“Come on, talk to me.” She lowered her voice. “Tell me about him. Tell me what happened in the magical realm. What was it like being there?”
“Amazing,” I rasped. “It was like nothing else, and I barely got to see the good stuff, but what I saw blew my mind. And Wolfe…”
“Tell me.” She beamed.
“He was like… It was like I pulled him out of a dream. Tall, foreboding, and beautiful, like the statues and artwork of the Fae warriors but…more.” So, so much more.
“Wow. I kind of guessed he couldn’t look that much different to that other guy.” She smirked. She was referring to Bastian.“And I take back every insult I ever threw your way about your poor taste in men. Wolfe sounds lush.”
I managed a smile. “He was.”
“What were you like together?”
The answer to that was a sad one. “Confused.”
Sorrow filled her eyes. “Confused?”
“Me. It was me. I was confused.”
“The whole time?”
I nodded slowly. “It’s difficult to have everyone telling you one thing when your mind can’t process it. Memories are more than records of events. They’re records of emotions as they grow and blossom. I read my journal and tried to learn everything I needed to remember, but it’s not enough when it comes to love.”
“I can’t imagine how hard it must be. It would ruin me if I couldn’t remember the man I loved and not know that I ever loved him.”
“And all I could think about when we rescued him was getting back here.”
I could go on and tell her how I escaped and Wolfe saved me from certain death, but that was too painful to talk about.
“I wished you’d stayed. I hoped you wouldn’t come back. I hoped you’d take the plunge and seize the life you’ve always wanted. I hated lying to you about Thayden. We all did. I felt you deserved better, and I wanted that for you.” She nodded with conviction.
“I couldn’t stay, Emabelle.” I drew in a measured breath. “I would never abandon my family, especially not to save myself.”
“Your mother and grandmother would never admit this, but I think they hoped you might.”
“Did they?” I raised my brows.
“They did. I heard them talking, trying to figure things out. They wanted you to stay, if only to have a better chance of breaking the curse. That won’t happen here, Elariya.”
A shadow crossed over my heart. “I know.”
“In the five years since you got the curse, this is the first time we’ve had a breakthrough. Finding out about the ring and the connection to your father’s disappearance was something we never saw coming. And it’s fucked up that it’s the answer to fix everything, yet we can’t pursue it.” She paused. “There’s nothing that we’ve thought of that won’t make the situation worse.”
I faced her and held her gaze. “I don’t thinkanyonecould do anything that won’t make the situation worse. The only solution we have right now is what we’re already doing.”
My marriage to Thayden.
“It shouldn’t be.”
“I know. But it is.”
She rested both hands on my shoulders, then we said nothing more.
There wasnothingmore to say.
The grand hall of the castle stretched before us like a monument to royal power. Vaulted ceilings soared overhead, supported by marble columns carved with the kingdom's heraldry, while enormous tapestries depicted centuries of royal conquests. Sunlight filtered through stained-glass windows, casting jeweled patterns across the polished stone floors.
Despite the numbness that had settled over me, I could still appreciate the beauty, and the memories I had of this place.
