Marked by Darkness: The Dark Fae Trilogy Book Two by Samantha Britt

Author:Samantha Britt [Britt, Samantha]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-10-26T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

“So, I heard you had a little outburst yesterday,” Henry calls out in greeting, approaching me in the sunlit parlor where I sit facing the palace gardens through the foggy window. It’s been raining all morning, which is a perfect reflection of my mood. I don’t bother responding to his greeting, hoping it will encourage him to walk away and leave me to my self-loathing.

But I’m not so lucky.

Henry throws himself onto the plush chair across from mine and smiles at me like we’re best friends. Or maybe secret lovers. I really can’t tell if he’s trying to flirt with me, or if he’s just this over-the-top friendly with everyone.

Back when Pascale and I would go see Bass’s band play, neither George nor Henry really spoke with us. Sure, we’d been introduced, and we’d exchange pleasantries when we saw each other, but we were never friendly. Knowing one another’s names is all that made us more than complete strangers.

I watch Henry with dull, tired eyes. I’d been staring at the rain pelt the luxurious greenery for almost an hour, using the time to chastise myself for so many aspects of my behavior yesterday.

Pascale had found me later in the evening, and she’d assured me Henry had wiped the minds of all of the tavern’s customers, including the two Fae who’d instigated the confrontation. It was kind of her to try and take the blame off me, but I have no disillusion that I’m the only one responsible for the situation reaching such a dangerous level.

Needless to say, I hadn’t slept well.

“Don’t worry,” he continues cheerfully, totally ignoring my less-than-enthusiastic behavior. “I made sure none of the survivors will remember a thing. You’re free and clear.”

I cringe when he says survivors. “Were a lot of people injured?” I can still see the blood trickling down the Fae’s temple and the destroyed furniture.

“Nothing that a little healing power couldn’t fix,” he tells me.

When I remain silent, his voice loses some of its teasing tone. “You know… you shouldn’t feel bad. None of us knows how The Darkness works. Learning to control it will have a learning curve.”

His compassion is almost worse than his humor.

I burrow deep into my chair and stare at the rain drops falling from the sky. “I don’t want to learn to control it. I don’t even want to have it.”

A sleek, soothing voice murmurs in my ear, trying to coax away my sadness. That’s another thing. It seems that the taste of freedom has enabled The Darkness to speak with me whenever it wants, even though it’s contained in the diadem. It’s a quiet sound; much quieter than the sound I’d heard while encased in the dark. But it’s still unnerving.

I plan to tell Bass about the new voices, but I haven’t seen him today. He might be avoiding me, but I try to keep those thoughts at bay. Bass is the Unseelie king. No doubt, a busy schedule is enough to keep him from meeting me at breakfast or checking on me around lunch.

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