House of Lies and Sorrow (Fae of Rewyth #1)(32)

I normally trusted Adeline, but there were times when she acted like a stupid teenage girl. Part of me didn't blame her. Like the rest of us, her childhood had been ripped away from her. There was no time for fun and games in the royal family, and Adeline had always had a hard time making friends.

It was hard to know who you could trust when everyone in faerie was a greedy asshole who wanted something from you.

But I knew Adeline would like Jade, although I was surprised to learn Jade had been reciprocating those feelings.

No, I didn’t care about what I had said to Jade last night. I didn’t care about the look on her face as I locked her into that room again. I shoved those thoughts aside. She was going to have to learn what she was up against, and if that meant making her hate me any more than she already did, then so be it.

If it meant keeping her alive.

If it meant figuring out who had tried to kill her.

It was worth it.

I had learned very little about the identity of our attackers. Kara and my brothers were gossips, but someone else in the castle had to know something. Had to have seen something.

Someone in this castle thought they could outsmart me. Thought they could kill my wife.

I just had to find out who was behind this, and I would throw a celebration around their deaths.

But it’s not like I could go around asking questions. I couldn’t trust anyone. Every single fae in this damned castle was a suspect in my eyes. Even family. Even guards.

I heard their voices and took a sharp turn, toward the lagoon. I should have guessed it. This had been Adeline’s favorite spot since we were children.

The sound of laughter nearly made me pause. It was warm and full of life, something I wasn’t used to.

Most people were cold around me. I didn’t blame them.

When I stomped through the trees and into the clearing, I froze in my tracks.

And then Jade screamed.

A massive tiger, one that had likely been stalking them this whole time, lunged toward Jade. It splashed as its body hit the water, and they both went under.

Adeline yelled and threw herself toward Jade and the tiger.

I was already moving.

The next few moments were a blur of water, blood, screaming, and limbs flailing in the lagoon.

I gripped the tiger from behind and threw myself backward, taking it with me.

Jade gasped as she resurfaced, but the tiger thrashed in my arms.

“Adeline!” I yelled. “Get her out of here!”

Adeline moved toward Jade, but so did the tiger.

It was too slippery. The massive animal twisted from my grasp.

But Adeline was there. She had her hands around the tiger in an instant, stopping it in its tracks. She screamed as she fought, squeezing hard on its large neck.

The tiger whimpered. I moved to help Adeline, and together we threw it from the pond.

Its wet body landed on the ground, but it wasn’t dead.

Not yet.

The tiger stood and looked at us. For a moment, I thought it was going to lunge again. I regained control and pictured black smoke surrounding us, protecting us from the tiger.

Jade couldn’t see it. Adeline couldn’t see it. But animals had always been able to see my power.

The tiger shook its head and backed away before darting back into the jungle.

All three of us stood in the shoulder-deep water, panting.

I was the first one to speak. “I hope you both have a very good explanation for this.”

My sister swallowed. “I’m sorry Mal, I was just trying to–”

“Stop,” I interrupted. “I don’t want your apology right now. You both would be dead right now if I hadn’t come looking for you.”

“I would have stopped it!” Adeline argued.

“Really?” I asked. “You really think you’re in the position to fight off a grown tiger that’s likely twice your size, all while protecting Jade at the same time?”

Adeline stammered, looking for her next words. But Jade interrupted. “She was trying to help me, Malachi.”

“And what exactly was she helping you with? You’re this desperate to get yourself killed?”

“She was trying to get me out of that prison,” Jade replied. Her voice shook, likely from the adrenaline of what just happened, but she still held her chin high. “It’s not our fault there was a massive animal waiting to attack us out here. How were we supposed to know that?”

“You and I will talk about this later,” I said to Adeline. “Let’s go, Jade.”

The girls looked at each other and Jade scoffed before the three of us crawled out of the lagoon. Jade’s breaths were still coming out in short bursts.

“I trusted you, Adeline,” I said quietly.

She lowered her head. “I know. I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Jade.”

Jade grabbed Adeline’s hand. “Don’t apologize. Thank you for bringing me here. It really is gorgeous.”

Adeline looked up and smiled shyly before walking back to the castle, leaving Jade and I alone.





CHAPTER 15





Jade





Malachi didn’t say a single word to me as we walked back through the jungle toward the castle.

And the way he had spoken to Adeline…

He had crushed her. I could see the way Adeline physically shrank at the way he didn’t trust her. At the way he ridiculed her. Adeline had looked up to him, had tried to help me, had made me laugh for the first time in what seemed like decades, and he had put her down because of it.