“Prim!” Gwen’s eyes widened, even more so when she saw Kole behind me.
“Look! I found the Stone. I actually found it!” I thrust it toward her, pride beaming through me. “I can save Timith!”
Her jaw dropped as she beheld the sparkling gem that shone with radiant starlight, but instead of throwing the door open and ushering me inside, she stayed in front of the door and said, “Gods and Goddesses, you did it!”
“Yes!”
She appraised Kole again, and I frowned. “Aunt Gwen, what are you waiting for? Don’t you understand what this means? I can save Timith. I just need to be near him when I cast my wish.”
Jaw clenching, she gave Kole a barely concealed sneer, then addressed me. “He’s not well, Prim. Not well at all.”
“Of course, he’s not. That’s why I got the Stone.” I again tried to move past her, but she blocked me once more.
“He’s taken a turn for the worse.” She eyed Kole again, her look hard, and I glanced between the two of them.
Kole’s chin was dipped, and his jaw was clenched so hard the muscle jutted out. It suddenly struck me that he hadn’t said a word, and my aunt didn’t seem confused by his presence.
Bafflement strummed through me. “Do you two know each other?”
Kole’s throat bobbed, and my aunt’s lips pursed. Her nostrils flared, and barely concealed hatred flowed from her toward Kole. “Let’s go downstairs.”
She made to clasp my arm, but I jerked away. “Go downstairs? Are you kidding me? I have theStone, Gwen. I cansave Timith!”
I pushed past her, not letting her deter me a third time, and hurried into their bedchambers. The second I did, I stopped short.
Pitch blackness surrounded me, and the feeling of imminent death followed.
“Oh Gods, I got here just in time.” Stale air filled my nose, and my magic activated. My sensory eyesight made everything come into focus just as my mental magic reached out on its own accord. A heartbeat responded, slow, but still beating, and a body lay in the bed under the covers. My magic recognized the fairy as my uncle, but...
I cocked my head. “Uncle Timith?” I couldn’t see much of him since he was mostly covered, but when I stepped closer, and his face appeared, everything in me grew cold.
He looked like my uncle butdifferent.
Pale skin, hollowed cheeks, and the tips of fangs appeared between his lips. Despite still looking fae, he reminded me of...
“Stars Above.” I launched myself toward the bed, but Kole was suddenly behind me, holding me back.
“Stop, Prim. We should go downstairs.”
I struggled against him. “What in the realm are you talking about? I need to save my uncle! He’s—” I gasped, barely able to breathe. “He looks kind of like...” Tears clouded my eyes, and I nearly gagged. “Oh Gods, Kole, is he becoming one of thosethings?”
“Yes, he is, or at least a different version of one. You can’t save him.”
I turned in his arms, my jaw dropping. “Of course, I cansave him. I have theStone! I will be grantedanywish with it. Let me go.”
Regret filled his eyes, but he shook his head. “No.”
“No? Did you really just sayno? I have the Wishing Stone, Kole.Anythingis possible with it, even curing him. I can save him. Ican.”
From the doorway, Aunt Gwen gave Kole another scathing look, but when she addressed me, her voice was thick with unshed tears. “It’s not safe anymore to be near him, Prim. They’re saying it’s advanced enough that he can infect us.”
“Infect us? But we’ve been around him ever since he fell ill, and neither of us have gotten sick. Stars and galaxies, I’m going to pull my hair out! Don’t youunderstand? I have theStone.I cansave himright now, even if he can make us sick.”
Gwen sucked in a breath, and tears shimmered in her eyes. “I know you can, you beautiful, brilliant, and brave girl. But they won’t let you save him, Prim. The Imperial Warriors have orders to take the Stone from you once you arrived safely back in Whiteolf. They’re not going to let you keep it or cast your wish.” A low growl came from Kole, but my aunt shot him a reproachful look. “Well, it’s true, isn’t it? That’s what you and the other warrior said earlier today.”
Earlier today?
Numb shock bolted my feet to the floor. I glanced at Kole, my stomach falling...
