When I walked through the open double doors, I ignored all the healers, heading straight to Aster’s office. The door was slightly open for once, a bit unusual for Aster, but I lightly knocked, opening it further. Aster whirled in her seat, those gray eyes wide. Panic flickered across her face, but eased when she saw me in the doorway.
“Sorry,” I murmured. “The door was open, so I figured I could come in.”
“You should have waited,” Aster frowned, her pen thumping against the paper she was writing on. “But since you’re already here, you might as well make yourself more comfortable.” Using the pen, she pointed to a chair in the far corner and turned back to her work, not waiting to see if I moved or even settled in the seat.
I drummed my fingers against my leg, my nerves rooting me to the spot. “Was Sybil upset when she left here yesterday?” I blurted, my heart racing inside my chest.
Aster let out a breath of frustration, tilting her head back like she was praying to the gods for patience—or silence, knowing her. She turned in her chair, her eyes narrowing on me. I could feel the steel in her gaze piercing me.
“I need to know. Please, I need to know.” I wasn’t against begging. She had already seen me during my worst moments; this wasn’t anything new or different.
“And why would you need to know that, Samian?” Her voice was cold, stern.
“Please, just tell me.” I didn’t care how my voice cracked or how my stomach twisted and turned. I didn’t even care that shecould see how unsettled I truly was. Ineededto know why Sybil kept herself from me.
“You formed the bond with her, didn’t you?” Aster asked, her voice low and filled with…understanding?
When I didn’t speak, she jerked her chin toward the door. I turned, shutting and locking it before moving the bookshelf in front so no one could hear or see us. I cast a net of my magic around us, making sure that none of Ambrose’s spies were nearby. When I found none, I went to the chair opposite to Aster, sinking into it. My body felt too jittery, like I was forcing myself into a cage, but I breathed, willing myself to sit still.
“I wondered why she was asking about mates,” Aster murmured. “I guess it makes sense now.”
“Aster, please tell me what happened. I need—I need to understand.”
Aster studied me for a moment but finally nodded. “She said she came to check in on me after noticing how I acted after Bryony came into the room last night. I told her she was my mate, and what you had told me about Arbus at that moment. After that, she asked how I knew Bryony was my mate and what the difference was between a mating bond and your soul bond.”
“How did she react? Did she say anything about me being her mate?” My heart pounded hard against my chest as Aster leaned back in her chair.
“It was subtle, but she did have a small reaction to what I said. Like she realized something, but she never asked more than that. How—what is she acting like?”
I hissed out a breath, my blood running cold. She knew. She knew that Kieran and I were her mates. I leaned back in my chair, running my hand down my face. “Ever since visiting you yesterday, she’s been distant and on edge. I know our mating bond snapped into place. I felt it, and I know she did too, but she’s been pushing me away. Kieran, too.”
“Kieran? What does he have to do with this?” Aster asked hesitantly, her brows knitted together.
“He’s her mate as well. I just found out last night.” I grumbled, thinking of our fight. My anger still rose at his secrecy, at the way he had hidden something so important from me.
“I always miss the good things.” Aster blew out a breath, her eyebrows raised. “Look, she wasn’t upset after our talk, but,” she paused, looking to the left wall, to the door of the hidden passage. “I told her I would keep her secret, but she went to visit the queen when she was here. She said that she didn’t know where the passage was in her room and that if she did, she wouldn’t have known how to get there, so she came here and followed the path we took that night with Ezra.”
I felt like I couldn’t breathe; like my heart had completely stopped. “Did she say anything when she returned?”
“No, but she looked pale. She left quickly after she returned, so I didn’t have the chance to ask. I figured whatever she learned, she would talk to you about it.”
“Fuck,” I whispered, twisting my ring around my finger. “Fuck!” I ran my hand through my hair, letting out a shaky breath. I closed my eyes, taking a moment to calm down before opening them again, my gaze going straight to Aster. “Are you busy today, or would you like to go with me to visit Cassia? I’ll be going to the camp after to see if Bryony needs any help.”
Aster swallowed thickly, her face slightly paling. “I don’t have anything today. I just need to let them know I’ll be out collecting some herbs as a cover.”
“We can go together,” I smiled, giving her a slight wink. “We can take the passage in my room.”
Rolling her eyes, Aster stood, moving the bookshelf back in place and opening the door. I waited for her at the entrance while she talked to a healer, my thoughts lost of Sybil andwhat had compelled her to go to Cassia. Whatever she needed, she could have come to me, could have asked me. Did she still suspect me of truly working for Ambrose? Did she still not trust me, even after the soul bonding—after our mating bond? My heart squeezed at the thought.
Aster stood beside me, clearing her throat, ripping me out of my downward spiral. We walked in silence to my room, ignoring everyone we passed. Opening the door, I let her in first while I sent another net with my magic, searching for anyone nearby. Finding the area empty, I walked through the door and locked it.
Aster waited in the living area until I walked through the suite and followed behind me as we made our way through the hidden passage. My heart tugged when we passed the door to Sybil’s room, as we yet again had another fight just before she left. Reminding myself that she was gone, I forced my feet to keep moving, to take us to Cassia’s cell. We walked through the dark, cold tunnels until the queen’s warmly lit cell came into view.
Stepping to the iron bars, I wrapped my hand around them, though my voice lodged in my throat as I stared at her. Even spending decades here did nothing to quell her beauty, to darken those bright, sky-blue eyes. Cassia raised her eyebrow, tilting her head to the side.
“You look like you did when you were a child after having a bad dream,” she breathed, a small smile forming. “Come, ask me what you want to know.”
“What did Sybil ask you?” I asked, my voice tight, my nerves coiling in my chest.
