Chapter Fifteen

 

 

 

 

The breeze swirled in through the opened glass doors and made Soap’s golden-brown hair fly behind him, swaying in the wind like ribbons. The setting sun painted his face with its tangerine-gold colors and reflected across the pools of green of his eyes. His arms were crossed tightly on his chest as he watched the sunset. He’d been so distracted lately, wondering about Shade, hoping she was okay. He’d wanted to go with them and now, with them missing, felt his guilt rip through him and settle like a bad meal in his stomach.

He trusted Dylan to keep her safe, but that didn’t mean he didn’t think that he should’ve been there for her. He should’ve insisted on going, regardless of what needed to be done here. Brisa was his charge now, but it didn’t mean his heart wasn’t elsewhere. His love for Shade was unshakeable, but the longer she spent time away with Dylan only created further distance between them.

Soap was losing this battle; he could feel it with every day that ticked by: the way she didn’t look at him with bright eyes anymore, the way her kisses had been so soft and tender initially, but how the heat of them had faded. It could all be in his head now, what with all she’d been through. He had to give her that benefit of the doubt and allow her space. It could take all the time in the world to heal her scars, and he’d give it to her. No matter what, he’d be there for her in the end.

But would she also be there in the end?

A knock resonated through his room, and he turned. No one usually bothered him on these lonely nights. The days had dragged by so slowly, yet it was still ten days before the full moon. He would go mad if it didn’t go any faster. Not a man to sit and wait, he headed toward the door, unlatching it and swung it open to find Brisa standing with a jug and two mugs.

“Um, hi.”

“Hello, Brisa. Please, come in.” He extended his arm to let her pass, closing the door behind her. “What do you have there?”

Brisa chuckled, holding the jug up for him to grab as she made her way toward the breakfast table near the porch where he had just been standing. “Hot chocolate. Do you like it? I had a hell of a time getting the faeries in the kitchen to understand my request. Seems to be an unpopular drink compared to honey wine.” She set the mugs down on the circular table and took the jug from him, pouring the hot liquid into both before settling into one of the chairs. She waved for him to sit as he stood there watching her curiously. “Apparently, whipped cream is not a popular choice, either, so we’ll have to do without.”

“Thank you.”

“No, thank you. I don’t feel like drinking it alone. Not much to do here besides mope and read. I’ve never seen so many books! Oh, did I tell you that I hate to read?” She took a swig of the hot drink before setting the mug back down.

“No, I didn’t know that. Then why are you reading?” He grinned, sniffing the hot chocolate before taking a gulp of it himself. It burned his tongue but felt good sliding into his stomach.

“Well, there’s a ton of interesting stuff in them, it just sucks you in! Like The History of Faerie, Magic and Oak Trees, The Fae of Faerie, Magic Spells for Witches. Oh, and I found the one about the Teleen called Cavern Faeries which I especially find quite fascinating.” She drank down the last of her hot chocolate and served herself another mugful. “So how come I can’t find much about changelings? Especially hybrids like you and Shade?” She eyed him suspiciously, studying his face intensely before taking another sip.

Soap smiled. He enjoyed Brisa’s company and was impressed with all the research she’d been doing about his people. “You know, that stuff is forbidden for a human to read.” He finished his own mug and set it down gently on the table. He laid his hand on the table as he sat forward, taking in Brisa’s furrowed face.

Enough time passed by for her to begin squirming under his stare. “I just think that’s kinda weird,” she said. “You know, don’t you want to know more about yourself? What all a changeling can do? Did you know Teleen males have a hard time finding mates because of the scarcity of women? How’s that for Shade’s chances in finding a guy among them? They’ll be coming to court her if she doesn’t choose someone soon.”

At her words, he flinched, jerking his eyes away toward the sun sinking below the trees. The room suddenly felt colder.

“She has to choose one of you. Who do you think will win?” Brisa eyed him as he jumped up to close the glass doors. “Only one can win, you know.” She shook the jug, frowning, for it was now empty. She sat back, crossed her legs and watching him stare out through the doors.

“I don’t know.” He ran his fingers through his hair, frustrated by her probing. “Why do you even want to know?” He was facing her again, his expression blank as he waited for her answer.

It was Brisa’s turn to harden her looks as she let his green eyes hover over her. He was incredibly good looking and it made her heart race just being face to face with him. She wondered what Shade’s intentions were, faking her way through their relationship. She knew more than anyone that Shade wasn’t in love with Soap. Why she would choose the steely-eyed full Teleen faery over Soap was beyond her. Nothing Shade did nowadays made sense to her, especially her rejection of this man.

If he was hers, she’d never want another. Ever.

“I just want to know….”

Soap was approaching her and he kneeled down before her, taking her hands into his.

“Do you love her?” Brisa asked softly, feeling her face flush as his fingers traced over her knuckles and fingertips. It made her breath seize, and she was sure her face was an unattractive shade of red as she began to sweat from his proximity.

“Yes, I do love her.” He slipped his fingers between hers and held them tightly. His eyes hovered over her hands before flicking back up to her. “But she doesn’t love me back. You know that as well as I do.” His eyes were a deep emerald-green abyss into which she wanted to get lost.

“She does love you, you know. But Dylan, I think he had her heart long before, and she didn’t even know it.” Her breath was panting now as he shifted his weight, leaning forward to hover so close to her, she could feel his breath on her skin, sending tiny shocks down into her chest. Was her heart locking up?

“I know.” Soap’s sad eyes made her heart melt, and she wanted nothing more than to lean forward and meet his lips with her own. “Do you love anyone?” he asked.

Surprised by his advances and questioning, she shot out of the chair, backing away with her heart hammering in her head. “What are you doing? What is this?” She felt the room spin, trying to shake her head clear.

“I’m not doing anything. I learned my lesson with Shade. Women don’t tend to like being charmed by a faery. I only wanted to know if you love someone.”

She sank onto the edge of his bed and threw him a confused look. She wanted him to come closer again, make her forget everything. Shade was her best friend, but her feelings for Soap were turning into something she might not be able to resist. “Besides my family and Shade, of course?” She shook her head. “No. I’m not in love with anyone.”

Soap walked over to sit next to her on the bed, lifting her chin up to bring her gaze toward him. “Do you know what it’s like to love someone who will never love you back? Not the way you’d want them to?” Brisa shook her head again, tears glistening in her eyes. “I have to let her go. I don’t want to, but she’s made her choice, even if she hasn’t voiced it out loud. I feel it in every fiber of my body. I feel it burn inside me, like a volcano bursting, and it hurts more than any dagger could.”

With that, his lips were on Brisa’s, and she kissed him back, feverishly as though the world had vanished and left them only to each other. His kiss felt like fire, and he pulled her closer. She let him, for since she’d met him on the steps of Shade’s house, she could say she’d always known that he was going to mean something to her, more than anything she could’ve imagined or hoped to control. Giving him what he wanted was the easy part as his lips explored her skin, down her neck and back across to her lips. His kiss was intoxicating, like a drunken stupor she could not hope to snap out of.

Not that she wanted to. This was everything she’d wanted, hoped for. Soap’s fiery scent sent chills down her body and her breath felt stolen. He’d also stolen her heart. He slipped his hand around the small of her back and lifted her into his arms, shifting her deeper into the bed.

Brisa prayed that Shade would be understanding and forgive them both.