Page 23 of Triplets for the Dark Elf

The silence stretches between us, comforting and warm now, before he finally excuses himself. I think over the conversation for a while longer, and I realize just how broken I feel, especially with the uncertainty.

I need to know if Annalise is still out there. I won’t be able to keep going in this limbo, and now I have an idea of where I might find her.

So, when the sun starts to sink, I go back to that same corner, stone-cold sober this time. I wait in the shadows, careful not to draw any attention to me as I wait. And just as the night strikes, I see a lone figure moving down the alleyway.

Moonlight – bright as it just started to rise – glints off her hair, highlighting the strawberry tint to her blonde. My heart almost stops in my chest as I step out of the shadows, and watch as the light bathes her face.

“Annalise?”

13

ANNALISE

I’m dreaming. I have to be. That is the only explanation I have for why Miothro is standing in front of me right now, indigo eyes shining bright and his lips parted as he stares at me in surprise.

“Annalise?”

My name echoes between us, filling the air, and I feel like time itself stops as neither of us moves. We just stare at each other, both confused.

I wonder if he feels what I do, this need to rush to him. I want his arms wrapped around me and my face buried in his chest. My heart has ached for him every day for three years and now that he is right here, I want nothing more.

But I don’t dare move.

“What are you doing here?” My voice trembles, but at least it comes out. I was afraid the words would get caught in my throat. Tears are already burning in my eyes, and it’s taking everything in me not to let them fall.

My poor heart doesn’t know how to take this. I’ve been thinking about him so much over the last few days, especially after the conversation I had with the kids last night.

All through my shift, all I could think about was Miothro and how each of the triplets makes me think of him. Even on my walk home, my muscles sore and my body tired, my mind was still turning over the secrets that I’ve been keeping from them.

It’s been eating away at me to hide so much about Miothro from his own kids. He isn’t a bad elf, not by any means. And I have wished so many times for them to have him. I was even on the brink of finally telling them stories about their daddy just so they would have some semblance of where they came from.

I don’t want them to think they were forgotten or unloved. I know that he would give them anything if he had the chance, but this world is too brutal for us to survive in. That’s what keeps our family apart. And I guess that’s why I hadn’t told them anything about being part elf. I wasn’t ready for the hard questions.

“What am I doing here?” His voice snaps me out of my thoughts, and I nearly choke on the tears threatening to rush down my cheeks as he takes a step forward. Gods, how many times have I dreamed of that voice? “Annalise, you’ve been here this whole time?”

Could someone be merciful for once and just strike me down with lightning? Because I’d rather that than this conversation.

I’m already dying on the inside as I fight every fiber of my being that cries out for him. My fingernails dig into my palms as I try to stay grounded. I know how easily I let myself get swept up in Miothro, and I can’t allow that.

No matter how much I want to.

“I have.” My voice comes out stronger, even as my gut twists.

His eyebrows pinch together and his jaw tightens. I can read the sadness in every line of his face, and I hate it. I hate that he is as heartbroken as me. Even though a small part of me hoped that he hadn’t forgotten me, a larger part just wanted him to be happy.

And right now, he doesn't look it. He doesn't even look mad. He looks so lost, so hurt, that I can’t stomach it. I dip my head, staring at the ground because that is easier than trying to withstand the pain I see he is carrying.

“Annalise, please look at me.”

I grit my teeth, lifting my head slowly. Hurt flashes across his face as I do, and I almost break then. I can’t stomach seeing him like this. Not Miothro, who doesn’t let anything get to him. Not my Miothro, who only smiled at me, who teased and laughed and changed my whole world for the better.

I hate that I did this to him. I even hate that I was capable of it because it was easier not knowing if he loved me and missed me. If I just convinced myself that he didn’t even notice my absence, it was that much easier.

But seeing him like this makes me want to rush forward into his arms and I can’t. Every time I think about doing so I hear Almu’s voice in my ears, screaming out Miothro’s name angrily. The crashing of shelves and breaking of ink bottles muffles my internal cries until all I can remember is why I am doing this.

“My little lumiola, why are you here?”

I have to look away again. I know I’ll break if I don’t, but he can’t call me that without utterly destroying me. Clenching my teeth together, I breathe deeply through my nose as I try to keep my control in place.