I shake her again, harder. “Wake up!”
She shudders, then her eyes meet mine. Her body trembles, but she sags as recognition crosses her face. Sweat coats her brow, and she brings her hands to cover her face and quietly cries into her palms.
I’m frozen in place as I watch her, uncertain of what to do. My hands leave her shoulders. Part of me wants to turn away and let her pull herself together on her own. But another part of me recalls the childhood memories I’d conjured last night, ones that make me want to reach for her, to brush the hair from her sweat-soaked brow and embrace her in a comforting squeeze.
Instead, I sit back and settle on words. “What happened just now?”
Silence answers, and I wonder if she’ll ignore me. Then slowly, she lowers her hands and pulls her knees to her chest. Her eyes are distant as she subtly rocks back and forth. “I didn’t know where I was. Or when I was. Maybe even who I was.”
My heart lurches at the ghost of horror that lingers on her face. “What do you mean?”
“It’s always like this.” Her voice is small, breathy. “Every time I awaken from sleep. There’s so much I don’t remember. So much that plagues me.”
“You remember nothing when you wake?”
She shakes her head. “I remember too much and nothing at all, all at once. My mind has grown addled ever since Cobalt first used the power of my name to glamour me, to force me to obey his commands. All I have left are snippets and images, and they haunt me. Today, I barely remember yesterday beneath the cloud of your commands. Tomorrow, I’ll feel the same about today. The next day, I’ll feel the same about tomorrow.”
A lump rises in my throat, skin crawling at the thought. “How can you live like that?”
She meets my eyes, although hers are still haunted. “It’s the only way Icanlive. You won’t trust me without the commands, nor will I trust myself. Not until Cobalt is dead and the Bond breaks.”
Again, I want to reach for her, comfort her until this stranger before me disappears and returns the sister I once loved.
Her gaze goes steely. “Don’t feel sorry for me. Just promise me you will let me kill Cobalt.” Like last night when I looked at her and saw my own rage reflected in her eyes, the fury in her tone feels like a mirror to mine.
It leaves me speechless.
“Promise me!” she shouts, making me jump. “Promise you will let me kill Cobalt!” She trembles with the anger coursing through her, so hot, I swear flames are dancing just below the surface of her skin.
My answer comes out a whisper. “I promise.”
Then, with the power of her name, I trap her beneath another day’s worth of commands.
* * *
As soon asI’m cleaned and dressed in another one of Amelie’s makeshift gowns, I race to the room next door to see Aspen. I’m amazed to find him on his feet, standing before a mirror while he buttons a cream-colored linen shirt over his chest, similar to the one he wore last night. He wears another pair of loose trousers, these ones a deep burgundy, that hide all sight of the wound.
His eyes meet mine in the mirror, and a corner of his mouth quirks up. The golden color has returned to his skin, making him look very unlike a fae who suffered an iron injury mere hours ago.
My heart flutters with relief and I run to him. As he turns to face me, I throw my arms over his neck and draw his lips to mine. Fearing I’ll hurt him, I don’t let the kiss linger. “Are you all right?” I ask as I pull away.
He has the nerve to roll his eyes at the question, arm circling my waist to press me closer. “I’m fine, Evie. I told you I would be.”
I put my hand on his chest to force distance between us. “Go lie down so I can change your bandages.”
He takes my hand in his, removing it from his chest so he can place a kiss on the inside of my wrist. “I already took the bandages off myself,” he says against my skin. “The wound has healed.”
My eyes widen, although I shouldn’t be surprised. The iron wasn’t embedded inside him long, which means his own healing powers would have been free to do their work. “Then let me at least examine the site of the wound. I want to see for myself.”
A wicked smirk plays on his sensual mouth. “Are you just trying to get me out of my trousers?”
My breath hitches as desire stirs inside my core, mind swimming with images of his body pressed against mine, his hands slipping beneath the layers of my skirt. Twice now, we’ve been interrupted from fulfilling the passion that’s never far from the surface whenever we’re together. Unfortunately, that thought reminds me of how we were interrupted last, bringing about an onslaught of sobering facts that must be attended to. I bring my lips close to his, and my words come out a little breathless. “I have every intention of getting you out of your trousers, Aspen.”
He groans at the sound of his name and I take a few moments to bathe beneath the hunger in his eyes, knowing I’m about to shatter it all with what I say next. “But there is much to do this morning, and there is much I need to discuss with you.”
His next groan is one of disappointment. “Why must you be so intelligent?”
“Well, one of us must be if we’re to win a war,” I tease, taking a chaste step away from him, pinning my hands at my sides to keep from wringing them. “Has Breeda returned?”
