her fleeting smirk dissolved into a scowl as she spied the glass and decanter.

The red liquid swirled in the decanter, and she resisted the urge to indulge in a sip. Gods knew she needed the distraction. Above that, her throat was parched, more so than she had expected so early in the event. She made a mental note to seek out Brianne for a break before taking the glass and returning to the table of insufferable Fae.