Page 53 of These Vile Hearts
Truth be told, I’ve always been a bit revolted by Durian’s idea of fun. The number of mortals I’ve had Tamarind sneak out of the kingdom before the king could lay hands on them is staggering. But if I say this, it would look like I’m a terrible king who lets the prince walk all over him. And that story doesn’t add up. Best to go with dryad lore andthings mortals can’t understand.
“Our laws are centuries old, Maddox. Mortals have been the enemy of dryads for nearly as long.”
“Why? Because we don’t havemagic?”
“Because you cut down our heartwoods and homes and murder innocent dryads to build your houses from their corpses,” I retort with quite a bit more venom than I intended. “Notyou, of course…just—”
“Just people Iloved,” she snarls, then stops, shaking her head.
“Believe it or not, dryads have lost people they loved as well.”
Upper lip curling, she swings her legs off the bed, straightening her arms by her side. “Fuckthem.”
I hate her. Physically, unequivocally hate her. The day she falls in love with me cannot come soon enough.
“Eloquent sentiment.”
She fixes her eyes on the ceiling. “I’m not trying to be eloquent.”
“That is clear.”
“I thought the Redwood Kingdom didn’t give a shit about what the mortals did to the forests, since they don’t touch any of your trees.”
My voice darkens. “From whom did you hear that?”
Maddox’s shoulders stiffen. “Like I told you before…dryads talk at parties. Especially around mortals. It’s almost as though they think we can’t understand them.”
“Mostmortals don’t.”
“So I’ve heard.”
The tension in the room is thicker than tree sap. Both our chests rise and fall with angry breaths. This isn’t how you make someone fall in love with you. The image of the Bloodwood Tree looms over me, and Tamarind’s gaze burns into my back. And now that Durian knows who I’ve chosen—knows she thinks I’mhim—the pressure feels all the heavier. Tam, Evodia, Durian. So many eyes on me now, watching and waiting for me to founder.
I take a steadying breath. “I apologize for losing my head. I meant no offense…I suppose you and I have a lot to learn about each other.”
Casting me a sidelong glance, she focuses in on the steaming mug I’ve forgotten in my hand. “That smells a lot like coffee,” she mutters.
“That’s because it is.”
“I thought you didn’t have coffee here.”
“We don’t drink it much, but we do have it. We have many mortal things.”Stolen from their mortal cities.I extend the mug to her. “I brought it for you, actually.”
Wary desire lights her features. “It’s the middle of the night.”
“And the middle of your shift. I can dispose of it if you don’t want it.”
Sighing, Maddox captures the mug from my hands. “I’ll take my chances, I suppose.” She breathes deeply in through her nose, then takes a sip. A low, indulgent moan escapes her lips, and I’m hit with an unexpected shock of arousal. Then she whispers, “Fuck,” and I decide it would be best if I sat down in the bloodred armchair wedged in the corner for a moment.
“You act as though you think I might have poisoned it.”
“Well, youareevil, apparently. Or at least that’s the vibe I got from your brother’s mortal-snatcher.”
Anxiety spreads through my chest like rot. My thoughts go to the nepenthe in my pocket. I was hoping she would have somehow forgotten about Archer’s words. I’d caught them just outside the door.
“Why is he so afraid of you?” she asks.
My heart thumps harder, mind venturing down a million possible avenues. I settle on verity. Sort of. “Rumors of my supposed evil deeds have spread across Sylveris like verticillium wilt. Few of them are even close to the actual truth.”
