The Clash of Yesterday (Chronicles of the Stone Veil 0.5)

“At this point, no,” he replies with brutal honesty. “But what I am doing is reaching out to Light Fae who might have a vested interest in helping to secure the safety of the Earth realm and to see if you would be willing to join forces if the need were to arise.”

“You want me to commit to joining a war you’re not willing to tell me anything about?” I ask incredulously.

“Well,” he drawls, eyes sparkling with humor. “I’d certainly tell you the details if it looked like this was going to come to pass. I just don’t know yet. I can’t tell you what I don’t know.”

“But you know enough to target me specifically.” My suspicions grow even keener. “And you clearly know Eliana is a Brevalian, too.”

“I know you’re a Bluff Dweller, she’s a Meadowlander, and your families hate each other. I also know you and Eliana do not hate each other at all.”

Son of a bitch. There’s enough innuendo in his tone to tell me that he knows we’re together.

“You had us followed?” I snarl.

“Investigated would be more accurate,” he corrects. “And what I know is that you both hold sway with your families. It wouldn’t just be you and Eliana who I would want to join forces with, but all of Brevala. I had thought that since you two seem to be getting along so well, you could perhaps convince the families to join.”

I’m shaking my head before he even finishes. “You don’t know the history of Brevala very well then. If you did, you’d know there is nothing in the cosmos that would get the Meadowlanders and the Bluff Dwellers to come together for anything.”

Carrick studies me as he casually settles back on the couch once more. He ignores his drink while I finish mine off with a large swallow, setting the glass on the table.

“Can I give you some advice?” Carrick asks. It’s such an off-the-wall question when we’d just been talking about war and earth’s doom that I’m startled into mutely nodding. “Love is what caused the rift between the two clans of Brevala. Love gone horribly wrong. Maybe it’s love that will fix it.”

My heart starts hammering at his insinuation. “Love? Who said anything about love?”

Because I don’t know if I love Eliana—isn’t that impossible? Not just because of the feud, but also because fae don’t believe in love. Immortals don’t love well because we become immune and dampened to emotion over time. We might mate, but that’s more about camaraderie than deep feelings.

“You may not want to call it love,” Carrick says smoothly. “But the mere fact the two of you—hated and sworn enemies—are in a relationship means it’s definitely something big because you are both risking your lives.”

So, he does know a bit about Brevala. He knows our families would want to kill each other if we were found out. It could even cost Eliana her wings.

“Look,” I say, standing from the couch and not giving a damn if I offend the man who awarded me an ad campaign. “I don’t know how you know the things you do, but the fact you do and won’t tell me means I don’t trust you. So, I’m going to have to politely decline your request to join your little prophecy team. As for Eliana, it’s her choice, so you should bring it up to her.”

“You’ll bring it up to her,” Carrick replies confidently as he stares up at me from his seat. Even though I’m towering above him, he exudes a surreal amount of confidence and power.

Maybe it’s because he’s richer than sin and most people jump to do his bidding.

I’m not one of those people.

“If my unwillingness to help you with this prophecy changes things with the One Bean account, let me know now.”

“It changes nothing.” Carrick stands, then offers his hand across the table. “You still had the best pitch and deserved it.”

I shake his hand, a little unnerved by his easy acceptance of my refusal to participate. My brain is also racing over his insinuation that Eliana and I have something deeper than I’d been thinking.

We definitely need to talk about it.

CHAPTER 10

Eliana

The door to my condo opens, but I don’t turn away from the bubbling pot of spaghetti sauce to see who is walking in without knocking.

That would be Ronan, who I gave a key to.

He reciprocated, so we have evolved further into our relationship.

A smile comes to my lips as I give another stir before setting the sauce-stained wooden spoon on a small plate. I have monumental news, and we will potentially evolve again because of it. Now whether we do so together remains to be seen.

I turn as I hear him enter the kitchen, my breath catching as it always does when I see him. Throughout the centuries, you’d think he’d be dull to look at now.