Zelli stroked the shell of Tahlen’s ear and his neck, letting pinks of all shades trickle through his skin to disappear beneath the sleeve of Grandmother’s robe.
“Your hair to bring me back?” The need in the offering would have pleased the fae, but they shouldn’t have accepted it if they’d planned on reviving Zelli regardless. “You’ve already had so much taken from you.”
Tahlen closed his eyes before putting his head down. “Don’t let me go.” The whisper was only for Zelli. “Please, Zelli.”
“I didn’t,” Zelli tried to assure him, trailing a touch down Tahlen’s throat to the glint of silver now visible at Tahlen’s collar. He tugged his charm free of the cloth, pleased the silver was warm from Tahlen’s skin. Tahlen had worn it for hours, perhaps had never taken it off.
He would have been wearing it when he’d made his request. That would have pleased them too, even if the fae hadn’t already been delighted with Tahlen. And as they had done for Zelli, they had answered him. “They granted my wish,” Zelli realized aloud. “Oh.”
Tahlen opened his eyes.
Zelli kept his fingertips against the rowan tree and confessed to it. “As I was…”dying. “When I was there, I asked the fae to take care of you. To make sure you wouldn’t be alone, and they agreed. But not how I was expecting. They let me come back to you.”
Tahlen blinked, stunned or exhausted or both.
“And I will, Tahlen,” Zelli promised earnestly. “I will take care of you. I will not leave you no matter whom I might be offered to—if I even agree to that now. Grandmother implied I might not need to. I was…. You all gave me a sleeping draught and my mind is not the clearest. But though I will think it over, if I decide to go ahead and seek out an alliance, my possible intended will have to accept that I have sworn myself to Tahlen Vallithi before the fae themselves.”
He had no idea which person in the kitchen with them squealed. He only had eyes for Tahlen, as it had been since Tahlen had arrived here years ago.
“I have not been as good to you as you have been to me, but,” Zelli hooked his fingers into the cord around Tahlen’s neck, “I will have to do better.” Starting with getting Tahlen to rest, and then maybe getting a cord for the necklace that fit Tahlen more comfortably and had fewer marks from Zelli’s teeth in it.
Zelli’s face might have been as pink as his fingers but he found he didn’t care. Tahlen had put himself into Zelli’s hands again, though Zelli had hurt him.
“You’ve been so kind and strong and patient,” Zelli praised him, heating up himself at how this brought all of Tahlen’s attention to him, Tahlen’s gaze scorching. But the sudden flurry of movement at the table made him turn in surprise.
“I have things to see to,” Let assured Zelli, pulling several of the others up with her. The others were looking everywhere but toward Zelli and Tahlen.
Fy stayed where he was, observing Zelli and Tahlen with his chin in his hands. Not even Vint tugging on his sleeve could make him budge.
Bree was studying the ceiling but grinning to herself.
Zelli smiled at all of them. “I don’t understand any of you, either, but I think you’re wonderful too. Those of you who choose to stay with us are welcome. Are they not, Gurn?” He didn’t wait to find out if Gurn grunted in agreement. He turned his attention back to Tahlen. “If you are finished here, it’s time you rested. Isn’t it, Esrin?”
“Yes,” Esrin said from somewhere. “See to it, Tialttyrin. But do not break his heart again, or….”
Zelli glanced to her in time to catch her motioning with her hand across her throat. She wasn’t frowning. He didn’t know what to make of it or Tahlen’s vexed little exhale, but he inclined his head in response and let Tahlen take the cup of tea from him—after Tahlen first nudged Zelli to drain it—and set it on the table.
Tahlen was on his feet in moments, Zelli firmly in his arms.
“I can walk,” Zelli insisted, embarrassed again although being carried was nothing to everything else between them that had been witnessed by so many others. Maybe it was Tahlen taking care of him instead of the other way around. “I don’t want to be any trouble,” he added, but closed his mouth when that drew another irritated exhale from Tahlen. “This once, then,” he allowed weakly, and dropped his head to Tahlen’s shoulder.
Twenty-Three
“Did I break your heart before?” Zelli asked once Tahlen had dismissed Zelli’s escort. Which had not been a vocal dismissal. Tahlen had emerged from the kitchen holding Zelli and the other two had raised their eyebrows, grinned, then vanished into the morning fog.
“Are you in pain?” Tahlen asked, dangerously close to grunting.
Zelli rubbed his cheek on Tahlen’s shoulder. He was comfortable and uncomfortable at the same time, but he didn’t think Tahlen was asking about how it felt to be carried.
“It doesn’t hurt.” He pressed a palm to his chest. “It just… reminds me it’s there. It’s a scar,” he added, to calm Tahlen in case Tahlen had not seen it while watching Zelli sleep, “not a wound. I’m fine.”
He wasn’t certain Tahlen believed him. But Tahlen walked on, finding his way without issue, unbothered by the lack of clear light or Zelli’s weight.
“Are we going to your room?”
At Zelli’s question, Tahlen paused. “Do you want to?”
Zelli had slept on the ground with Tahlen, he was more than fine to return to Tahlen’s small room with him. “Will your cat come to mine?” He didn’t know how to extend a welcome to a cat.
