Calm.
He felt…calm.
The melody continued for a few moments before it slowly faded away, taking the black that had crept into his vision. Daemon closed his eyes and shook his head lightly. “Damn it, Yvaine. You promised.”
“Yeah, well, promises don’t mean shit when your brother is turning into a giant, swirling shadow and looks like he’s about to obliterate everything in his path.”
Daemon focused on his breathing, and when he opened his eyes, he saw how wide Aiden’s had become.
“Holy shit.” Awe filled his friend’s voice as his eyes anxiously flitted between the siblings. “Yvaine is a fuckingsiren?! How did I never know this?” Aiden’s words were barely above a whisper, and there was no way that anyone down the street had overheard, but still…it made Daemon’s spine stiffen.
Yvaine’s shoulders drooped as she threw her head back and rolled her eyes. When she finally met Aiden’s gaze, hers was hard. “Yes. And you’re going to keep that to yourself, understood? The last thing I need, thatwe need, is you-know-who finding that out and attempting to manipulate me. Or use it against Daemon.”
Aiden nodded, his eyes still wide.
Sirens were rare. It is so rare, in fact, that the only text on them and their abilities was written centuries ago, and the lastknownsiren was around during the War of Rosewood. Very few knew of his sister’s abilities, and Daemon was determined to keep it that way.
With his magic back under control, he turned toward his sister. “Thanks, sis. I know you don’t like doing it, just as much as I don’t like you doing itto me.”
Yvaine shook her head and lightly pushed his shoulder. “Couldn’t have you going on a rampage through what was left of the market, now could I?”
Her tone was playful, but there was an undercurrent of worry. She’d never seen his magic out of control like that. And it seemed to be happening more frequently as of late. Not even his week at the sanctuary had helped. His magic seemed to be settled only when he was with Auraelia.
Daemon shook his head to clear the turbulent thoughts from his mind. It wasn’t something he could figure out standing on a cluttered street.
By the time they made their way toward the castle again, the sun had begun its slow descent in the sky, painting the tall white towers surrounding his home in vibrant shades of orange. The trio had been silent for the most part on their return trip, each seemingly lost in their own thoughts. But after seeing Auntie Jodie and then the market, Daemon knew he had put off a certain confrontation long enough.
Once at the bridge that led onto the castle grounds, Daemon turned toward his sister and Aiden. He hadn’t even parted his lips to speak when Yvaine squeezed his hand in hers and nodded. How she knew, he would never understand. But he gave her a weak smile, then let his shadows consume him.
Daemon found his mother sitting on a bench beneath the plumeria trees that edged the courtyard of the rear gardens. The same ones that he’d sat under with Auraelia after he’d taken her to Azure Falls. The thought had the muscles in his chest constricting, and he rubbed at his sternum in an attempt to alleviate some of the tension.
He approached on foot, making sure to step on fallen twigs to alert her to his presence.
“Mother.” His voice was gruff, and even he could hear the accusatory tone laced within it.
Queen Avyanna tensed but then forced herself to relax before looking up from the tome in her lap to meet his gaze. “Hello, my son.”
The air seemed to still as a tense silence settled between them. Like the wind itself was waiting with bated breath over who would break first.
It was Queen Avyanna who did so. Sighing into the silence before gesturing to the empty seat on the bench. “Would you like to sit? Or will you just stand there in silence, brooding over me?”
Daemon exhaled sharply through his nose, then sat, keeping his gaze locked onto the horizon as the sun continued to set. “Did you know?”
“Did I know what, Daemon? You need to be clearer.”
A wry laugh escaped, and he shook his head. “Did youknowabout Davina? About her plans? Did you know that Father had trapped me in a marriage while also knowing how I felt about Auraelia? Did you know that before or after you tried to help me find a solution?” Daemon ran his hands roughly through his hair and stood from the bench. Whipping around to face his motherand the shocked expression that marred her features. “Was thatclearenough for you, Mother? Do you understand the questionnow?”
Queen Avyanna’s eyes were wide as she stared back at her son. No doubt his hair was sticking out all over the place from the manic way his hands had run through it, but he didn’t care. He wanted answers.Neededthem, and he’d been avoiding this conversation for long enough.
His mother swallowed audibly, then looked down to where her hands were clasped in her lap, resting over the now-closed tome whose cover readThe War and Treaty of Rosewood. He knew that book. He had read it so many times when he was attempting to find a solution to be with Auraelia that he was sure he could recite it backward.
Queen Avyanna cleared her throat but kept her eyes downcast. “I believe you were quite clear in your inquiries, Daemon.” When she finally looked up to meet his eyes, the cornflower blue of her own were brighter than usual as tears lined their rims. “I didn’t know about Davina. Not at first. I didn’t know anything untilafteryour father agreed to her terms.” She took a deep, shaky breath, then continued. “But, Daemon. I had no idea what she had planned for solstice. I–I’m so sorry.”
Daemon stared down at his mother, and though he was still furious, he could feel the ice around his heart toward her begin to melt away. “Did Father know about her plan for Queen Adelina?”
He believed her when she said she hadn’t any idea. He knew that if she had, she wouldn’t have gone to solstice and probably would have tried to forbid him from doing so as well. But he had to know if his father knew.
“I…I haven’t talked to your father more than necessary since we came back. I’ve even moved into the Queen’s suite. But if I had to guess, I would assume so—yes.”
