“This place suits you. I’m glad to have you here, and I’m glad that Ginny has taken you as a student.” My voice hurts and is raspier than normal. I reach over to the tea that’s been placed on the bedside table and bring it to my lips, taking a slow sip. It's still hot, and the warm liquid feels amazing going down my sore throat.
“Where is Dax?”
“He only just stepped away. He went to speak with Trent. He said he would only be a moment and would be right back.” She says as she sits. The mattress dips, and she lays her hand over mine. “Are you ok?”
“I’ll be fine. How’s Alaric?”
“Could be better, but he will be ok, too. He’s healing quickly with the salve and under Ginny’s care. He will be asleep, at least for the night.” I’m glad that he should be awake by the time we aim to leave, but there is a change in plans I need to talk to Dax and the others about.
I cough, wincing at the pain. Claire reaches out and pushes the mug of tea up toward my mouth with a wide smile.
“Drink.” I give her a small smile in return before I press the mug to my lips and drink the lot of it down. Claire cleans up the room a bit, talking about her learnings of healing. Most of it is lost on my ears, but I close my eyes while listening to her voice. It brings a sense of normality back to me, taking me to a time when the world made more sense and life wasn’t so painful. I’m not sure when she stopped talking, but my eyes flutter open when a warm hand is placed into mine.
“Hey,” I say when I look up into the hazel-green eyes I’ve come to love with all my soul.
“Hello, love.” He gives me a lopsided grin. “I’m sorry for hurting you.”
“You didn’t. I knew what was happening the whole time. I told you, Dax. You just needed to know that you could control them. They are an extension of you. I trust them just as I trust you.”
“I could have killed you. I could have killed you both.” He pulls my hand to his lips and kisses the back of it softly. “I would never be able to live with myself if…” His words trail off as his face grows more pained. “I would have killed him had you not stepped in.”
“But you didn’t. Just as I don’t believe for a second that you killed your parents, Dax. There is no way that your shadows would allow that to happen. They are as aware of your intentions as you are.” He seems to consider that for a moment. I sit up and crawl into his lap. Curling his arms around me, he scoots back to rest against the wood headboard.
“I had a dream while I was asleep.” I don’t mention the fact that it aligns with the vision that Ambriel and I were pulled into. I think it may have been a clue about the prophecy. “We need to go to Castenelle to find what my parents were looking for, but Dax?” He tilts his head to look down at me as I look up to meet his gaze. “Not everyone can come. The vision—or dream—It was only you, me, Alaric, and Kait. The feeling when I woke up… told me that we need to keep it to just us. If others join, things won’t go as planned, there will be too much death. We won't win. We have to make sure that everyone understands. We have to command it.”
“Then it's done.” His words surprise me, but I lift up and press my lips to his, accepting that the fight has left him in this moment. “We leave in the morning. Let's go tell the others.” He kisses my forehead.
“This should befun…”
Chapter thirty-nine
The fact that Ihave to go on this mission with Alaric in tow has me on edge. I told Raelle that I would work on my temper with him, but seeing his cocky face every day is just a reminder of the day my parents died. Not only that, but learning that Alaric and Raelle have a bond of their own and he was the whole reason she lost her memories in the first place…The guy is lucky he isn’t fucking buried yet.
“You have that face again.” Raelle nudges me with her foot under the table.
“I have no certain face.”
“You do. It’s the‘I’m grumpy and stewing in my own thoughts’face.” She smiles smugly and quirks her head to theside as she observes me. I narrow my eyes at her as I lounge lazily in the chair, my arm hanging over one side and my legs spread wide. I watch as she rises, swaying her hips as she moves about the room. Dressing, packing, and fiddling with things that have no value to our goals, but I take this moment for a calm memory of normalcy in the otherwise turbulent waters that have been our lives as of late. She notices my attention and gives me a small smile. Her cheeks pinkening so beautifully. I burn that vision into the recesses of my mind.
I never thought that one day I could feel so deeply for a female. I didn’t think this life was one I would ever come to live, but every day with Raelle proves that I would do anything to keep it. Everything that fate has put us through until now has shown me as much. As though she senses my thoughts, she looks up at me through the mirror that she stands in front of. Laying the pleated silver hair over her shoulder, she smiles again before she twirls to face me.
“You know, you keep looking at me like that. I’m going to have to tell Ambriel I can’t meet with her before we leave.” She saunters slowly over to me, her hips swaying with every few words. I swallow hard because I would love to never leave this room and spend the rest of eternity buried deep inside of her.
“Is that meant to be a threat, love? Because if so, I think you need to work on your intimidation skills.” We both smile as she braces her hands on the arms of the chair I’m sitting in. She leans in until she is eye to eye with me, and it takes everything in me not to close the mere inches between our lips.
“I’m going to be late,love.” She mocks me and presses her lips to mine. “Stay out of trouble, please. We leave at noon.” She kisses me one last time, and when she stands, cold air rushes in at me. Inod before she makes a show of swaying her ass again, right out the door.
The click of the latch snaps the spell she had on me in half, and I crack my neck just before I stand. Flexing my muscles, I wait only a minute before I leave too, and I head to the infirmary. If I’m to travel and work with him, Alaric and I need to have a long, overdue chat.
I can tell that gossip has started throughout the castle—about me losing control of my shadows. Eyes widen, and feet quicken with my approach to the infirmary. The fear in the Fae I pass is evident, but I will never allow that to happen again. Raelle is right about my magic. The chaos is there because trust is not. They wouldn’t allow me to hurt those I love. My magic is controlled by me and my intent, not the other way around. They may fear me now, but it’s only fear of the unknown. They will come to learn the type of king I aim to become with Raelle by my side. The reason I need to talk to Alaric is personal, and I hope to get the closure I need to move on. I need to know what exactly he saw that night that my parents died.
“Your majesty, I…um—Maki asked me to make sure you leave Mr. Amarose to heal. He is still under the magic of my healing elixir. You won’t be able to speak with him right now.” I watch the older woman flounder in my shadow as I tower over her at the entry of the room he is being held in.
“Ginny, we’ve been over this before, but then… You were not aware of me being your king.” She swallows and nods, understanding where I am going. She moves past me and opens the door, allowing me to enter. I thank her with a smile before entering the room.
The room is the same as any other time I’ve been in the infirmary. Even if every time it brings a new sense of emotion. The new scent of roses and something else I can’t put my finger on fills my nose as I walk in. Alaric is lying on his back; the tattoos and scars that mark his chest resemble my own. The marks of a warrior.
I suppose I can appreciate that, even if I don’t like that Alaric and Raelle have a bond of their own. At least I have someone who will protect her with a fraction of the same fervor as I would. I’ve never really considered our resemblance, but now that I know the truth, I can’t unsee it. I can’t believe I never noticed before. The resemblance to Declan—even to myself—is uncanny.
