Evander left hours before me. I glance up at the window in the tower above the foyer. Moonlight shines on the far wall. It’s past midnight.
“Mr. Alder,” Leopold says. A tray is in his hand, a glass ofcremiraresting on it—a warm, spicy, chocolate liqueur popular in the realm.
“Thank you.” Only when I have the metal cup in my hand do I realize how cold the winter in Crest Wing is this year. More so than years before. Aisling’s been complaining about it every time I’ve seen her. But today was the first time I noticed how cold it is. Then coming back to a warm fall...
I take a swig of the drink. All I want is to get back to Raine. But letting the warm liquid slide down my throat slows me down. Fuck, it’s the best thing to keep me from overwhelming her. Consuming her. I need her more than I need anything. The politics of home have gotten me nothing but a headache. But the ball? Yeah, that was too much. Kidnapping my sister and putting her in the tower and then throwing her into the portal? I guzzle down the rest of the drink.
“Thank you, Leopold.” The metal cup clicks against the tray, rattling as it wobbles until Leopold puts his hand on the top of it. “Where are they?”
“Upstairs.”
“Thank you.”
Leopold stares with his deep-set eyes. His mouth is a firm line.
“Is there something you would like to say?” I raise my eyebrows at him.
His cheeks twitch, and I think he’s going to tell me no. “Yes, sir. Miss Fischer isn’t like any of the other candidates.”
“No, she’s not.” I nod at him.
“She will leave. She’ll leave without asking for anything.”
“No.”
“Forgive me, sir, but you are wrong.”
“No, you’re right. And no to her leaving. I will do everything in my power to make her stay.”
Leopold breaks eye contact with me.
“What?”
“It might not be enough.”
My eyebrows shoot up even more. In all the years I’ve known Leopold, which is my entire life, he’s never given me his opinion. True, he was the one to find Raine. Perhaps he feels more invested in her success than that of the other candidates, but it’s not like we expected her to be the one. We gave up those expectations a long time ago. I never imagined I would feel this way about her. Never imagined that I would give my hoard for her to be the one.
Damn. Even thinking about it doesn’t give me any stress. That’s how I know I want her to be the one. “What do you mean, it might not be enough?”
“She has a sense of responsibility. She saw your sister––”
“And now she knows my parents are crazy and it could put Aisling in danger if I don’t do what they want.”
“I would never call the king and queen crazy.”
“No, you wouldn’t.” The interesting thing is my nanny once told me that Ancestrals have more power than a dragon shifter or the fae. “I would never say that you did.”
There’s a slant in Leopold’s closed-mouth smile. “I believe they are waiting for you. Good luck.”
“Thank you.” I’m up the stairs and down the corridor to her suite. I don’t knock and it’s not locked.
Roark rises on his elbow, a finger to his lips.Do you need to tread with such noise? You’re louder than a pack of dragonets racing for the playground.
Louder than Roark looking for leftovers in the kitchen,Evander adds.
I glare at them both.
She just fell asleep, so be quiet and strip off your clothes.Evander turns on the mattress. He cocks his head to the side when he sees that I’m already naked.Get in bed already.
