To Owe a Favor

Killian POV

I’ve avoided Lilianna for a week. She’s getting frustrated, probably because her favor to me was left unfulfilled when she left the ball early. Every so often she’ll conceal the Mark, but I never show up to confront her like the first time.

Instead, I've been guarding the young prince's living chambers at his request. He has been playing around with some Fae woman he courted at the ball.

So Selivan and I try to trade guard duty every day, but he couldn't stop laughing and pissed of the young prince. For the past week, I've been taking more shifts and listening to the pathetic sounds the couple make inside the prince's bedroom.

Warrior Selivan agreed to give me a break today and stand guard outside the prince’s chambers, which he only agreed to because I told him to shut up or have me personally sew his mouth shut.

The light-haired warrior would barely last a minute, but I would be long gone from the Kingdom by then.

I’ve been itching to return to the coffee shop and get a calming tea. Lilianna had interrupted my order the first time. And now I am determined to get my tea and leave, or I wouldn’t be able to stand outside the prince’s door without tearing my own ears off.

My wings carry me high above the forest and safely drop me on the muddy road. The rains have been near consistent on this side of the mountain.

I open the door and notice a human woman clad in a hoodie. Odd that a human would be at a shop that only uses the Fae language.

I listen closely as she orders, curious if she will be able to mimic the Fae language without mistake.

It’s then that I recognize Lilianna’s voice, nasally due to an illness, speaking to the barista in her usual, informal tone.

I clench my fist and decide to leave, not wanting to confront the human after getting a knife stuck in her back. During my escape I accidentally hit the door with my wing and make a loud thump.

Lilianna turns around curiously, and her eyes widen when she recognizes me, “Hey! Wait!”

I turn to the door and it is almost closed behind me when Lilianna's drink comes flying toward my back. I don’t stop it in time and can smell the healing herb tea as it drenches my shoulders and hair.

I face her quickly, watching her face contort into fear as I tower over her, “You don’t learn Lillianna, do you?”

Her eyes are still wide, like she can’t believe she threw her drink at me. For the second time that is.

Instead of backing up when I meet her toe-to-toe, she wraps her arms around me, “You’ve been avoiding me! All I wanted was to thank you.”

I lift up the back of her hoodie without asking , finding layers of gauze covering her wound, the remnants of the dagger's damage are still there. Healing slowly without the Fae magic. “You should be mad. You got hurt because I couldn’t-“

“But you didn’t drop me,” her voice is light when she says it, but her arms wrap tighter around my torso in a one-sided hug.

“So, instead of thanking me, like normal humans, you threw a full cup of tea at me. ” My voice is light with confusion. I didn’t care about the tea cup. She wanted to find me and thank me. Such an odd little human.

Lilianna steps back, wiping her runny nose on the sleeve of her hoodie, leaving a dark streak of snot on the material. “You were about to avoid me again.”

“I have other duties beside you,” she shrinks back at my words. Frowning as she wipes her nose again.

“Well,” she fumbles over her words as she wipes her nose again, “then why don’t you just remove the mark from my neck and be done with me.”

I grab her waist so she can’t move away from me, “I like knowing my mark is on you human. It means you belong to me,” I squeeze her waist just to hear her breath catch, “Even if it is for a short period of time.”

“Oh,” she stares up at me with large eyes. I can tell she’s trying to think of something snarky to say.

Instead she sneezes and rubs her forehead. I nod to the open-mouthed barista and she quickly begins to remake the drink Lilianna spilled. Or should I say threw?

When the barista finished both of our drinks, curtesy of our orders being memorable from last week, I push Lilianna into a seat and sit across from her.

I scan her face as she drinks her tea. There are definitely healing herbs in the tea. So, if Lilianna’s parents are worried about Lilianna getting sick, then she should be having some sort of reaction by this point.

I drink my tea and my shoulders relax. Lilianna notices subconsciously and she mimics my relaxed posture. Such a human thing to do.

When our drinks are nearly empty, Lilianna now has a healthy glow on her face. Selivan must have misheard her parents when they claimed she was allergic.

Her eyes meet mine and she clears her throat, “Where’s the prince?”

My nose winkles at the mention of the young Fae, “He’s been fucking a Fae woman since the ball.”

Her eyes widen and she takes a sip of her tea to hide her smile, “That’s a lot of fucking.”

I have to conceal my smile when she laughs into her drink and blows bubbles into the cup.

I sit straight and try to keep her talking, “Where are your parents?”

Lilianna sticks her tongue out and fakes vomiting, “They’re at some human-science-gathering-thing. They’re scientists. But like- to know more about the Fae. They deal with the DNA aspect, that’s all I know.”

I nod with a raised brow, “You don’t enjoy their work.”

She shakes her head, “I just don’t like science. To many letters,” she swirls the liquid in her cup to distract herself, “The only magical creatures I like are the Fae. But that’s because I like flying.”

“You make it sound like you fly often.” I keep my voice neutral. Stopping myself from questioning who she is flying around with. I wouldn’t have guessed she has a Fae mate. Or a fling with another Fae.

She interrupts my thoughts, “I don’t... fly...” she chuckles nervously, “I just have these dreams a lot. I’m flying- ” her voice begins to shake, “-and then I’m falling.”

“You sound like a child,” she glares at me and her cheeks turn red, “I mean- a lot of young Fae have dreams of falling before their wings come in.”

She sighs in relief, “Huh.” Her scrunches and she looks at my wings behind me, “I thought the Fae were born with wings.”

I shake my head, “Not until they are five years,” I chuckle, “It’s like a second birth for the parents. They can’t wait to see the wings on their kid.”

“Were your parents happy that you became a warrior?”

Her innocent question turns my mood sour, “Yes.”

Lilianna crinkles her brow, “You don’t look very happy now.”

“I was raised by palace servants. Adopted.”

“Aww,” she coos before her eyes widen, “Could I meet them? Like- pretend to be a servant and visit?”

“No.” My voice comes out a harsh grumble but Lilianna doesn’t seem to notice.

“Tough shit.” She stands and crosses her arms, “I’m going with you.”

“Really?” I stand, watching as her false bravado crumbles from the action, “And how to you think you're going to follow me in the sky?”

She looks away as she thinks, and her gaze moves to the open front window of the coffee shop. Her eyes widen and she starts to stutter, “U-uh... didn’t you say you watch over a Fae Prince?”

I close my eyes to conceal my anger. Of course Selivan couldn’t stop laughing. Now, I must face the young prince, his momentary love interest, and Warrior Selivan whom I’m considering dismembering for his lack of composure.

Lilianna waves through the window and giggles, “Selivan gave me a thumbs up before flying off.”

I clench my fists. This could not get any worse.

That is, until Lilianna walks straight up to the young Prince and introduces herself as my date from the ball.