Seven Black Diamonds (Seven Black Diamonds #1)(66)

Zephyr jerked back.

“The human I bedded had eyes like spring skies, and her lips were berry red. She spoke of wanting a fae child, too. For a human, I thought she would’ve been a good choice to carry my young. The woman was called Arabella. She was a pretender in recorded plays for humans—”

“Actress,” Zephyr corrected. “My mother is an actress.”

There were a lot of people who could fit that description. Even his mother’s name was not completely unusual, but after being called a miracle baby his whole life, Zephyr knew that Rhys was likely talking about her.

“So that is why Mother favored you,” Rhys said musingly. “You are her grandson. My . . . son.” The faery studied him much the way Zephyr had studied science experiments. There was no emotion there. “How is your swordsmanship?”

Zephyr said nothing. He turned to Eilidh, bowed deeply to her, and turned away from all of them. His father was fae. His mother . . . the woman he’d pitied for having no real child of her own, for thinking he was hers, was actually his true mother. She’d cheated on her husband to have him. She’d had no idea that he was being born to be used. Zephyr had always taken comfort in the fact that he was living the life his parents had chosen. They all had. Instead, his father, his fae father, had no idea he existed, and his mother apparently had only wanted to have a baby.

Was that the case for all of us? Were our human mothers all so desperate that they’d bedded with fae, knowing how hard it was to live as a fae-blood, knowing that their very existence was illegal? Zephyr felt his emotions getting increasingly out of control. The water he’d denied being responsible for surged higher.

He turned and ran. They could catch him if they wanted, stop him without even moving from where they were, but he didn’t care. He needed out.

Everything is a lie.

Behind him, he could hear Lilywhite calling to him.

It didn’t matter.

A lie.

Everything is a lie.

I am no one.

As he crossed the campus, he didn’t slow to see if Lilywhite or Creed had followed him. Right now, he didn’t know how he felt about seeing her—and he didn’t want anything to do with Creed. Creed had brought them here, brought Zephyr’s father here, and Zephyr knew that if he saw Creed, he’d want nothing more than to let his aggression out on him.

He made his way through the hedge, through the walled garden, and to Belfoure, where he knew Alkamy would be. He could feel the pulse of his own blood warm at her throat, and he followed it unerringly. He’d hoped it would work as such when he gave it to her, and tonight he was grateful that the queen had allowed him to take the blood-wrought stones with him. He couldn’t make sense of much in the world, but he knew this much at least: he needed Alkamy the way he needed earth.

The familiar thrum of the city did nothing to ease his mind tonight. Neither did the friendly voices as he crossed through the main part of the Row House. It wasn’t until he reached the VIP section and Alkamy that he felt anything near calm. He didn’t hesitate. He grabbed her by both hands and jerked her into his arms. He needed this, needed the peace that only she could offer him.

She yelped in surprise and started to ask, “What—”

He cut off her question with a kiss. Behind him, he could hear voices, and several flashes of light made it obvious that cameras were capturing it all. He knew on some level that he was being foolish. He should be stronger. He shouldn’t care about the lies that were woven into his life.

He did care though. It was all fucked up. Everything felt wrong—except having Alkamy in his arms for this moment.

All of the need he’d been shoving away was in his kiss. It was the sort of starving embrace that they seemed to always share, as if there would never be another, as if this moment was the last. Every time they kissed, they both knew that one of them would say, “Not again. Remember? Not again.” Tonight, he wouldn’t be the one to say it, and he hoped she wouldn’t either.

When he finally released her, she was trembling. She didn’t pull him closer, but she didn’t run away either. He slid his hands to her hips, unable to let her escape, unable to do anything but hold on to the one person in both worlds who would never lie to him or use him.

In his peripheral vision, he could see Violet and Roan gaping at them. Beside Roan, Will’s hat was drawn low enough to shade his face, and he was staring at the ground, further hiding himself.

As Alkamy leaned against his body, not even stepping out of his arms, she reached up and stroked his face. “Talk to me.”

He shook his head, even as he reached out to touch the blood-ruby in the hollow of her throat. She was his only anchor in a sea of madness. He knew it, had known it for years, but that didn’t mean he could say it aloud. He had to be responsible, to look after the Sleepers. It was his duty, and Zephyr Ryan Waters always fulfilled his duties. He’d been waiting for years for someone to help him do that, a partner, a love of his own—and the fae he’d been promised not only didn’t seem to want him, she might be a blood relative.

Zephyr ignored everyone. He swept Alkamy into his arms and all but marched to the dance floor, carrying her like she was his bride. They passed the velvet rope. The camera flashes continued. The murmurs continued.

“You’re scaring me,” she whispered against his ear. Her expression was light, making for good pictures, staying in the role she’d always held. Unlike him, she was still doing as she should.