Although I eventually grew to love Gwyn deeply, it didn’t start that way. I want Leigh to learn from my mistakes; she shouldn’t put other people’s feelings above her own. She’s a queen, not a saint.
“I’m not running away.” Leigh laughs. “I love Wilder. I’m just…” She smiles at me. It’s distant. “Going to go to bed. It was a long day.”
“I know.” I cover her hand with mine. “You can tell me. Did something happen between you two? It must’ve been serious and very public for Janus to come find me.”
Leigh groans and falls back onto her bed. “Wilder and I are good.”
I purse my lips. “Leigh, I can tell you’re not yourself.”
She scowls at the ceiling. “I just have a lot on my plate. You were a bride, you get it.”
“I was, but I wasn’t moping about the night before my wedding.”
My daughter gazes at me, her brow furrowing. “Wait, have you been crying?”
I blink. Part of me wants to cut the conversation short. To push her away, like I usually would. But I am done being sad and angry. Hiding my feelings to spare others is not what I want to teach my daughter.
“I was just thinking about your brother.”
Leigh sits up. She hesitates, then pulls me into a hug. “He should be here. They shouldbothbe here.”
I hug her back. “I’m glad you are.”
“I’ll always be,” Leigh whispers.
I hold her tighter. “I love you, my beautiful girl.”
She’s the first to pull away. “I really should get some sleep.”
“Wilder came to check on you while you were in the shower.” She glances toward the closed door. “He went to bed. I don’t want him sneaking in here. This door will stay shut after I leave. Promise?”
Leigh snorts. “Promise.”
With a final reassuring smile, I leave her room, my heart pounding. Something whispers in my ear not to go, to stay with her until she falls asleep, but Leigh isn’t a kid. She’s a queen.
After my mother leaves,I spring into action. Dropping my robe on the floor, I hurry into my closet. I put on my jeans, fasten my bra, then grab the first shirt I see. It’s cold, and the weather in Mictlan will probably be even colder, so I reach for one of Wilder’s sweatshirts. It smells like him—woods and smoke—and it calms my racing heart. Gods, I wish I were curled up with him right now, not about to attempt the unthinkable. With a sigh, I finish the outfit with a pair of white sneakers. Everyone thinks I am asleep, and I plan to keep it that way. No one must ever find out I’m going into Mictlan to rescue that little boy. At least not until he’s safe back home.
I opened the rift, and my failure to close it is costing an innocent child, who shares my brother’s name, his life. I must find Fynn and seal the rift before more people get hurt. But I need Ravi’s help.
I crack open my door, peek into the hallway, and once I’m sure the coast is clear, I pocket the ancient brass key and dart down the corridor toward the library. I am quick but light on my feet, so the ancient floorboards don’t give me away.
I refuse to dwell on how I am lying to Wilder—on the eve of our wedding, no less. But it’s not just him; I’m lying toeveryone. If I had admitted the truth in that meeting with the Blades, everyone would have panicked. Wilder would have wanted tocancel our wedding, the president would label me unfit and call for an immediate vote of no confidence in me, like she did in Aurora. It’s not like I hid the rift to be cruel; I want to keep my friends and family safe. No one will suffer because of my mistake.
Ravi and I will take care of the rift, and everything will go back to the way it was.
Reaching the library door, I twist the knob and go inside. Maybe, with any luck, Ravi found the spell to close the portal while I’ve been dealing with the Dullahan threat.
Ravi looks up from the journal he’s reading, surrounded by shelves of leather-bound books. “Leigh?”
“Find anything?” I ask in an urgent whisper.
Ravi digs the heels of his palms into his eyes. “Not yet. I sense I’m close, though.”
I nod as my heart sinks. “Care to take a break? We need to talk.”
“Is there time for that?”
“A Dullahan stole an orphan boy.” Ravi blanches at the reveal. “I need to save him. Tonight.”
