Stones of Steele: YA Urban Fantasy Romance (Book One) by Ebony Lee

Author:Ebony Lee [Lee, Ebony]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-09-22T16:00:00+00:00

13

A Proper Goodbye

‘Aria, get out here now!’ Darcy’s usually gentle tone was tainted with annoyance. Aria placed a box of medical supplies on the floor by the shelf she’d been restocking and hurried out of the storeroom into the pristine white space of the healer’s base.

‘If this is about Mr Schmidt’s dressing change today, I swear I already—’

‘You kissed Wyatt and didn’t tell me?’ Darcy stood before her, arms crossed, her dark hair hanging down her white uniform like a silk curtain. Beside her, looking very out of place in the clinical environment, was Juniper, a mischievous sparkle in her jade eyes.

‘I asked you not to tell anyone!’ Aria said accusingly.

‘I didn’t think that included Darcy,’ Juniper responded innocently.

‘What are you doing here anyway? You hate hospitals.’ Aria knew her scholar friend would understand the term.

‘Me? I’m here to bring coffee and comic relief to my dearest friends in dire need of both. What are you doing here?’ Juniper raised her eyebrows at Aria as she handed her a mug.

Darcy answered for her. ‘She is helping me, as you very well know.’ The reality, they all knew, was quite the opposite: Darcy was helping Aria.

A week had passed since the attack on Diamond Square. That night, Aria had managed a few hours of fitful sleep. Her nightmares were flooded with images of silver swords, rose gold eyes, flowing scarlet blood and raging fire. When she had woken, breathless and heart racing, she’d gone down to the healer’s base to see if she could help in any way, not knowing what else to do. She’d hoped to get some news of Vinnie, but found Darcy still working tirelessly on the wounded. However busy and exhausted, Darcy was intuitive as ever and had put Aria to work fetching bandages, making beds and even assisting her with minor procedures. A small voice in the back of Aria’s mind wondered whether she would have been allowed to aid the healers if she’d been anybody else, but she didn’t complain. Aria was glad to feel useful, and was grateful for the distraction from both her nightmares and dwelling on the ambiguous way she’d left things with Wyatt.

‘Now, don’t try to change the subject. When did this kiss happen?’ Darcy also took a coffee from Juniper and leaned against a steel bench, staring at Aria expectantly. With a sigh, Aria recounted her evening with Wyatt leading up to the attack.

‘I thought there was some weird energy between you two that night,’ Darcy commented, when Aria finished.

‘It doesn’t matter,’ she said. ‘He made it clear afterwards that it was a mistake and won’t happen again. His duty will always come first.’

Darcy appeared devastated by this news. ‘Oh, Aria! You had just been attacked. He wasn’t in his right mind. I’m sure he will come to his senses. He’d be a fool not to.’

‘Wait, wait, wait. Are you in support of this relationship?’ Juniper rounded on Darcy.

Darcy turned to her with equal surprise. ‘Are you not?’

There was an awkward pause as one of the other healers escorted a patient past them to the exit.

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