Chapter 76

Leif is waiting in the hall outside of Damion's bedroom as he said he would be . His gaze bounces between us and then he sighs in relief when he sees that Damion's eyes are no longer flashing a cacophony of colors but are now back to their usual steady shade of black.

Leif's mouth turns up in a smirking grin, "It appears you managed to tame the beast. Good work, Princess."

Damion levels him with an unamused look as Leif claps him on the shoulder, "I won't even ask for an apology for the rude reception I received." His grin reveals the point of a sharp canine.

Damion's jaw ticks, "Remember that the next time you decide that it's a good idea to barge into my space unannounced. If it happens again, I'll do a lot worse, Alfson."

"Noted," he rolls his eyes, "Time to go Lothbrook, we're already running late."

The arm Damion has wrapped around my waist tugs me closer so he can plant a kiss on my temple. I twist to look up at him as he pulls away, "Are you going to be alright?" I ask him in a low voice.

"Don't worry about me."

"Of course I'm going to worry."

"I'll come find you if he goes into another frenzy," Leif assures me without looking up from the stack of ledgers he's flipping through.

Damion levels him another glare, but the captain's words oddly make me feel better. I tug Damion down and press a soft kiss to his lips, letting myself run my tongue trace along the seam of his mouth in an unabashed need to have one last taste of him before he disappears for the day. He groans low in his throat- a deep rumble that echoes through my chest- at the teasing stroke, clutching me tighter to him like he can't let me go.

We pull back, breaking the kiss, when the door across the hall- *my* bedroom door- creaks open.

My older sister stands in the doorway, arms crossed over her chest, hair sleep rumpled in a tangled golden halo around her head as she glances between the three of us with tired eyes.

"I thought I heard voices out here," Lucia says, "Though, I'm going to pretend I didn't just see that."

"Well, good morning, Princess Lucia," Leif says with a flourishing sarcastic bow in her direction, "You look like you've sleptwell."

Lucia doesn't so much as respond. She simply narrows her eyes at him in a biting glare, unamused, before turning her gaze back to me.

"Don't be an asshole, Leif," I throw him a glare of my own, "That's my sister."

He has the decency to wince, as if he's only just remembered, "My apologies." He turns back to Damion, "We really ought to be going, Commander."

Damion nods at his second in command, before straightening and turning to my sister. With his arm still firmly wrapped around my waist, he says, "I've heard a lot about you from Lily, Princess Lucia," his voice is the calm commanding tone that makes butterflies erupt in my stomach, "I look forward to getting to speak with you when I have a little more time. Unfortunately, we do have people waiting to meet with us now."

Lucia skewers him with an assessing look of her own, before taking his hand in a brief clasp, "Likewise. I'd like to know more about you and your intentions toward my sister."

"*Lucia*," I sigh, rubbing a hand over my face. Gods, could this get any more awkward?

Damion's mouth twitches at the corner, "Of course."

His dark eyes soften at the edges as he turns back to me, "I'll come find you later."

"Alright."

With one last squeeze at my hip, Damion releases his hold on me and leaves down the hallway with Leif at his side. I watch them go until they disappear down the tunneled hallway and out of sight.

When I turn back to face Lucia, her face is twisted in something like amusement, "You've got it bad."

"Shut up," I say with a laugh and follow her back into my room.

_______________________________________________________

When Xavier and Arden push open the door of my bedroom later, a little orange ball of energy darts out from behind their legs, plowing toward me.

"Alfie!" I exclaim happily, crouching down to hug the little creature I hadn't had a chance to see since yesterday when I'd brought Lucia inside. He had been nervous to come into the tunnels, much preferring the feel of the outdoors. But he leaps up happily when he sees me.

"This little guy was outside wandering the halls," Arden says, "I'm not sure how he got in, but I assumed he belonged to you."

"He's Lily's alright," Lucia tells them from her place stretched out across the bed where's she's flipping through pages of Calden's journal.

I had always felt a bond with the little fox from the moment I ran into him on one of my horse rides in the Seelie Courts. During my time in Elfhame, elder Aelrie had explained that a connection to animals and nature is something that all elves have in common. According to her, as my connection to my magic stabilizes, those connections will only become stronger.

I'd noticed that strengthening connection when we'd left Elfhame. It had felt like I was seeing the world through new eyes for the first time. Now, after being with Alfie after so long, I could feel the little fox's essence in a way I hadn't been as attuned to before I'd been healed. I now could feel a general sense of what was going through his head. From what I could feel from him now, he wasn't exactly pleased to be trapped in the castle hallways, but he was happy to see me and was hoping to I'd give him a treat of some sort.

I find a poached egg from among the breakfast items along the table and place it on the ground for Alfie and he scarfs it down with gusto.

Reading through my father's journals- my *real* father, Calden- I'd learned that he'd had strong connections with animals as well. Stronger than was normal for even elves. The white wolf we had met with Elandorr had been his. In his journals, he'd explained how he'd been able to communicate with them. How he'd focused his thoughts and energies to be able to actually communicate with them mentally.

When I'd read that, I couldn't help but wonder if that's something I'll be able to do as well once I've had more practice honing in on my magic.

As I'm tossing Alfie a few more eggs from the tray, I freeze when Lucia suddenly jolts up from the bed with a gasp, one of the journals in grasped tightly in her hand.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

"Lily," Her wide green eyes turn to me, "Remember yesterday when we were discussing the Seelie Court's secretive mining excursions that they've been taking at the base of the mountains? The ones that have been causing such problems for your shifters?"

I nod, taking a step toward my sister who's cheeks are now flushed with excitement.

"Well," she continues, brandishing the journal out in front of her, "I believe I just discovered what it is that they're searching for."