Rhen
Elm and I were seated on the plush velvet sofa, our gazes fixed on one another. He brought the plump cigar up to his mouth and took a satisfied puff. A thick fog of smoke billowed out from his lips and rose in my direction. I waved my hands frantically in an attempt to fan away the smog, feigning a cough as I did so. The scent of the smoke was strong yet alluring, filling my senses with its sweet, earthy aroma while also stinging my eyes and lungs.
He removed the cigar from his lips and placed it in an ornate ashtray resting on the table before us.
“Must you do that inside?”
He stared at me with an impenetrable look and deliberately breathed out a ring of smoke in my direction. I could feel his gaze lingering on me, trying to decipher my expression and read my thoughts. The smell of the smoke stung my eyes as it hung heavily in the air, creating a barrier between us.
“Oh, I’m sorry, pet. Is it bothering you?”
I groaned, fanning the white smoke from my face, growing increasingly more agitated with him. “Only a lot. Why can’t you take it outside?”
Elm only chuckled, “It’s my house, pet. Shouldn’t I be able to smoke wherever I please?”
Arms crossed over my chest, I sighed in frustration, though it only seemed to bring a wider smile to his lips.
“You know,” he started, pressing the lit end of the cigar into the glass dish on the end table. “ If you took a hit now and then it would cure you of that half empty attitude.”
Someone coughed lightly from behind us, and we both jumped in surprise before spinning around to face the direction of the sound. Kol was standing in the entrance of the hallway, lit up by a dim light from outside. He leaned against the door frame casually as though he belonged there, giving off a sense of calmness that was in stark contrast to the tenseness between Elm and I.
“He’s awake. Thought you guys should know.”
I practically leapt out of my seat, nearly knocking the end table over in my haste. I rushed towards the infirmary, muttering a hurried ‘Thank you’ to Kol as I flew past him. My heart was pounding, my mind racing with worry as I ran.
I assumed Elm was walking close behind me, but when I threw the door open and glanced back, there was no sign of him. And there was no way in Hell that I was going to wait for him.
Luka was perched up against two soft, luxurious pillows, astounded at the sight of his surroundings. His ears twitched forward when he heard the creaky door swing open. Our eyes locked, and his mouth curved into that familiar goofy smile. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I raced to his side, throwing my arms around his waist and releasing a torrent of sobs.
“Oh my gods,” I cried, “you’re okay. You’re really okay.”
Luka embraced me with both arms, picking me up and placing me on the mattress next to him. His face contorted from the effort, but he refused to loosen his grip when I attempted to wriggle free.
“Rhen,” he muttered. His voice sounded strained, like he was still in a lot of pain. “I’ve missed you.”
Finally, I could pull away from his tight grip. My hands found his face, and I turned it over and over until I was satisfied that he was truly there. That he was actually alive. My fingers curled around his furry ears, eliciting a contented sigh from him, and he went nearly limp in my arms.
Elm’s voice reverberated in my ears, casting a definable presence behind me. “Oh, wow. I didn’t realize you and Luka were so — affectionate.”
I tossed my long black hair back over my shoulder and stuck out my tongue in defiance. If I was hoping to upset him, it had no effect; instead, he seemed to get a strange pleasure from it all, winking at me and puckering his lips in mock kisses.
Kol stepped around him, making sure to flex the muscles in his back and whack Elm with his wings. I had to cover my mouth with my hands to keep from laughing aloud. The silver-haired sylph plopped down on the cot across from Luka’s and smiled.
“Don’t listen to him, girly. He’s just jealous that you haven’t been rubbing all over his furry—”
“Okay!” Elm interrupted. “As much fun as this has been, we need to ask you some questions now that you’re awake.”
“Can’t this wait?” I asked. “He literally just woke up.”
“Yeah, bro. Give him some breathing room. Let him get his jollies out first. Then you can start in on the interrogation.” Kol agreed.
Elm sighed. “One question, then I’ll leave you alone.” Light swam through his bright sapphire eyes, and I could tell that he was just as happy to see Luka as I had been.
Luka nudged me. Nodded.
“How did you get here?”
The fox fey shifted uneasily in his bed, so I moved away from him and perched myself at the edge of the mattress. Green irises swirled around the room, desperately searching for something that he could not seem to locate. He looked around in confusion until finally giving up and shrugging his shoulders in defeat.
“I-I don’t know. I remember running into the Dark Forest. I almost made it to the Witch’s cabin when—” He dropped his gaze to the sheet splayed on in front of him. I grasped his hand, delicately running my fingers along the lines of his palm before giving it a gentle squeeze.
To remind him that he was okay.
That he wasn’t alone anymore.
His throat quivered, and he forced himself to look up again, his gaze meeting Elm’s unwavering one. “The Driech ordered him to kill me. He fought it, but she’s been feeding him her blood. He really tried—”
I couldn’t believe my ears. I’d suspected Baz had something to do with his condition, but I’d never really thought he could ever hurt Luka. Sure, he took him for granted all the time, but to physically try to kill him?
“This is getting out of hand,” Elm said, raking a hand through his hair. He turned to Kol. “We need to have someone contact Father and—”
“He’s gone,” Luka murmured. Elm’s head snapped up. “Baz—he killed him.”
Elm stilled and went pale white. “What?”
Luka’s eyes swam with tears. “I’m so sorry, Elm. I don’t know what to say.”
Kol stiffened; his eyes locked on Elm’s face.
“When?”
“Right after—” Luka swallowed, avoiding even my eyes. “Right after he came here. He lost his powers when he—and the bitch told him the only way for him to get them back was to rip out Solas’ heart.”
“Good,” Elm said finally after a long silence. But his posture changed. The typical bright blue in his eyes dulled to a near gray. Like storm clouds that held so much rain but refused to release it.
Luka’s ears flattened against his matted ginger hair as he opened his mouth attempting to speak. However, before he could get a word out, Elm cut him off with a wave of his hand.
“No, really. I mean it. That dick is better off dead. That’s probably the first good thing Baz has ever done. Took him turning into an evil, psycho, blood addict to gain enough balls to do it, but good on him.”
“Elm.” My voice was calm but stern. I couldn’t believe what he was saying. But knew he meant every word he said by the tone. Yet, his eyes told a very different story. One of a boy who just wanted to mourn the loss of his father.
I knew how he felt better than anyone.
He twisted his face toward me, and I felt the thread of his composure tear. Puffy red splotches had formed on his cheeks just beneath his eyes. His body was a temple of emotion, and he was about to spill.
Kol gently nudged me with his foot as if I could understand the thoughts passing through his mind. His expression was thoughtful , and he seemed to send me an unspoken message, urging me to pick up on the subtle hint he was conveying.
Get him out of here.
So, I stood, placed a comforting hand on Luka’s cheek, and strode toward Elm. My fingers curled around the rolled sleeve portion of his shirt, and I tugged him out behind me. To his credit, he didn’t fight me. Instead, he let me lead him all the way through the house until we reached the back door to the greenhouse.
Once inside, I relinquished my grip on his sleeve and took a seat on the wooden bench opposite him. I held my breath as we locked eyes. A comber silence swept through the atmosphere like a cold breeze. I didn’t know what he needed. Didn’t know if I should be the one to break the silence first or if he preferred the lack of my voice for him to think.
But I said, “You can hate him, you know.”
He stirred then, his stiff muscles quivering as he tried to settle himself. Despite his movement, he remained silent, so I continued on with my speech. My words filled the room, their echoes reverberating off the walls.
“You can hate him for everything he did to you, and still mourn the loss of your father, Elm. I spent my entire life hating mine, thinking he’d just decided he didn’t want us anymore. Thinking I wasn’t good enough for him to want me only to find out that he died on some stupid mission to eradicate feyries.”
“It’s not the same. You only thought he didn’t want you. Mine actually didn’t.”
“But it is! Until a few months ago, I thought the same thing. You think finding out after he’s been dead this whole time, it changed my mind about how I feel about him? No! Suddenly it’s oops, sorry. Your dad isn’t actually a douchebag that ran off and left you and your mom high and dry. He was actually trying to protect you from magickal creatures that are now your friends. ”
My face crumpled. “I still don’t know what to feel when it comes to him. All I’m saying is that it’s okay to not know. It’s okay if you need to cry.”
A single solitary tear dropped from his eye, slowly meandering down his cheek. “All I ever wanted was for him to say he was proud of me. Just once.”
My throat burned under the weight of his words.
“Now I’ll never get the chance.”
Before I could process how I had arrived there, or why, my arms instinctively encircled Elm’s lower waist. In my embrace, he lost all composure, and it broke my heart because I could truly feel his anguish. His father left scars not only on his back but on his soul. Deep wounds that might never heal.
At least I had some component of closure.
A luxury Elm would never have.
My fingers breathed against his skin beneath his shirt. Heat molded me against him, and I couldn’t help myself. I ran my hand along the base of his spine, tracing the scars on his back.
Elm’s sobs gradually began to cease, and I lifted my gaze to meet his. His eyes were red and swollen, and he clamped them shut. Forever hiding from the pain.
With my heart racing and toes curling underneath me, I slowly leaned into him. My hands shaking with anticipation, I softly pressed my lips against his.