“It’s funnier not to.”
Cael’s wings ruffle, then he twists on his heel, putting Willow behind him. “Danielle, come along quickly. I’d like to get you settled, but I am late for a meeting since the scent of your clothing distracted me on the way.”
I’m certain my upbringing is why my feet hurry to obey Cael’s command, because I’m not sure I want to follow him at all—not if he wants to separate me from Castor. Which is a troubling thought. Because I’m still spending my nights in a cage and should, by all means,wantto be separated from the man who kidnapped me and controls what I can or cannot do.
Being lost in my disturbing thoughts isn’t the only reason I am utterly blindsided when Cael leads me out of the throne room. Beyond its grandeur, giant flowers full of strange napping creatures rest, and the scene continues to change with every step. Cael presses on, past walls of water and books and clouds, until we reach a vacant bedroom adorned with pink and feathers.
My stomach knots the second I realize Willow didn’t join us. And neither did Frelsi.
I am alone in a strange palace with a strange prince.
Peering up the hallway, Cael tuts. “It seems we lost your dark pixie… Many distractions around here for one of her kind. No matter.” He sweeps me into the room with a suddenness that leaves me lightheaded. I regain myself atop the plush carpet, surrounded by plumes of tinsel.
I sink into the pinks and whites as he marches to a closet beside a lovely balcony and throws open the doors. “There should be something suitable in here for you to wear…” he mutters. Allowing a smile to soften his features, he steps back and presents the display. “Change into whatever you’d like, little one, then familiarize yourself with the room. You are safe to go wherever you’d like here. No one in my domain would bring harm to you. I’ll be back soon to collect and destroy Castor’s clothes. We’ll talk more then, and I’m sure my wife, Alana, will be able to help you adjust. She was once human, too, and likely understands better what you might be going through.”
I open my mouth to reply, but I don’t have a clue what I want to say, and it doesn’t matter anyway.
In another moment, he’s marched outside the room and closed the door behind him.
Chapter 18
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ah, yes. The sound of frail hope breaking…
Castor
“I would assume that the reason I didn’t turn to stone when I met your eyes is the same as the reason a dream eater’s fear-soaked presence doesn’t affect me,” Pila murmurs, cradling her fussing baby, Terra. The wee dryad began complaining the moment I entered her sister-mother’s small, single room home nestled into the trunk of a tree in Willow’s woods.
Needless to say, Terra is almost as bad as Ash once was when it comes to hating me.
Seated atop one of the toadstools Pila directed Zahra and I to earlier, I cross my ankles and attempt to collapse in on my flesh. Unfortunately, for me and the infant, the request to vanish into nothingness goes unanswered.
Gently, Pila continues her task of crushing my hopes and dreams. “That is to say…my immunity isn’t because I’m a dryad. Forming a contract with you, Zahra, and allowing your ability as a star nymph to facilitate sharing my powers with Castor won’t work because it isn’t a power that can be taken or bestowed.”
My bones crack as I clench my fists.
“You’re our only hope right now, Pila,” Zahra urges, on my behalf, and it hurts to swallow because of how right she is. Pila…is my only hope. And that hope is slipping through my fingers. “Is there any way at all to package your immunity?”
Pila—heartless, probably—frees a quiet laugh. “It’s not impossible to achieve; it’s just difficult and risky to test.”
“What do you mean?” I ask, voice tight. I have spent ages calculating and testing magics, seeking loopholes and cures, tono avail. If what Pila speaks of now is something achievable, I am not above breaking myself into pieces in order to obtain it. No amount ofriskwill sway me.
I would do anything to safely see my soulmate.Anything.
“Pollux says I’m unaffected because love is stronger than fear. He says that every so often, a being born of love enters the world. He says I am such a being. The answer you’re looking for, Castor, might be love.”
My heart jerks, and I rise, toppling the toadstool.
Terra’s fussing transforms into wailing cries.
I flinch.
“Castor,” Zahra snaps, “what are you doing?”
My mouth opens, but words don’t come readily. Shaking my head to clear it, I finally say, “The solution isn’t here. After everything I’ve done that has affected you, I appreciate your time and willingness to meet with me, Pila. I think I should stop troubling your infant now.”
Like a saint, the dryad woman murmurs, “All things happen in good time for unseen reasons, and I am in no place to judge you for situations I do not fully comprehend. Since Zahra asked an audience with me today on your behalf, I have given much thought to what has happened because of you, and I have reached the decision that you are not my enemy. Ash is not a dryad. You did something to force his sapling into bearing his fruit. Life as innocent as that little boy doesn’t sprout from a place devoid of effort or care. In the time I have known you, you have hurt no one. You expressed terror and regret when you thought you had hurt me. You have helped Alana. You have befriended Alexios. You have found Dani—your soulmate. That in itself proves something has changed within you between the time when Pollux and Cael sought to distance themselves from you, and now. If I might be so bold as to ask that you communicate better with those of us who belong outside yourcheckered history, it may do you good. Your enemies’ allies, after all, make the best friends.”
