Islinda only realized she had been holding tightly onto Aldric as if he were her lifeline when they finally broke apart for air. They gazed into each other’s eyes, sharp blue orbs meeting aroused brown ones, the silence between them speaking volumes as they savored this rare moment.
Aldric lifted his thumb to brush across Islinda’s lower lip, sending a shiver of excitement through her body. She suppressed the ache growing between her legs, knowing that this couldn’t keep happening.
Breaking the silence, Aldric’s voice was husky with desire as he spoke, his gaze smoldering with the intent to ignite her. "If you’re going to speak nonsense with your mouth," he murmured, "then do something better with it."
Islinda swallowed hard, her mouth twitching as she challenged him, "Like kissing you?" Despite her outward appearance of anger, her heart was pounding in her chest. "You broke the rule," she accused him.
"Oh, honey," Aldric drawled in a low, sexy tone, sending shivers down Islinda’s spine as he leaned closer. "We both know who first broke that rule."
Islinda blushed furiously as she recalled the night she had unintentionally crept into his bed and slept with him. Except, she had been possessed that night. Not that he knew.
Sensing the direction of her thoughts, Aldric winked at Islinda, leaving her feeling flustered and flushed. It seemed like payback for her earlier actions. Fine, she thought, an eye for an eye. From now on, they wouldn’t break the rules any further. No more, no less. And she was definitely keeping out of his bed—possessed or not.
However, the tenderness in Aldric’s expression quickly faded, and he reverted to the cold, unfeeling dark Fae prince as he turned to address the company Islinda hadn’t realized was present until now.
"You should thoroughly check her and ensure nothing is wrong," Aldric instructed Zaya, the healer.
"Of course, my prince," Zaya responded, bowing before him.
Islinda expected Aldric to leave immediately, but instead, he surprised her by running his hand through her hair and locating the white streak, letting it slip through his fingers with deep contemplation. Islinda’s heart began to race. Had he discovered something?
Their eyes met, and Islinda felt a sudden unease wash over her. Even a mere human could sense she was hiding something, let alone Aldric. What was the significance of her hair having blonde streaks again?
Though Aldric said nothing and eventually left, Islinda knew this was not the end of it. It was only a matter of time before he uncovered her secret.
Left alone with Zaya and her two maidservants, an awkward silence descended upon them for a while before Islinda attempted to break it.
"Hello, Zaya," Islinda said awkwardly, offering a small wave. "Fancy seeing you here. Though I wish we met under better circumstances than when I’m injured or on my deathbed."
"Perhaps if you stopped getting yourself injured, we would meet under better circumstances," Zaya joked, closing the distance between them.
Islinda frowned, muttering under her breath, "I don’t find trouble, it just seems to find me."
Zaya chuckled, thinking Islinda was making a joke. Little did she know, the human was dead serious.
She instructed Islinda, "Perhaps you should lay down so we can proceed with the check-up a little faster."
"I’m fine, honestly. Aldric is simply making a lot of fuss," Islinda tried to assure her.
But Zaya was insistent, "In case you just noticed, I made a promise to the dark Fae prince to thoroughly check on you. It’s not exactly something I can break."
Islinda wanted to protest, but she understood that Zaya was just doing her job, and she didn’t want her to get into trouble with Aldric. Moreover, her tendency to downplay her injuries every time she got hurt was becoming increasingly suspicious.
"Fine. Do whatever you want," Islinda relented, laying down on her bed. She remained incredibly still, knowing from experience that any movement could distract Zaya from her thorough examination.
Zaya’s healing treatments were not limited to the injured area but extended to Islinda’s entire body, aiming to identify and address any underlying issues before they escalated into larger problems. It was clear that Aldric was truly obsessed with keeping her alive.
Islinda watched as Zaya’s hands hovered over her neck, a familiar soft glow emanated from her fingertips, casting a gentle light in the room. However, despite the soothing aura surrounding her healing touch, Zaya’s brows were furrowed in confusion.
As she concentrated on healing Islinda from the choking incident, Zaya couldn’t help but notice the absence of any signs of inflammation or injury on Islinda’s neck. Given the traumatic description of the incident she had received from people present, Zaya expected to see at least some evidence of swelling or irritation, but there was none to be found. It was as if the incident had never occurred—or perhaps it had been greatly exaggerated.
Zaya kept her observations to herself, choosing instead to scan the rest of Islinda’s body. As it turned out, the human was right—there was nothing wrong with her.
"You are right," Zaya acquiesced. "You are as healthy as a horse," she breathed out.
"Told you," Islinda remarked, pushing herself up on her elbows and sitting up.
Zaya turned her attention back to Islinda. "I take it you’ll be attending the party tonight, since there is nothing wrong with you."
Islinda’s expression changed at once. "What party?"
"The welcome party being held for Aldric tonight? Don’t you remember, or am I missing out on something here?" Zaya’s puzzlement only deepened upon realizing that Islinda had no idea about the event.
From the corners of her eyes, Islinda saw her two maidservants, Ginger and Ailee, exchanging nervous glances and making subtle hand gestures to Zaya, as if trying to signal her to change the topic. Islinda pursed her lips, pretending not to have noticed their behavior.
"I have no idea what you’re talking about. Either I wasn’t invited, or someone made sure that I wasn’t invited," Islinda stated firmly, narrowing her eyes at Ginger and Ailee, who suddenly couldn’t meet her gaze and began acting strangely.