Page 4 of Broken Hearted
We were on a sandy beach right in front of a giant castle as waves rolled in and out on the shore behind him. He had a basket full of fresh crabs at his feet.
For a moment, he looked as stunned as I felt, but then his eyes flared as they raked over me from head to toe and back up again. I reacted to that look like a physical touch and flushed under his inspection, but then his gaze caught on the blue faestone dagger clenched in my hand, and he seemed to come back to himself.
Taking a step backward, he held up his hands in defense. “Don’t kill me, Isolde. Remember me? We’ve already met.”
My heart did a somersault at the way he said my name. It was like there was music in his voice for a split second. Hearing and seeing him in real life was so much more potent than the ghostlike version of him that appeared in my room, and for a moment, it overwhelmed me. But then his gaze dropped to the faestone dagger again, reminding me of who he was and why I was here. And for a wild minute, I considered just killing him and going home, saving everyone. It was the easiest solution, even if perhaps not the moral one.
“Dawn said you might come. She sent a letter. It’s inside,” he said as he pointed to something behind me.
At the mention of Dawn, my murderous thoughts dissolved. She’d begged me not to hurt the Ethereum lords, and even though I didn’t know this man’s true character, I trusted Dawn. I couldn’t kill this man. He was someone’s family.
I sheathed the dagger, my hand slightly shaking with defeat. I was sweating gumdrops in my fur cloak, and I was pretty sure I would quickly get a sunburn from this mild exposure.
I peered over my shoulder at a giant white stone castle and then looked back at him.
“I’m Adrien,” he said a little breathlessly and held out his hand. “This must be really weird for you.”
I relaxed a little, realizing I hadn’t spoken yet and probably seemed like a spooked animal. Or a rabid one, considering I’d just held a blade for half of our conversation.
“I’m Isolde,” I said, even though he already knew that. Whenour fingers touched, a slight tingle went through my palm, and his brows drew together in confusion. His gaze then snaked slowly down my body, and my stomach heated.
“Adrien,” a woman shrilled behind us. “Who’s that?”
He yanked his hand away from me like he’d been burned.
“Elisana, darling,” he laughed nervously. “Isolde has arrived, just like Dawn told us she might. We should give her Dawn’s letter.”
I spun and came face to face with a tall woman with long chestnut hair who did not look very pleased to see me. The fiancée. It had to be.
“Oh . . . interesting,” she said, but her gaze was calculating. “Darling, why don’t you put a shirt on and have your afternoon tea? I’ll give her Dawn’s letter.”
“Yes, my love,” Adrien said, and stepped away from me. I watched as he lugged the fresh crab basket up the beach and into the castle.
“Sorry about the intrusion.” I gave a nervous laugh, expecting Elisana to tell me that it was no trouble, but instead she just stared at me with cold, unforgiving eyes.
I wanted to give Adrien’s fiancée the benefit of the doubt. I didn’t know her after all, but after only a few moments in her presence, I already greatly disliked her. Perhaps she was an acquired taste and would grow on me.
“This way,” she said, leading me toward the castle and then through the same door Adrien had disappeared into moments before.
Despite everything, I found myself looking for him as soon as I crossed the threshold, but with a shake of my head, I forced mygaze forward as I followed Elisana through an open sitting room, down a hallway, and into what looked to be a kitchen.
The basket of crabs that Adrien had carried inside was sitting on a counter next to a portly woman who looked up from where she was filleting a large fish as we passed. Her eyes grew a little wide when she saw us. She dipped her head and murmured a quiet, “My lady,” to Elisana, who breezed right by without acknowledging her at all. The chef’s gaze shifted to me, and I gave her a warm smile that she returned before continuing with her task.
We exited the kitchen and passed a food storage room, before popping out into a large open foyer and taking a winding staircase up, up, and up. I tried to shrug off my heavy cloak, but Elisana wouldn’t slow her steps as we ascended, and I didn’t want to fall behind.
By the time we reached our destination, a small library on one of the upper floors, I was huffing and puffing and coated in sweat. I was sure my face was red, and after finally freeing myself of my cloak, I wiped the wetness off my brow with my sleeve. Unfortunately, taking off my cloak only offered a small measure of comfort, because my pants and long-sleeved tunic were both fur-lined. This served me well in the Winter Court, but here, which I assumed was the Southern Kingdom based on the map and journals from the previous champions that had been given to me, I was struggling with my wardrobe.
Without explaining herself, Elisana went over to a desk and pulled a key out of her pocket. Then she unlocked a drawer and pulled something out.
I was parched and swayed a little on my feet. I needed to get outof these clothes and into something lighter, if for no other reason than to be able to think straight again.
“Do you have anything more appropriate to the climate that I could wear?” I asked, feeling like I was standing inside a furnace.
Elisana turned, looking down her nose at me even though we were both around the same height. “No, my clothes would befartoo small on you.”
My mouth dropped open. Yes, Elisana was a slender woman, but from the disgusted look on her face, it was clear she was insinuating that I was twice her size, which I was not. I may have a few more curves than she did, but if she had a loose-fitting dress, I was certain it would fit me.
I was about to give her a piece of my mind when Adrien swept into the room, fully clothed this time. He’d pulled his shoulder-length hair back, and the sleeves on his shirt were rolled up to reveal strong forearms that I hadn’t noticed before.
