My heart sank. I had expected this to happen, it had been my plan all along. But to know that Veridus had kept up his end of the deal and everything was now in motion still made me feel sick. Especially after everything Theo and I had shared these past few days.
“I hope you are right, Theo. For your heart’s sake and for all of our sakes.” Malek said grimly.
“We will join you tomorrow morning at the Citadel.” Theo offered Malek his hand, and his friend had a strange look on his face, but took his hand.
“Just one last thing, Theo. If she has been here with you all of this time, then why do the Heralds know what has been going on here between you two? The only way they could know is if she planned this all along.”
And he wasn’t completely wrong.
* * *
Malek left pretty soon after and I hurried back into bed, pretending to be asleep when Theo came back upstairs. He climbed back to bed and laid on his side, watching me sleep. I could feel his eyes on me and a sigh escaped him, one born of concern and uncertainty.
My heart bled for him, but I knew I couldn’t share my secret with him, not now. So I did the only thing I could do and the one thing I had sworn to put all my efforts into: I nestled close to Theo and poured all my love for him into the hug.
Because if it hadn’t been clear to me from very early on, itsure as hell was after these two days. What I felt for him was the deepest kind of love, the one that changed one’s view on the world and helped you find yourself. And when the dust had settled and we’d won the fight for our freedom, I hoped he would still remember this night and my hug and the love that flowed between us.
Chapter 33
Pretending to not know anything about the doubts that had been planted in his head was harder than I had thought. I desperately wanted to reach out to him, to reassure him of me and my feelings for him, but I knew it wasn’t the time to do that yet. We had made love again this morning, in the bed and in the shower, desperately clinging to each other as if we both knew this might very well be the last time. We were riding into a war without knowing who the opponent was and who was truly on our side.
We left the Veilstead behind and traveled the Luminaris back to the Lodge. Most of the sentinels had already left and only a few remained to make sure there were no more surprise visits from the Heralds. I quickly packed a few things and met Theo in the foyer.
He held out his hand, offering me a little velvet pouch.
“What is that?” I asked and pulled the strings open.
Theo smiled. “Something to make sure you always find your way home to me.”
I gasped. In my hand lay a small silver owl with purple eyes that were faintly glowing. “It’s a key to the Luminaris,” I whispered and couldn’t hide my tears.
Theo gave me a long kiss, but pulled back eventually. It was time to go.
“You try it,” he said when we walked outside. Theo had our luggage slung across his shoulder, so I grabbed his free hand and pulled out the owl from my pocket. I felt the pull of the Luminaris, like a vibration in the air and my palm. I lifted the owl and the floor beneath our feet started to glow. The Veil got lifted over our heads and we were floating through the Veil towards the next part of our journey together.
It was forbidden to travel straight into the Citadel for safety reasons. Shields had been put up around the Citadel, and we had to walk quite a few stretches to get to the gates. When we neared the gates, shouts echoed from the turrets and the gate slowly swung upon, allowing us to get inside. The Citadel was buzzing with activity, Faeries and Gods of all corners of the God realm were milling about, each tasked with their own preparations for battle.
Lythandra spotted us first and stopped in her tracks when she saw our linked hands. Her surprise quickly turned into a happy giggle, and she gave me the biggest hug. Unsure of what to do, she stepped towards Theo and offered her outstretched arms. He smiled and rolled his eyes at her.
“Oh come on then,” he said.
They hugged and I could clearly see the happy tears in Theo’s eyes.
Theo leaned over to me and gave me a quick kiss.
“I am going to meet with the other lords to get up to speed. Lytha, can you find someone to point Mae to our rooms and then join me in the command center?”
Lythandra nodded and pulled me towards the nearest entrance into the Fort.
“Oh my Fates, Mae! Iknew it! I knew it from the moment I met you. Oh, this is so exciting, I am so thrilled for you! I wish we had more time to talk, but swear to me that when this is over, you will tell meeverything!” I couldn’t help but smile at her enthusiasm.
“Thank you, Lytha, it means a lot to me that you are so pleased. I am going to need your support and guidance through all of this. I have so many questions and… well, let’s just say I will need some time to figure everything out.”
A very slight shadow fell over her face, but it was gone so quickly that I couldn’t be sure I had seen it right. But of course she would have heard the rumors too. Veridus had done his job well. But she gave no further indication that she somehow mistrusted me and pointed me towards a young Faerie with big eyes who would show me to my room.
The day dragged on and I felt pretty useless. I was wandering around the Fort, trying to help where I could, but it seemed like people weren’t too thrilled about me helping out. They were nice enough, but every time I offered to help, they politely told me that I should rest for the battle ahead.
It was late in the evening when Theo finally came to our room. He undressed quickly, brushed his teeth and climbed under the blanket with me. I opened my eyes, revealing that I hadn’t been asleep.
