It's my first time working closely with these men, but my song is so loud it's distracting. I can't stop my heart from racing at every echo of footsteps, hoping it's Teo approaching. The shadows cast eerie patterns upon the walls, teasing my imagination with visions of twisted limbs entwined in a passionate embrace. I drop my hands to my side and let out a long, frustrated breath. Perhaps, if we finally made love I would be able to clear my head.
"Lady Estela!" Liana's voice jolts me from my reverie. "Are you even listening?"
"Of course," I lie. In truth, her words have become nothing more than a dull murmur, lost beneath the deafening roar of my thoughts. I have to actively force myself to focus on the men.
"Then repeat what I just said," Liana challenges, her violet eyes narrowing suspiciously. I rack my brain for any semblance of recollection. But it's no use; my thoughts are too far gone.
"I'm sorry. I'm ready for the first hunter," I say quickly.
She puts her hands on her hips. "Do you remember what I told you—these are your people, too. If you are daydreaming about the king, you aren't accepting the responsibility that comes with him. You weren't just chosen by this stone to find love. Call it the divine, call it destiny, butsomeonehas great things in mind for you. You deserve to find out what it is."
Her words hit me hard, and the spell is broken. I straighten my back and walk to the table where the crystals we'll use for extraction have been left out. I pick up one piece of quartz and turn it over in my hands.
"Lady Estela," a deep voice says. I turn around to see Lord Vann, the one who seems to dislike Arlet, yet is close with Teo. I don't know how to feel about him.
"Lord Vann," I say slowly. "Liana told me that you had met with her this morning. Are you feeling unwell?" My tone is tight and he notices.
"I was told to come here like all the rest. Better safe than sorry, don't you agree?" he says as he lies down on the table.
I hear the annoyance in his tone, but I pick up a crystal and walk over to his side. I think carefully about Liana’s movements from yesterday—I am to move slowly and wait for my Fuegorra to sour at the touch of the venom. I'm making my way over his chest when that tingly, ugly prickling in my palms starts up.
"My apologies, Lord Vann. It seems like it was a good thing you came, there is still a little stuck in your chest," I say while finding the right spot to press the tip of the crystal into his shirt. "I'll need you to remove your shirt."
He obeys without another word. Like the other Enduares he is strong, but this touch elicits nothing from me. This is nothing more than medicinal work.
Replacing the crystal to the injured spot, I begin to extract the venom. Lord Vann's eyes are on me, watching my every move. Not suspicious, but wary.
"Are you in pain?" I ask, adjusting my shoulders which have begun to creep up toward my ears under his scrutiny.
He shakes his head. That movement, the carelessness of it, rubs me wrong. For the first time, I wonder if he just doesn't like humans. "Do you have a problem with my people?" I ask.
That catches him off guard. "If you mean the Enduares, who are your people now, then no," he murmurs.
I press the crystal harder and he sucks in a breath. "I mean the humans."
He narrows his eyes and looks at me. "You are King Teo's mate. I will accept you because the gods know better than I."
I remove the crystal from his chest and find a small, purplish mark on his skin from my stone. "What of the others? You seem particularly displeased with my friend Arlet."
He snorts and sits up, reaching for his shirt. "Are you friends? I don't see you two together often."
I bite my lip. Our relationship had suffered since I'd been angry with her for being so happy to be here. It was foolish, especially since I have started to enjoy living here—but he doesn't need to know any of that. "You are avoiding my question. Why do you dislike the humans?"
His further lack of denial angers me. While he buttons his shirt, he looks at me. "You are ungrateful. The Enduares are strong, resourceful people. We have saved dozens of you, and let them all go because they could not survive in the darkness. When we learned we could mate with your kind, we risked a conflict with the giants. You reject us, but we have not rejected you."
His words hit me like a slap in the face. I feel ashamed of my past behavior. I open my mouth to apologize, but he interrupts me before I can form a coherent sentence.
"Save your apologies, Lady Estela. You are not the only one who has been misinformed about our people. There are many misconceptions about us Enduares, and it would do well for all of us to learn to be better." With that, he slides off the table and starts to leave. "Just so we are clear, I won't have you telling Teo I was cruel. I like you well enough. I'm just waiting for you to prove yourself to all of us—gods know we have proved ourselves to you."
I stop him as he lingers by the door. "So you tolerate us? What of the men working in the mines? I know that Arlet has spent time weaving. The only person who has been ungrateful is me, and I am trying to remedy that."
His fists tighten when I say Arlet's name again and my eyes widen. "Arlet," I say the name again and he flexes his jaw. "You like Arlet." I fold my arms, pleased with his response. "You know, in the human tongue, we have a phrase—there is a thin line between love and hate. Perhaps you should reexamine your feelings toward her."
Lord Vann's eyes narrow again and he takes on a monstrous look that makes me pause for a second. It reminds me of how powerful this race is.
"I like no one," he says in a low voice. "And certainly not a human." He turns and stalks out of the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts for mere moments before another man walks in.
"Lady Estela," he says brightly. This Enduar seems older than Vann, and decidedly kinder. "My name is Niht."