Exhale.
Eight…nine…
On ten, Narissa screamed. She screamed until her throat ached, until the last shriek of rage was choked out of her on a heaving sob. And when she stepped into the searing shower, she made a silent vow to herself that she would never allow another to take advantage of her. She would rise with the powerful ocean tides, she would be the cresting waves, the dangerous currents.
And Calfair would pay for his transgressions against her.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Twice.
Twice now, Solarius had seen his wife naked. Twice, he hadn’t been able to touch her. At least, not in the way he so desperately wanted.
Solarius stared at the closed door, the only obstacle preventing him from running back into that damned bedroom and hauling Narissa into his arms.
Her screams nearly broke him. The sound was unlike anything he’d ever heard before. Raw. Gritty. They would haunt his dreams.
But he stayed away, exactly as she asked of him.
He couldn’t be sure, but it sounded like she was in the shower now. Her soft murmurings drifted through the closed door, and while it seemed like she was calm, her emotions told a different story. Every so often the bond flared to life and he felt her rage, her grief and sorrow keenly. As though those very same feelings belonged to him. Yet there was nothing he could do to ease her pain, to offer her any semblance of comfort.
Worst of all, she’d been right.
He should have stormed into that room and pulled Calfair off her. He should never have doubted her. He should have been there for her, should havesavedher.
Because she had loved him.
Solarius replayed that bit of information over in his head again.
“You wouldn’t have been stupid enough to think I could ever love anyone but you.”
Narissa loved him. Maybe not now, but she had once, and he’d let her down. He’d broken her heart and left her to fend for herself against a monster in disguise.
His mind drifted to when the autumn season encompassed all of Aeramere, when he’d been deep in his cups during Embernyte, and hating every aspect of his life. He thought about how Reif approached him and warned him of Calfair, of how Solarius how found his prick of a former friend cornering Narissa, attempting to coerce her to the gardens beyond the ballroom.
A new kind of fury burned to life inside of Solarius.
Calfair had shamelessly tried to seduce Narissa again and all that time Solarius stupidly thought she wanted the bastard’s attentions.
He sucked in a sharp breath, cracking each of his knuckles one at a time.
Solarius needed a drink, otherwise he was going to do something he would regret, and it involved ensuring Calfair Skyhelm could no longer draw a single fucking breath.
After a brief,albeit bumpy carriage ride from Windsong, Solarius stepped out into Galefell, the city nestled high in the sky among the clouds.
Galefell was a stunning floating island hovering along Aeramere’s northwestern coast. It was the home of the Eponians, the majestic winged horses that pulled the carriages through skies, making travel between all five houses expedient and uncomplicated. Shops and homes decorated the soft landscape, swelling in various heights with frosted rooftops, swirling ivory pillars, all connected by ornate bridges made from stained glass. Though it was nightfall, the curving streets were illuminated with gilded lanterns drifting through the air, each one filled with sparkling faerie fire. Fluffy clouds banked around the whole of the city, reflecting hues of lavender and icy blue set against the backdrop of an inky starlit sky.
Solarius burrowed himself into his coat, ducking his head against the bitter chill gusting up from the Chantara Sea. The frigid breeze carried the scent of night jasmine, frozen mountains, and the faintest tang of the ocean. Conversations buzzed around him as air fae bundled in fur-lined coats strolled through the bustling city, slipping in and out of stores and eateries, seemingly not at all bothered by the snow-laden ground or cold temperatures. Solarius didn’t mind the winter season, but it was certainly not his most favorite.
He ducked into the nearest tavern to escape the constant chill and was instantly surrounded by the overcrowded warmth of too many bodies crammed into a small space, coupled withthe smell of stale alcohol and expensive perfume. A scowl etched its way across his brow as he maneuvered through the lively tavern bursting with raucous laughter and low-hanging lights. Behind the bar was a shimmery glass sign with mist moving through it that read, The Thundercloud. Every so often thunder would rumble throughout the tavern, the crowd would erupt in a chorus of cheers, and sparkling cider would pour from a fountain shaped like a cloud near the back.
A couple weeks ago, the Thundercloud would have been his preferred type of locale—loud and obnoxious, brimming with bad decisions, and the perfect place to drink oneself into oblivion.
Alas, that was no longer the case.
Now, he found himself in search of a single stiff drink to alleviate the overwhelming urge to murder his former best friend.
Solarius sidled up to the bar, inserting himself between a dour female whose frown rippled across her brow in heavy lines, and a robust male with beads of sweat clinging to his forehead and neck.
