Page 5 of For the Ghastly and Beautiful

Chapter2

Connak

DAY TWENTY-FOUR

Ada appears so frail while Talodus cradles her in his arms. Her head rests in the crook of his elbow. Her chin nearly touches her chest as her legs dangle, wiggling slightly with his steps.

Before today, it hasn’t been clear to me how fragile she truly is. But hidden beneath that earthly fragility is a Mongrel.

Strong, adaptable, and intuitive.

I’ve never wanted to protect someone—keep someone—as badly as I do right now. I know I’m not the only one, and that makes these feelings easier to bear. I can’t guarantee her safety on my own, but one look at Talodus tells me nothing and no one would touch her and live to breathe another day.

His resolve is frightening, his grip on her unfaltering as he storms through the palace halls. Tal is as bad as Imryll when it comes to holding his emotions at bay, silencing his needs to make sure everyone else is taken care of.

They need her as much as I do. Ecaeris even more so.

We’re all just waiting for him to notice.

I push ahead of Talodus, opening the door to a dark room. The bed is clean and tidy, left untouched since Ecaeris moved to the guards’ barracks.

It’s only after Talodus lays Ada down that I see his hands are shaking. Concern pours from his gaze, much like the torrential rains we followed her through. He doesn’t move away, simply lingering at the bedside as he regains some composure.

“I’m worried, Nook,” he whispers, not sparing me a glance.

I place my hand on his shoulder, giving him the only physical comfort he’ll take. He heaves a sigh so deep his entire body shifts.

“That power exchange was too much,” Tal murmurs. “She’s human. They aren’t—”

“Ada is more Mongrel than any of us. Don’t be so negative.”

“All the humans here say that they’re a weaker species.”

I shrug, though he’s still not facing me. “Maybe. But she’s been using the water element since she arrived. Is water not capable of being both strong and fragile? Will you not give her a chance to prove that she’s meant to be here?”

“Isolde was worried as well.”

“Isolde has her own motives, Tal. You know how secretive she can be. You didn’t answer my questions.”

His attention snaps to me, brows narrowed. “I understand as well as you do what it means to be a water elemental. I know what she’s capable of. I also know what she can handle.”

“That’s not for you to decide.”

Talodus shakes his head in exasperation. “Then who? Who will keep her from hurting herself?”

“We will,” I assure him. “But so will she. Ada is not weak. We don’t know what she went through before she came to Spiran. Let her make her own choices, Talodus. If you try to shield her, you will push her away.”

“What are you saying?”

“Treat her as an equal. Treat her as you would me. Let her make her mistakes and learn from them. A few scrapes and scratches hurt no one.”

He steps away from the bed, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. “So what? Step in before she dies? Or after?”

“Don’t be like that. You’re not the only one that’s worried. You’re not the only one who has grown to enjoy the company of the hurricane. We all thrive in the storm.”

“What if the storm is our undoing?” he asks, his gaze softening as his attention strays back to Ada.

“Then I’ll die a satisfied mongrel, for I’ve never felt more alive—more seen—than when I stand before the eye of this storm.”