Page 16 of Moonlit Guardians
I frown at him, not appreciating this silly game we’re playing. “It’s clear you two feel strongly about each other. And for fuck’s sake, stop with the ‘we’re just friends’ bullshit!”
Pyre scowls and returns to where he was leaning. “You think I harbor feelings for Eilish that go beyond friendship?”
“I believe you and Eilish are just friends about as much as I believe Kolvar loves Aima like a sister,” I scuff.
“What is this about Kolvar?” Pyre asks, eyebrows reaching for the night sky.
I chuckle. “Our satyr friend is in love. And I bet she’ll be sleeping curled up with him tonight, just like every other night.”
“I never noticed.”
“Because we’ve all been blinded to anything that doesn’t involve Eilish.”
Pyre looks down where his hands are clasped in his lap. “Is my affection for Eilish so apparent? I thought I’d been more careful in concealing my thoughts.”
“You’ve gone out of your way to save her many times. She all but carried you to the Echoing Spire so you could replenish your power. You broke your vow of chastity to lay with her. She killed her father to save you. You mentor her as you do me, helping her become the best version of herself.” I take a breath. “All of those things… bond people to each other.”
“I assumed it wasn’t so obvious.”
I sigh and glance at my friend. “When you seek the eyes of another just to feel the comfort of their presence, that’s a pretty good indication.” I watch as Pyre’s eyes widen and he chuckles.
Just then, Cambion climbs the ladder up beside me. I eye him suspiciously as he settles in, but won’t deny him the right to be near us. “My brother is tending to Eilish before the meeting,” he announces.
Pyre chuckles and I quirk a brow at Cambion. “That’s a cute way of saying they’re in there fucking?” The elf gives nothing away in his expression as an awkward silence falls over us. I can’t stand it. “Say what you came to say, Cambion.”
He chews his lip for a moment. “I’m sorry.” He grows quiet for a moment or two. “I should have apologized a long time ago, but I was arrogant. I thought if I waited long enough, my feelings for Eilish would diminish and I’d be free to carry out what I deemed to be our mission.”
Something stirs within me as I see the look of uncertainty in Cambion’s expression. He’s struggling and has been.
“My life has been trying since the day I was born. All I ever had was my brother,” he explains. “Theren stood tall to shield me from the worst of my father’s anger. And, still, that was barely enough. The day Eilish came to me for help…”
“The day you bartered sex with her for the safety of her family, you mean,” I correct him, unable to keep the anger from my voice.
Cambion nods as though he accepts the ugly truth of my words, as though he’s already made peace with them. “Yes... I knew she was the girl from the woods Theren often spoke of. At first, I envied him because he was able to live some normalcy while I was stuck in an endless cycle of expectations.”
“Get to the point,” I bark.
He nods. “Eilish had come to me, asking me to protect her family. I pushed aside my envy long enough to feel guilty for all Theren had done for me. So, I made the deal with Eilish, thinking I was finally bearing his burden.”
“But you fucked everything up.”
“Yes,” Cambion admits, to my surprise. “I fucked everything up. And I thought going after Theren, when I left the Veil, was my chance to set things right and save my brother. Again, I fucked things up.” He goes silent and his lips firm to a white line. He faces us again. “I didn’t come here to give you a sob story. I came to ask your forgiveness.”
I stare at Cambion for much longer than I intend. He fidgets beneath my gaze and I finally look away. Humility has never been something I associate with the proud elf. “I accept your apology, but I withhold my forgiveness for now.”
“You have both my acceptance and my forgiveness,” Pyre mutters as he glares at me. I glare right back at him over my shoulder, resisting the urge to shove him over the wall for always one-upping me.
But Cambion seems more than alright with the turn of events and I feel some of the tension between us dissipate. Dragan shouts from the ground that Eilish is ready for the meeting. While Pyre, myself, and Cambion have somewhat come around to the idea that Theren is here to stay, Dragan hasn’t been so keen to accept the rightful Unseelie King. In fact, he’s downright murderous whenever he’s in a room with Theren for too long.
***
EILISH
Theren opens the door to the meeting room and I move to the head of the war table. Thanks to Pyre, there’s an illusion on the map that allows us to view detailed replicas of each realm and kingdom by simply touching their location. I stare down at it, where we recently added the Delendren Glade and Cogost Mountains.
Theren touches my arm. “Are you alright?”
“I have people restoring the Glade. They’re making progress, but darkness has lingered there for a long time. I’m afraid it can’t be reversed.”
