figure this out,” he said suddenly. “The Andinna aren’t monogamous. If you want to approach him, you are more than welcome to.”
Her jaw dropped open.
“He’s told me before, he thinks females are attractive…” Rain hummed, nodding. “This could work. If you want it to work. This is good, actually. Yeah.”
“What?” Lilliana couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
Rain shrugged. “I’m male. I never thought I would be monogamous. I was worried when I first saw you. I thought you would try to split Alchan and me up, but it’s really obvious you don’t have that in you. I’ve been watching you, and I can read people well. I thought you didn’t like sex, though. That makes this a bit strange.”
“I never cared about it at all…until I saw him,” she admitted. “And I’m not planning to…try. Please believe me, Rain, I’ve been trying to think of a way to get out of this situation. I don’t…want to be what Leria wanted me to be.”
“Umm, okay?” Rain was frowning now. “But if you like him, why not fuck him once and get it out of your system?”
“You would be okay with that?” she said, her voice jumping two octaves. Incredulous, she put the coffee down and stared at him, open-mouthed again.
“I’m a male Andinna,” Rain reminded her again, giving her the most confused expression she had ever seen. “I’ve never expected monogamy from any of my lovers, Lily. Why would I expect it of Alchan?”
“He expects it of you,” she said, having thought it went both ways.
“I don’t need any other lovers outside of him. He gives me what I want. He’s a bedru, and I knew that going into it. I would never tell him he can’t have anyone else if he has feelings for them as well.” Rain sat back down. “Calm down. It’s not…I don’t blame you for looking at him and thinking about him. He’s attractive, kind, and lovely. He’s a great male, at least to me.”
She sat down slowly, still staring at Rain as if he was insane. She knew Andinna weren’t normally monogamous, but she had been sent to bed the king. She hadn’t wanted to when she arrived, but now, she did. Why didn’t Rain have a problem with that?
“You, as an Andinna, never have to justify your attraction to someone else,” Rain said, stabbing a finger on the table. “Honestly? I’m mad Leria made this such a contentious thing, you felt I would be angry if I found out. Lily, we’re not like that. I’m…” Rain chuckled suddenly. “I’m actually kind of relieved.”
“What?” she screeched, making the male wince.
“Don’t do that, please,” he begged. “I’m relieved because you’re a sweet female who isn’t conniving or power-hungry. And…maybe it’ll be easier for him to accept you when he had so much of an issue with other females. This could be good. You’re attracted to him. That’s step one.”
“What’s step two?” she asked, narrowing her eyes.
“Finding out if he’s attracted to you,” Rain said with a devious smile.
Lilliana wanted to crawl into a dark corner and never see the sun again. She didn’t know Rain’s game, but it terrified her. Even more terrifying was the idea of learning how Alchan felt about her.
“Why don’t we not and say we did?” she asked, trying to smile.
“Oh no,” Rain crooned. “As your friend and your family, I think it’s time for you to explore these new feelings.”
“Will you tell me why you’re being so nice to me? Or why you are so invested in something you just learned about?”
Rain grew thoughtful, watching her.
“The honest truth?” he asked in return.
“Yes,” she pleaded.
“Because I love him,” Rain answered simply. “And one day I’m going to die centuries before any of you, and I don’t want him to be alone when that happens. So, I see you, and I see a chance to add someone to our family who will comfort him and love him after I’m gone.”
She didn’t know what to say. It was raw. It was passionate.
And it was heartbreaking.
“I don’t know if I love him,” she whispered.
“That’s okay, but I don’t think you should let Leria’s expectations get in the way of finding out if you could. I’m just asking…for you to see how deep your feelings or attraction runs and explore them. Give him a chance, please. Give yourself a chance.”
Lilliana didn’t know what to say, so she just nodded.
27
Mave
Mave was the first to reach the cliff.
“This is where we want to leave the horses, right?” she