𝑩𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒅𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝑮𝒐𝒍𝒅

chapter eighteen

Emriana

"Emriana!" She yelled, running over to me and engulfing me in a tight hug.

"I was so worried, you weren't anywhere I looked," she added, and I stood there completely confused.

"Huh? You were worried about me?" I asked, and she pulled back from me, holding onto my arms.

"Yes, I feel so bad for how I talked to you earlier. I'm so sorry. I should never have said those things, and I feel so bad. You were only trying to help me, it wasn't fair on my end," she said, and my eyes widened.

"Really?"

"Yes, I went outside to cool off, and when I went back to our rooms, you weren't there, and I got really worried," she explained.

She let go of me, and I walked further into the room, sitting on my bed to remove my shoes. She went over to hers and sat on the edge, facing me.

"I should never have spoken to you the way I did before. I was just so scared, and I kind of lost it on you. You are such a good friend, probably the best I had in a long time, and I feel very guilty," she admitted, realizing she was crying because of me and not because of Mav.

"Dana, it's-

"Don't say it's fine because it's not. I should've known better than to snap at you," she cut me off, and I gave her a half smile.

"You're under a lot of stress, those things can happen. I understand," I said, placing my boots by the foot of the bed.

"Thank you, but I promise you. This will never happen again," I nodded, folding my cloak and putting it in my closet.

There was a brief moment of silence as I walked into the small bathroom and changed. I undid my braid, brushing it out little by little.

"Where were you?" I turned my head to her.

"Just out with Akira. I was waiting for him to hunt," I didn't mention the three men I also met that night, not wanting to add to her plate. She already had enough to deal with.

"Why do you have grass in your hair?" I chuckled, looking through my mirror to spot a few strands.

"I laid down on a hill while waiting for him," She nodded, and we exchanged a few more words before going to sleep.

The morning came in no time, as I had no trouble sleeping this time. Dana and I met the team after breakfast, and Roza went over a few tweaks she wanted us to make after checking in with the Queen. We then began our work.

Ryenne was in a very bad mood for some reason this morning, sending out glares at whoever tried to talk to her, but especially at me. I stayed clear of her, knowing I wasn't on her good side. I didn't know why she hated me so much, but now wasn't the time to investigate.

My mind wandered as I painted, and I thought about them. They had been constantly on my mind, to be honest. I couldn't explain their sudden change of mood, but I wasn't complaining as their company last night was almost pleasant. They did succeed in lifting my mood after the whole Dana thing.

"Are you still planning on going out with Kove tonight?" Dana asked me as she came back with a new towel. She settled next to me, glancing down at my work.

"Yes, that's the plan," I said, and she nodded.

"I'll try to remember this day from when you guys get married, and I have to do the speech," she said, and I rolled my eyes with a smile.

"It's not like that, I swear. I don't see him that way, he's...um...I don't know. He's nice, but I think he knows like I do that we're not anything more,"