“You’re never too much, Strawberry. We’ve been over this,” Tadhg said, his tone gently chastising. “And if it’s about our promise to check on Naomi, we’re working on it.
“The Wolf Kings aren’t answering any of our messages at the moment. But the Shadow King’s got some god tech workaround. He can hack into their digital wall if?—”
“No, it’s not that.” I cut him off, a bit guilty that this request had nothing to do with my best friend. “It’s something else.”
Tadhg stopped walking and reversed his hold, wrapping both of my hands in one of his. “Anything you want. It’s yours. You only have to name it.”
I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. “Good. Because I know we were talking about going into full hibernation mode after my birthday, but before we do, I want to go to St. Ailbe.”
He went still. Face shuttered.
“Just for a little while. One, maybe two weeks, tops.” Maybe because we weren’t bond-connected, everything I’d been holding in came tumbling out. “I keep thinking about how the Secret Kingdom has all this history, and I have… nothing. Not a clue who my father is. No idea why my mother kept my truenature from me. Maybe if I went back to Canada and confronted her, I could find out. Or at least get a name. An explanation?—”
“No.”
Now it was my turn to wait. But the explanation didn’t come.
He just let go of my hand and started walking again, like that one word was final.
I had to jog to catch up with him. “But?—”
“I said no,” he snapped, cutting me off before I could even get more than one word out.
“Why? You said anything.”
“Because I didn’t think you’d be so idiotic as to actually believe we’dletyou go anywhere with the future of our kingdoms in your belly.”
Idiotic.The insult sliced clean through my chest. He’d never yelled at me before. Never called me names.
Also…
“Let me?” I repeated. “Maybe I shouldn’t have put it as a request. Sinceyoukidnapped me away from my passport, I’d love your help getting back to Canada so I can get the answers Ideserveafter all of this.”
“Do not go here with me, Sadie.” He stopped again to point at the ground between us. “This is a boundary thatwill notbe crossed. You’re staying here. And you are not leaving untilwesay you can.”
“And when would that be?” I demanded.
He glowered. Silent. But his silence felt loud. Aggressively loud. Especially when he just turned and started walking again without giving me an answer.
Not knowing what else to do, I fell into step behind him, wishing I had saved this discussion for the morning when we were both fresh.
The Mountain Fortress did not at all resemble the palace. Or the Shadow Castle.
It was all reinforced steel and depressing grey stone with nothing but shadows on the walls of the entrance hall I followed Tadhg into.
However, the bedroom he showed me to after that… either he or Brigid had clearly prepared it with care.
It was warm, cozy, and softly lit by a fake-fire hearth, like the one in the café. There were no digital walls, but one entire side of the room was covered in living evergreen moss. A huge armchair—perfect for reading—sat by the hearth, and colorful plush rugs brightened the cold stone floors. Everything was anchored by a lovely canopy bed in the center of the room, its linens faintly emitting the scent of heather.
My heart softened toward him at the sight of it. Other than the total absence of windows, it was a perfect room.
“Did you do this for?—”
“I’ll be down the hall if you need me.” He cut me off before I could finish.
Then he left. No kiss. No hug. No goodbye.
Once again, I was left alone in a strange room he’d escorted me to. But this time felt worse than the first day I landed in the Secret Kingdom.
