I stared into the crackling flames, sipping the herbal liquid, as the day marched on. No one asked my opinion, which wasn’t surprising. I had nothing to add. No survival skills. I would just do what I was told.
When the sun slipped beneath the horizon, the others had formed a plan. They felt like it was sound, and even paused a few times to ask my opinion, but what did I know? I was the elf who didn’t even know who she was. I couldn’t stop thinking about those swirling green tattoos on Aileana’s body. This was the first time I met another elf who had the same markings as I did.
The Earth Elf knew who she was. Aileana was strong in ways that I could not even imagine. I watched the way she and her mate interacted with each other. They joked and bantered, seeming utterly comfortable together. I wanted that, too.
Eventually, the couple stood. Aileana stretched, reaching her hands towards the roof of the cottage, and green sparked at her fingertips.
“We’re going outside,” she said. “The earth is calling me.”
Xander’s hand landed on the small of her back, and she leaned into him as the two of them walked out the front door. The Earth Elf had a purpose. A reason. What did I have?
The witch yawned. “Well, my dears, I think that’s my cue to go to bed. I’m not as young as I used to be.”
She stood, wobbling slightly on her feet. Daegal darted up beside her, taking her elbow and steadying her. “Thank you, child.” The one the others called Nonna patted his hand. “You’re a good elf.”
My Fortune Elf blushed, mumbling something beneath his breath as the witch hobbled out of the living room. Maiela and Kysha followed quickly behind, exchanging kisses and flirtatious remarks as they slipped down the hall into the room they shared.
Then it was just the two of us. Silence fell between Daegal and me, but it wasn’t bad. Nothing about him was bad. Whenever we were together, just the two of us, I felt comfortable in a way that I had never experienced in my entire life. Even my erratic magic calmed in his presence.
The lack of noise in this secluded cottage used to bother me, but now I liked it. At least, I liked it when the Fortune Elf was with me. He didn’t make me feel bad for being strange or needing silence. He always knew what I needed and was happy to wait for me.
Daegal was always waiting for me. Always watching. Not in a bad way. In a way that made me feel safe and secure. In a way that haunted my dreams at night and made it into my fantasies. He stood by my side, steady and strong and dependable. I liked that about him. Somehow, he always seemed to know exactly what he needed, and he gave it to me.
Proving that he understood me far better than I even knew myself, Daegal turned towards me. The firelight illuminated his dark skin as he raised a brow, lifting his arm off my shoulders. He frowned, tucking a lock of blonde hair that had fallen across my face back behind my ear.
“What’s wrong, Princess?” he asked.
I blew out a long breath, reaching out and capturing his hand in mine. “I don’t exactly know how to explain it.”
He paused, his thumb gently brushing my cheek. “Do you want to try?”
Gnawing on my lip, I worked through the thoughts in my mind. They were tangled together like an unruly skein of yarn, and it took time to bring some order to them.
He waited patiently.
Eventually, I said, “I just… everyone else knows who they are. What they are. I don’t. I’m just… here.”
“I enjoy having you here with me,” Daegal said earnestly, bringing our joined hands to his lips and pressing a kiss to my knuckles.
Warmth curled in my core, and I shivered. “What if the others don’t?” My voice was barely more than a whisper as I exposed my deepest fears to my Fortune Elf. “What if they resent me for being a dead weight?” I shuddered. “What if I bring harm to them—to you—just by being around?”
Daegal’s eyes widened, and he shook his head, pulling me onto his lap. His arms engulfed me once more, and his mouth met mine in a gentle, knowing kiss.
“That will not happen, Ryllae,” he whispered.
“How do you know?” I asked. “From where I’m sitting, I have nothing to add to this group. I’m not powerful or good with my magic. I’m not a warrior. I’m not even good company.”
“Shh.” He nipped at my lip. “That’s not true. You may not know yourself, Ryllae, but I know you.” He kissed me again, and thatthinginside of me, that connection that tied me to the Fortune Elf, hummed with approval. “You are exactly who you were meant to be, and the others will see that, too.”
My brows furrowed. “But—”
He quieted me with a kiss. “No ‘buts’. We will figure this out together. I promise.”
Maybe he was right.
I hoped he was right.
* * *