The weight of his words settles over the room.
"Why?" Lady Deirdre's voice is barely above a whisper. "Why would the Un do this?"
"Blight wants her to have a different mate." Arescaine's eyes flick to me meaningfully. "She's cruel enough to do far worse than memory loss if we defy her designs."
"So we are to lie to our queen?" Aelfric's voice rises with outrage. "Let her wander in confusion while we keep the truth from her?"
"Yes," Arescaine says.
"This is wrong," one of the Grimsbane behind Rainer mutters.
"Rhianelle deserves to know the truth," the Silver Stag says, his voice unwavering. "I will not deceive my niece."
"She's healing because of the mating bond," Arescaine says, his gaze boring into Rainer, making even the Silver Stag pause. "The bond between her and the fae."
It's clear now why the vampire hasn't torn me apart. Rhianelle needs my healing. He's protecting her by letting me live, by letting this bond exist between us, even though it's killing him to do it.
"If Blight retaliates for our defiance, Rhianelle could be harmed… or face far worse," Arescaine says carefully.
"Worse?" Garrett asks quietly.
Arescaine's chest rises with a slow breath. "Blight could take more memories. Every fragment of Rhianelle's self could vanish. Her mind could be twisted, and madness could claim her. She could even be unmade, wiped from existence entirely."
Silence swallows the room, thick and suffocating.
Lady Deirdre's gaze drifts over the group. "The Un never meddle in mortal lives without purpose. Their focus on Rhianelle… their actions speak of stakes far beyond our understanding."
"There's no telling what Blight might do," the vampire says. I can hear the strain in his voice despite how controlled he sounds.
Aelfric shifts uncomfortably. "So when Rhianelle asks about you—"
"I'm Arescaine, an ally to Aelfheim. Nothing more." Each word costs him something. "A friend who helped during the war. Someone she met recently."
"For how long?" one of the handmaidens asks timidly. "How long must we maintain this deception?"
"Until I find a way to break the Un's hold," Arescaine says, his jaw tightening. "Or until Rhianelle chooses her fate-chosen mate on her own."
Until she chooses me.
The thought twists like a blade between my ribs. This isn't how it's supposed to be.
"We shouldn't keep this from her." Rainer Wiolant shakes his head. "Rhianelle has always valued truth above all else."
"I value her life above all else," Arescaine counters.
The vampire's absolute conviction leaves no room for argument.
"Keeping her alive and safe is all that matters," Arescaine says, looking at each of us in turn. "Can I count on your silence? Will you play along with this deception to protect her?"
One by one, reluctantly, everyone in the room nods. The handmaidens first, then the knight, Aelfric, Garrett, the dark-haired knight and his wife. Lady Deirdre closes her eyes and inclines her head.
Even Rainer finally nods.
"Good," Arescaine says. Then his gaze fixes on me. "The healer will continue his work. He'll treat Rhianelle, monitor her recovery, do whatever is necessary to ensure she survives. We will all play our parts until a solution presents itself."
The meeting begins to disperse, people filing out slowly. Lady Deirdre rises and leaves without a word. The handmaidens follow, their whispers echoing down the stairwell. Rainer Wiolant lingers at the window, eyes fixed on the ocean.
I start to turn away, but Arescaine's voice cuts through the quiet, halting me in my tracks.
