House of Lies and Sorrow (Fae of Rewyth #1)(31)

I shoved her shoulder playfully, then she continued.

“This world can be daunting, and Malachi has been through a lot. He’s had to turn into someone he doesn’t want to be.”

“He seemed pretty proud of himself after ripping that man’s head off.”

“For nearly killing you!” She said. “I would have done the same thing!”

I took a deep breath. This was all too much to process. I was starting to believe everything I had been told about Malachi, despite Adeline’s confusing claims.

“How am I supposed to believe he’ll protect me when he has the reputation that he has? I’m just a human. I’m nothing here.”

“You’re not nothing, Jade. You’re Malachi’s wife. That makes you untouchable.”

“Well, his last wives were pretty touchable.”

She gave me a look of pity. “This is going to be a never-ending cycle, Jade. The facts are that you’re Mal’s wife now, and you’re also a Rewyth Princess.”

“I’m not a princess,” I mumbled.

“But you are. And you can either live here in fear every day, or you can do something about it. I know you’re trying to help Mal find out who’s been doing this. I don’t have to tell you to be careful. You already know that.”

I nodded, not sure of what else to say.

So I changed the subject. “Do you know Kara?” I asked.

Adeline groaned. “Please don’t tell me she’s bothering you. I’ve had enough of her to last me two lifetimes.”

I smiled at her reaction. “She seems very attached to Malachi.”

“Yeah, she has been for decades. Literally. Malachi had some fun with her, but it was never serious. Kara wants power. She’s a snake, and we all know it. Even Malachi.”

I scoffed. “I don’t know. He seems to put up with her more than anyone else. If other people talked to him the way she does, they would be dead.”

“I think Malachi feels bad for her. I do, anyway. She wasn’t always this terrible. We actually used to be friends a long time ago.”

“Really?” I asked. “You and Kara?”

Adeline nodded. “But that was before her obsession with my brother.”

I thought about her words. “You don’t think she would be killing Malachi’s wives out of jealousy, do you?”

“The thought has crossed my mind, I’ll admit. But Kara is harmless. She is jealous, yes. And you should avoid her at all costs. But she doesn’t have it in her to actually kill someone out of cold blood.”

I nodded. Adeline confirmed what I had been thinking. Kara was a spiteful brat, but I had known girls like her. They were all talk. Kara was used to getting her way, and I was an obstacle.

Although I can’t say I liked the way she acted toward Malachi.

“Okay!” Adeline sighed. “Enough of this serious stuff. I brought you here to show you how beautiful faerie can be, so come on!”

She stood from the bench and kicked off her shoes.

“What are you doing?!” I yelled.

I was answered by the sound of her splashing into the water.

“What?” She yelled from the water. “It feels so nice!”

I laughed. It was a real laugh, and it somehow felt wrong, like I didn’t deserve to be laughing.

Tessa was probably freaking out right now. For all she knew, I had been killed.

I had to go see her. Mal had to take me there.

And I had to help Malachi.

Adeline splashed a handful of water in my direction. “Are you jumping in or are you staying out there like a big baby?” She taunted.

I always loved swimming. Back home, I used to spend every morning swimming in the pond near our house.

But that was before I spent every day fighting for survival. For food. For Tessa.

That felt like ages ago.

But this was a new life. This was a new home. And as much as I hated to admit it, this was my new reality.

Adeline was right. Rewyth, as despicable as I might have thought it to be, did have a few benefits.

A gorgeous waterfall in the middle of the jungle was definitely one of them.

Adeline clapped her hands with excitement as a stood from the bench, kicking my own shoes off and jumping into the water.

The water was a welcoming, luxurious pool of bliss. Okay, maybe that was an exaggeration. But it was absolutely amazing.

I held my breath and dunked beneath the water, letting the weightlessness of my body drift.

“I knew you’d love it!” Adeline said a few feet away.

The water hardly covered my chest when I stood on the rocks that rested at the bottom.

“My sister would love it here,” I said to her. “She usually hates the outdoors… but this…”

“Welcome to Rewyth, Princess Jade. This is just the beginning.”

I opened my mouth to respond, to object to the princess title once more, but Adeline’s eyes had settled on something behind me.

I didn’t turn around. I froze as I heard what she was hearing.

Footsteps in the jungle headed straight toward us.





CHAPTER 14





Malachi





I was going to kill Adeline.

She had seriously taken Jade into the jungle? After what just happened? After I explicitly told her to keep an eye on her in my bedroom, not parade her around to the most dangerous part of Rewyth.