House of Lies and Sorrow (Fae of Rewyth #1)(30)

“Oh, please,” she said, flipping her long hair over her shoulder. “Humans are so prude. Mal thought you might be losing your mind in here or something. You know if you stay under the water too long it causes wrinkles.”

“I’m fine!” I yelled.

“Yeah, he also said you would say that. And he told me it probably wasn’t true.”

I cursed under my breath.

“Heard that,” Adeline chirped.

These damn fae.

I stepped out of the water and wrapped myself in one of the pristinely white towels Malachi had. The fact that they weren’t all already stained with blood was impressive.

“I’m really fine, Adeline. I don’t need a babysitter.”

She squinted her eyes. “You should be dead right now. And that cut still looks bad.”

I looked in the steamy mirror and tried not to cringe. Right in the middle of my throat, a bright red cut was nearly halfway healed.

A reminder of how close my assassin had gotten to succeeding.

No wonder Malachi was so pissed.

“I’m alive, which is better than I could have asked for.”

“Yeah, but we have to keep you alive. And your will to live is a slightly important factor there.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m not going to do anything stupid, Adeline. I already told Malachi I would listen to him from now on.”

Adeline glanced toward the bathroom door before hopping off the counter and stepping closer to me. “Mal can be…possessive. He doesn’t like that someone laid a hand on you, Jade. And this is the first time he’s been able to make some headway on whoever has been killing his wives. He’s going to protect you no matter what. You understand that, don’t you?”

I let my head rest on the wall behind me. “I’m willing to do whatever it takes to stay alive. If that means living, acting and breathing like a damn faerie, then so be it. But I can’t stay locked up like this. I can’t just sit in here like I’m nothing. I can protect myself.”

I realized after I said the words that they may have been stupid, but when I looked to Adeline, she had a giant grin on her face.

“You have no idea how happy I am to hear that,” she chirped, nearly jumping with excitement. “Now put these clothes on. I’m taking you somewhere.”

I didn’t have time to ask questions. Adeline was gone, leaving a stack of clothes on the counter.

After getting dressed, I had to admit I was impressed. Adeline hadn’t picked out a ridiculous, revealing fae outfit. Instead, she brought me simple slacks and a basic tunic.

I could actually move freely. And I wasn’t covered in blood or wearing Malachi’s clothes.

Consider me grateful.

After a few minutes of walking, Adeline and I found ourselves leaving the castle and heading into the jungle-like woods that encapsulated the entire back half of the estate.

“Does Malachi know we’re heading into the woods?” I asked Adeline.

She rolled her eyes and groaned. “What Mal doesn’t know won’t kill him. Besides, it can be really beautiful out here. He would just ruin it.”

I followed her down a narrow stone path, the light around us slowly diminishing even though the sun had just fully risen.

She wasn’t lying. The beauty of the castle should have been a huge indication as to how beautiful the jungle was going to be. Even so, the castle hardly compared. Thick vines weaved through massive trees, filling the space with a variety of greenery. Thick moss covered the stones we walked on, silencing every step we took further into the jungle. The sound of water pouring in the distance grew stronger and stronger as we continued.

I was about to tell Adeline to stop when we entered a clearing, revealing a small waterfall that was almost hidden in the vast stone structure behind it.

Hidden. Like it was here just for Adeline. Just for us.

“Saints,” I mumbled. “This is what you dragged me out here for? It’s gorgeous, Adeline.”

She gave me a knowing smile and trotted forward, perching herself onto a bench-like structure I assumed she was responsible for.

“See!” She said. “It’s not so terrible here, is it? You’re a fighter, Jade. I knew that as soon as I met you. You’re going to stick around, I just know it. So, you might as well not absolutely hate this place while you’re here!”

I couldn’t help but smile. This was undoubtedly the nicest thing anyone had done for me. Granted nobody ever did nice things for me at home, and all Adeline did was drag me into the jungle, but it was still true.

I couldn’t believe it.

“I’m assuming this is where you hide while your brothers continue whatever feud they have going on.”

“You have no idea, honey. I feel like I’ve spent years out here with all the fighting they do. But family is complicated. Mal knows that. I’m sure you’ll learn about all of their silly politics soon enough.”

Now it was my turn to groan. “I feel like I’ve learned enough already.”

Adeline’s eyes were full of pity when she looked at me. “I know this must be hard for you, Jade. You don’t know who to trust and you don’t know what to believe about us. After what happened…”

“It’s really okay—“

“Mal can be terrifying. I could smell the blood the second I walked into that room, Jade, and that was after they had cleaned it all up. I’ve seen him kill. I’ve seen him slaughter people dozens of times. Just because I’m fae doesn’t mean I’m heartless, despite what you humans may think.”