Her Hidden Half (War Songs of the Courts #1)

Chapter Twenty-eight

I lowered my gaze, feeling off-put as I slowly lowered myself into the seat, the creak it made filling the room that remained uncomfortably silent. Moments passed in silence as I breathed through my nerves, waiting for something to happen.

"Name," the blonde man ordered sharply, his voice oddly soft.

I straighten in my seat. "Echo Wilde," I said, forcing my voice remaining strong.

"This isn't your birth name," stated the dark eyed man, jerking my attention to him before I quickly diverted my eyes to the floor for the second time.

"How'd-," I started.

"You were given this name," the least terrifying of the two men interrupted.

"Yes," I confirmed as I brought my eyes back up, recovering from the moment of waver.

"By whom?" The pixie haired woman asked gently.

"A nurse. I was found in the woods near a campsite, so she gave me the nickname wildling. When it came time, I decided to keep it," I explained.

A long pause as they looked at one another. I wasn't sure if I was imagining it, but it looked like they were almost having a silent conversation.

"What were you doing out in the woods the day you were bitten?"

"I-," I began, but cut myself off.

"Speak," she ordered, her voice hardened.

Her command hit me in the chest and the words tore from my throat forcefully. "I saw something odd and I followed it. I was curious."

She sat back in her chair and watched me, her gaze unwavering as she assessed me. "What was so odd about this thing?"

"It laughed, like a child would, but it wasn't a person. I didn't get a good look at it, only glimpses."

"Pixie," the large man to her left stated, his brow furrowed like he found it odd himself.

They paused in another moment of silent conversation and I watched intently, curious. They simultaneously turned to look at me, seemingly done with their conversation and I felt my eyebrows raise at the chilling visual it provided.

"Do you know the vampire who bit you?" The blonde man asked.

"No."

The woman who had been silent until now shot forward in her chair in outrage and hissed, "She lies."

A jolt of panic shot through me, sending my heart racing, before I locked it away deep inside myself.

"I have not," I said calmly, barely containing my anger.

The woman growled, baring her teeth. The pixie-like woman next to her held her hand up, cutting off the growl instantly. She slowly pushed off her chair and stepped down the stairs, each movement sending a shot of apprehension through me. She made her way to me, only diverting to circle me.

She tapped the back of my chair as she walked before stopping directly in front of me to stare into my eyes.

"How do you know Demetrius?" She asked, her voice deceptively calm.

"I don't," I responded in the calmest voice I could muster.

She stared at me, seemingly waiting for something I wasn't giving her until finally, she smiled. The smile itself looked to be friendly but her eyes narrowed into angry slits, telling me otherwise. She hummed, unconvinced, and continued circling me.

"Kieran very generously offered to claim you in the hopes of releasing you of your attackers hold, did he not?" She asked, clearly knowing the answer.