Bad Fae | romantasy | Bad Fae #1

Chapter Twenty

I'd left Dain and his most recent mess as soon as he'd loosened the geas command over me. I didn't know what his sudden obsession with me killing mortals was, but it wasn't going to happen.

Legacy knew the tracks through the forest by now as though he'd been born and raised on them. Whatever they were feeding him in Dain's stables was clearly doing him good. He had never looked healthier. His coat was thick and luscious. He had energy for days. There was an extra spring in his step. He was faster. His muscles were bigger and stronger. He was luminous.

And he listened to me complain about Dain, his ears twitching like he could actually understand and empathise.

"He can take me to his little assassinations all he likes," I grumbled, fully aware that it was quite possible that Dain's superior fae senses could hear me. "He can be all stupidly sexy even with blood covering his face and up to his elbows. He can tug on the geas command, and he can try to seduce me all he likes. But, if he doesn't know by now that it's going to take more than seduction to get me to do–"

Legacy snickered and I sighed.

"Yeah, okay," I huffed. "Fine. It literally just takes seduction and I'll..." I hung my head back and sighed again. "Why is he so aggravating? And why does he want me to kill humans? What's that meant to do? He thinks if I turn into him – dark and depraved and murderous – that, what? I won't want to leave? I won't fight him anymore? I just don't know what changed, boy."

Because something had obviously changed since I'd nearly died. Twice. Everything about Dain had changed. Well, not everything. It had been over a month, and we still clashed more often than we made up. If anything about our sexual encounters could be classified as 'making up'. But in the way he talked to me, the way he fought with me, the way he pushed me to train even harder – both fighting and magic. He was harsher, angrier. He teased me less, back to just plain old insulting me.

Admittedly, the only magic I had was plant-based and I still sucked at fighting, but I was doing my damned best.

"Ugh!" I muttered as Legacy trotted toward the front door. "I hate him!"

As I dismounted, Legacy made a noise that suggested I doth protest too much. I just glared at him as he made his way to the stables, feeling a surge in my annoyance at Dain simply because I knew Legacy was right; yeah, I hated Dain, but I hated how much I was drawn to him more.

So, I was still pissy when I shoved open the doors to the library. They banged open with a crash that satisfied the annoyance in me. Ninleyn looked up from where he sat with a book, his eyebrow rising in question.

"Phin is busy. Venali is not here. And I suspect Dain is the source of your anger," he said slowly.

Because according to the sidhe, only fighting and fucking would solve problems. Ninleyn might not know for certain that I was sleeping with both Venali and Dain, but neither of them made a secret of the fact they would be available whenever I wanted it. And, despite how close I felt I had grown with Ninleyn, there was nothing sexual in it at all. Neither had Ninleyn shown any interest or ability in being able to train me. Ergo, clearly Phin, Venali and Dain were the only ones who could help me sort out my mood.

I scoffed at him as I dropped into a chair beside him and crossed one knee over the other. "You make it sound like you got the short straw."

"More that you were dealt the short straw," he answered.

"Did you forget my raging mortality?" I asked him, breathing out heavily and leaning my head against the chair back.

"No one in this house could forget you're different, Yana."