Bad Fae | romantasy | Bad Fae #1

Chapter Eight

Dain didn't speak to me after the incident the night before. In fact, he didn't give any indication that anything had happened. Or that he knew about me spending the night with Venali after. The only evidence of what had happened between Dain and me was my lack of injuries. And none of the others had mentioned that those had conspicuously disappeared after Dain had left the dining room after me.

I didn't really see him at all until he was walking across the hall before lunch, grimacing slightly, as though in displeasure more than pain, as cuts healed across his face. He flexed his hands, and I noticed wounds were healing across his knuckles as well.

Nephinae was with me and must have seen my frown of confusion.

"He's had a very busy night," she told me. I looked at her and her eyebrows bounced cheekily.

I felt my cheeks heat. "With who?"

She smirked like she knew why I was asking, but didn't directly say anything about it. "It was unfortunate timing," she said slowly.

"What was?"

"They should have known better at the best of times, but the way Dain came home?" She whistled as she shook her head.

"The animal?" I suggested wryly and she grinned at me.

"He took the animal out on them for what they did to you. He didn't let up until long after the battle lust had left him."

My heart lurched and I swallowed hard. "He punished them?"

She nodded. "If death can be called a punishment, really. Seems more like a release to me, those granted it. I suppose it was as much release for Dain as any other he might find." She gave me a side eye, but it seemed that was as close as she would come to mentioning the sizzle between me and Dain. At least for now.

"Are you sidhe starved for sex or something?" I asked her, thinking about both Venali and Dain; want and need. It was meant to be a joke, but I was also hoping she'd give me some indication of if they were with anyone else. I wasn't sure I'd mind, but I was interested. It would also serve to take my mind off Dain punishing his creatures for me.

Whether Nephinae knew my purpose, she didn't disappoint.

"We have many lovers," Nephinae told me with a bark of laughter. "Perhaps not nightly, but most."

"Why haven't I seen any of them?" Did they fuck the other fae-kind? I'd always thought sidhe were too snobbish for that.

Her grin was all feline. "We are forced to take our pleasure outside this home. Dain might have forbidden others from stepping foot over this threshold since you did. He would have kicked us out if he could. Would have kicked everyone out if he had the power."

I frowned. "Why?"

She leant towards me. "So, he could have you all to himself."

I blinked. "Why would he want that?" Why, indeed.

She laughed. "Twixt sidhe and mortal, the mortal is not the only one susceptible to obsession, Yana." Heat burned up my neck and over my cheeks. So much for not mentioning anything. As though she was providing me a salve for my reaction she added, "But he's also trying to put off the knowledge of you reaching our king's attention."

Dread settled in the pit of my stomach. Nephinae seemed to realise.

"Vodreylia's king has a tendency to play with other people's toys and, like a petulant little sibling, never returns them whole," she explained.

I wondered if she didn't use his name because she thought it would make little difference to me. Or was there a more sinister reason she didn't use it?

"He would force me to his bed?" I asked, stupidly thinking that was the worst he would do to me, even after my time in Dain's house.