Amelia shuddered out a sob, breaking Rennick’s heart into a million pieces. Amos stood and rounded the desk to kneel beside her chair, but Charlie wouldn’t let him.
Amos stared at the lynx and raised his brow, then glanced at Rennick, who subtly shook his head.We’ll discuss it later.
Amos looked unsure of himself as he awkwardly laid a hand on Amelia’s shoulder. “You were always loved, and I came for you as soon as I could.”
Face in her hands, she nodded, unable to speak through her cries. Eddy whined and pushed his body into hers.
Amos backed away and motioned to the door. “I’ll find towels.”
Rennick nodded as the Desert King left, then wrapped his hand around Amelia’s wrist. “Come here, love.”
Eddy hopped down from her lap, and she crawled into Rennick’s, laying her head against his shoulder. “You could havetold me when you came for me.” Her chest shuddered. “Why didn’t you?”
He rested his cheek against the top of her head. “Amos wanted to be the one to tell you, and were it not for him, I would have never found you. I owed him that much.”
Amos returned with two towels, one dry and one wet, and held them out to his sister. Amelia cleaned her face and blew her nose repeatedly until her tears finally subsided. “What if your father still tries to kill me?”
“I’ll kill him,” Rennick said, knowing he’d kill him anyway.
He watched Amos’ demeanor transform into one of cold indifference. “I already did.”
Amelia sucked in a sharp breath. “You didn’t have to do that for me.”
His expression remained blank. “Our father was a monster. He received the death he deserved.”
Rennick saw the way his mate assessed her brother and squeezed her side lightly. It was clearly not something Amos wanted to discuss with them. She chewed the corner of her lip and changed the subject. “If I’m fae, why don’t I have magic?”
Rennick and his father had talked extensively on the subject and came up with one answer. “You never crossed into fae lands.”
Understanding lit up her face. “You said that’s why royal heirs can’t leave their lands; they need the land for their magic to develop to its full strength.”
He nodded. “We hope you’ll gain at least some of your magic when we marry.”
She sat up straighter. “Birdie.”
Rennick adjusted her in his lap to see her face better. “The maid?”
“Yes. She called me a royal.”
Rennick and Amos both swore. “What do you mean? Who is this woman?” Amos demanded.
Amelia waved her hands. “I think I made myself disappear.” They stared at her, and Rennick wondered if the shock had affected her more than he’d realized. “When you were in your study with Ora, Birdie and I stood in the hall, and I wanted to disappear. I hadn’t meant literally, but Birdie looked scared and asked where I was. She reached out and bumped my shoulder. I looked at her to see what was wrong, and she appeared startled, then called me a royal. She never brought it up again, and I didn’t think anything of it.”
Rennick’s mind raced. If the woman mentioned the occurrence to anyone, there’s no telling what would happen. “Why didn’t you tell me? We need to find this maid.”
“Rennick, if you do anything to hurt her, I will not marry you.” The air whooshed out of him, and he ran through ways to force the marriage. Amelia wouldn’t leave him. “She’s my friend.”
“Fine,” he reluctantly agreed. “But I’d still like to speak to her.”
“Wewill speak to her. I don’t trust you not to scare her.”
Smart girl.
Amos crossed his arms and widened his stance. “I’d like to speak to her too.”
Amelia glowered at him, and Rennick looked away to keep from smiling at how easily the twins fell into their natural sibling roles.
“Thank you for telling me,” she said to her brother with a weak smile. “Please, don’t take this the wrong way, but I’d like to go to my rooms.”
