Page 85 of Omen of ice
“Technically, Delkin is my half brother. Same father. His mother died in childbirth. We never saw it that way, though. I would die for him, and he, me.”
“Must be nice…”
“You should know that when Mori found out the truth—the whole truth—she was all in. She didn’t stay because of Del. Not at first. She stayed because she wanted to see her family fall. She wanted what was right.”
“I’m not her. I don’t know what I want.” I sigh. “I don’t even know how to hold my own life together right now.”
“I imagine it’s complicated.”
“What is?”
“You and the druid. Being linked to someone while trying to hide something from them must take an enormous amount of energy.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I push off the tree and start to pace. “What could I possibly be—”
Benj shakes his head. “I have no idea what, but I can see it. So can Del.” He shrugs. “Whatever it is, it must weigh heavily on you.”
“I…know something.” While I’m not ready to trust Delkin and Benj with my entire life’s story, I feel the connection between us. I know, deep down, that they’d never purposefully hurt me. “I have information that Tania should— That she needs to know.”
“And you don’t want to tell her?”
“I do. But when she finds out, I’ll lose her.”
“And you don’t want that…”
“Of course not!” The words come out in an impassioned rush, and Benj cocks his head to the side. “And then there are all these expectations she has…” I kick at a small red pebble. It skitters across the ground and bounces against a tree trunk. “I’m not a leader. I never will be.”
He shrugs again. “Then so be it.”
“But I’m going to kill Orbik.”
His lip quirks, and he tilts his head again. “I think you and your father might disagree on that, but that honor is for you two to hash out.”
“If I kill him and refuse the throne, who does that leave?” Can I really let Liani shoulder the burden herself? Liani, the only one who truly loved me growing up? She was there for every tear, every bruise… Can I really heap this burden on her?
“Kid, you gotta relax. Take one day at a time. Tackle things in priority order.”
“And that would be?”
“You came out here to unlink yourself from the druid, right?”
“Right.”
“That hasn’t changed, has it?”
“Why in the Gods’ names would it have changed?” The way he looks at me suggests he thinks it might have, and I wonder if Benj can see inside to the darkest parts of my mind.
Benj snickers. “She gets under your skin. No one has the power to do that unless they mean something to you.” He studies me. “You’re so worried about how she’ll react to this big secret you have. That you’ll lose her. Why worry if there’s nothing going on between you?”
I snort. Something going on? Between Tania and me? I care for her, but not the way he’s insinuating. Anyone with eyes could see that she’s stunning. I’d have to be dead not to feel an attraction. That isn’t the same as getting under my skin, though.
“We won’t be swapping love stories,uncle.” I tap my chest, directly over my heart. “I was warded as a child. A druid sigil that ensures I cannot ever fall in love—thank the Gods.”
“If that’s true, then I pity you.”
“Please, don’t. We fall in love just once in our entire existence. Once. If we’re lucky, it’s mutual and we create a claim. What happens to those of us like Delkin? My mother is gone. He will never know that kind of happiness again.” I stare at him. “And you? Claiming a human? What will you do when Ander grows old and dies centuries before you do?”
“Your father was alive a very long time before Mori came along. It’s true—he’ll be a shadow of himself for the rest of his days, but the time they had together is enough to get him through.” He frowns, and there’s sadness in his eyes, but there’s also joy. “As for Ander? You’re young. Perhaps because of the ward, you cannot understand. When the right one comes along—human, Fae, male, female—it doesn’t matter. Gender, lifespan—allegiances—you love who you love, Valen. It is the simplest thing there is.”
