Females were very rare in the night court's ruling family as it was, all either die young or end up forgotten in the abyss of history.
Rhysand ever thought he'd have to father one of these, in fact, he did't believe he even deserve to be a father, u...
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CHAPTER FIFTEEN
I've been the archer, I've been the prey
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"Why are we here again ?" Alaric raised a brow at Elayla as they aimlessly strolled around Velaris. He had to admit that it was beautiful, mesmerizing. The shops, the sky, the river, it all gave him a feeling of both comfort and injustice. How could Rhysand keep this city hidden away when people were struggling to live their daily life outside of it, when people in Illyria died of hunger and merciless cold.
"Walking." She shrugged way too quickly for it to be true. "Burning energy." She added to make it sound more plausible, not that it fooled him, she could see exasperation written all over his face.
"Layla." He started. "You barely look like you have any energy left." He looked her up and down. "Do you even sleep at all, or is it just not part of your royal duties?"
"I am fine, Alaric." She snapped. "I am perfectly fine. Stop making me sound like a crubling old lady, for Cauldron's sake."
"Fine, okay." He gave up, running a hand through her hair. "I didn't mean to..."
"Please, just..." She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, "I'm sorry, I snapped, I shouldn't have done that." Elayla breathed out. "Things are confusing lately. Rhysand is back, you are back, and somehow I am this mess of a female. Just bear with me."
"You're not a mess." He immediately blurted. "I mean you do look different, you are different. Just not bad different."
"I feel bad different." She admitted. "Let's just move on from this conversation, okay? Let's completely forget about it."
"It's very hard to forget things when it comes to you, El." He gave her a pointed look.
"I'll pretend I haven't heard that." She rolled her eyes at him. "Fancy some coffee? Not the tasteless Illyrian one, of course."
"I'm not sure your citizens would appreciate the sight of a brutal Illyrian bastard sitting in their artistic terraces." He scoffed dryly.
"I can break noses when it comes to that. Please." she seriously said, her pleading gaze meeting his. Alaric had the bad feeling, that if that girl said please, he'd do anything running inside her head without backing down.
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They were falling into the old patterns they once had, exchanging jokes and teasing each other. She felt less hollow, less empty, even if it was only for a few stolen hours. Elayla couldn't really remember if that's what happiness was supposed to feel like, if the sparkles inside her whenever Alaric laughed were the definition of joy.
He was a ray of sunshine in the middle of a gloomy sky, a breather from a half-decade worth of smoke.
"You were one hell of a firecracker," He teased. "Still are, or so I hope." The remark made her want to cry and laugh at the same time, the way he could find bits and pieces of the girl he once knew in that discontorted version of her, the one that was forged in clandestine traumas and unspoken secrets.
"You, are still annoying," She lied, sipping at her coffee, trying to ignore the bad feeling creeping up inside her.
"We both know that you love it." He winked at her, before a big stranger hand rested on her shoulder.
"Long time no see, Stella." Someone said, making her spine straighten and Alaric's face to somber up, but before he could say anything to say to the male, she scratched at his mind. 'Don't say a thing.'
"Alphard." She greeted flatly, picking at her nails. "I would've been happy to see you, if you hadn't forget to pay me the last time."
"Still mad about that, kid." The older male snarked. "MAybe if you show up tonight, you'll get triple your money. Who knows. Amaybe even bring the Illyrian with you?"
"He's here for work." Blood froze inside Elayla's veins at the thought of Alaric in that pit of Hel. If Illyria was harsh, the underground fight rings of Velaris were way worse.
"Whatever floats your boat, Sweetheart." Alphard smirked. "Have a great day. Both of you."
