Eyes meeting his steadily, she took another deep breath, letting it out slowly. She was skilled at controlling her reactions, which was an unusual occurrence and informative in and of itself. Hope ignited with a flicker in his heart at the hint that she knew something.
Finally, she looked away, sadness filling her voice as she spoke. “I’ve had some experience with loved ones being in dangerous, even deadly, situations. The weight of it is a lot to bear. Even more so as the one responsible for their well-being. I imagine, as her soul-guardian, you feel the same. Especially if you are alone in your search.” She brushed her hand over his arm again, a caress this time, and shifted infinitesimally closer.
He said nothing, mind overtaken once again by confusing emotion. It was as if she were reaching into him and caressing his soul with warmth and light, lifting the heavy darkness with her touch and her words. His heart reacted as if he were starved, grasping for the compassion she offered.
His mind balked at the odd feeling, while his heart yearned for more. Did it matter that she was possibly a mage, embraced things he never could, if she was able to cause such a tremendous response in him? If she was able to help him save Brenna?
“I’m very familiar with that. Recently, in fact.” Weariness edged out the sadness in her voice and her muscles tensed further under his hands. “I don’t think I’ve slept well since the last moon. Having such… complications… arise in your hunt must be stressful. How are you holding up?”
That was not the response he had expected. Concern for him, rather than for his soul-daughter or his hunt. Her turquoise eyes encouraged him to open up. His solitary nature warred with the new desire that had filled him earlier, wanting to engage with her. Her sincere attention pulled an honest answer from him.
“I’ve had a difficult time sleeping as well. I’m worried for her. The longer she is with them…” He fought to block the troubling images that assaulted his mind whenever he dropped his guard. “I can’t sleep for imagining what she might be suffering.”
“Have you—”
She was cut off as one of her friends approached, steps purposeful. “Celina, I’m so sorry to interrupt, but we need to go.”
“What’s wrong? Is someone hurt?”
“No, it’s not that.” The dark-haired woman waved the concern away and offered Rodric an apologetic smile before nodding her head toward the official-looking messenger behind her. “Your presence has been requested at the keep. Something official, I gather.”
Celina took a trembling breath before turning back to Rodric. “I’m sorry. I have to leave immediately.”
His hand tightened reflexively where it still rested on her back, not wanting to let go of her. There was suddenly fear and worry in her eyes, tenfold from her concern for him before. Whatever awaited her was clearly important. He nodded in understanding.
Her hand tightened on his arm. “I hope you find the answers you need.”
The inward roll of her lips told him there was more she wanted to say but held back. He wondered what she knew. What she would have said had they not been interrupted. He was certain her questions had been leading somewhere significant.
Frustration for Brenna’s sake and disappointment for his own made him restless.
With a final lingering look, she let go of him and walked away, posture tight and regal. At least now he knew her name.Celina.
It finally occurred to him to wonder why she had never asked his.
Chapter 4
Ravensmere Keep, Realm of Calderre
Celinahatedthesetypesof meetings the most. The ones where all of her personas were present, merged into one. Who was she supposed to be at a moment like this? Healer, offering needed comfort and support? Matriarch, concerned for the well-being of someone she was responsible for? Sister, terrified of the news about to be shared about her beloved brother?
Her eyes settled on her younger sister, seated across from her. Stress marred her delicate face with worried lines. Was Cat about to lose another family member? The brother who had helped raise her, taught her to ride, to spar with a blade, to laugh through the hurt?
Swallowing hard, Celina tried to shut down the brewing panic.
Everyone safe. Everyone together.She’d been fighting for those two things since the day their mother had died nearly twenty years ago, when she’d become head of the family at the tender age of eight. The same day she’d discovered, by force of trauma, her healing magic.
Her younger sister sat still and regal, but an unmistakable fire flickered in her eyes, detectible only to those who knew her well. She was calm and collected, except for where her hands gripped the edge of the sofa. Watching Catriona prepare for presumably bad news made her proud of the girl she had raised.
Though she hated the idea of Cat leaving the protective bubble of their home, she knew she’d made the right decision recently in giving her approval to allow Cat to enter the fierce competition to rule their realm. As a female of royal blood who possessed magic, she was eligible to compete for the throne when the current queen’s reign ended. Her sister was passionate about making her mark in the world in a way that terrified Celina.
Cat’s eyes flicked to hers, questioning, at the weight of her stare. Strawberry hair the same shade as their mother’s fell in waves around her face, a few strands of gold gleaming rebelliously in the soft light burning in the room.
Of the three of them, Cat was visually the closest to their parents. The image of their mother, albeit gentler and softer, with a regal grace that was all her own. The gold flecked brown eyes and intelligence of their father. If only they could see her now, on the precipice of changing the world.
Being queen was not her destiny, but it very well might be Cat’s. Somehow, Celina had to come to terms with her sister’s goals and desires. Most importantly, she needed to ensure that her entire family was alive and well when that day came.
Celina tried to smile reassuringly, but her lips barely moved. Not convincing in the least.
