“I know,” he sighed and took a step backward, reaching up to rub his face as if needing to shake himself from a trance. When he pulled his fingers away, he glanced over at the beautiful sleeping form of my best friend. When he peered back at me, there was so much pain in his eyes, I wanted to pull him into a hug.
“I know what would be best for everyone. I tried…and you and Ariyon make sense. It’s like the Light created him just for you, but… I can’t help how I feel.” He looked down at my feet, and I had to swallow a whimper as my heart broke for him.
This was exactly how I felt about Ariyon. I had tried to make it work with Ayden, but my heart wanted his brother.
“I’m so sorry.” I reached for his hand and then stopped short, realizing I wasn’t wearing my gloves.
We both looked at our hands, two inches apart, and chuckled. The curse would keep us apart no matter what.
Ayden waved me off. “If you and my brother are happy, how could I be sad? I love you both.” Then he picked up his blood-crusted sword and waved to me. “See you tomorrow, Fallon.”
“Yeah.” I waved back, but it was hard to lift my spirits after that. Ayden was the poster boy for kindness, and I felt that we were all blessed to have him in our lives in whatever capacity, but what just transpired still sucked.
Yanric flew into the tent and perched on my shoulder.
‘Your dad wants you to come home and get some rest. He’s heading there now. He just finished helping the guards reinforce the gates.’
I nodded, walking over to rouse Eden. She blearily followed me outside into the darkness, where I said goodbye to Avis. Theapothecary was still handing out tinctures and doing her best with Mrs. Reebus to make custom remedies on site. It seemed the Nightlings nearly pillaged the entire city before coming to the school, and now The Academy was a triage center of sorts for people to seek healing. Walking among the sick and injured was the queen, dutifully making her rounds and speaking to every single person as over two dozen guards followed her. She’d gained my respect tonight. My view of her had changed. She was like a mother bear protecting her cubs. The entire Gilded City were her children, and she saw me as a threat. I couldn’t argue with that. I could only try to change her view of me.
I waved to Master Clarke, who was helping train a contingent of guards who were sparsely placed around the school. After dropping Eden off at her house and seeing that she got home safely, Yanric and I walked to my house.
‘What a day,’I told him.
He yawned.‘I’m ready for bed.’
Yanric slept with me now. I couldn’t stand the thought of him out in the rain or cold.
When I stepped up to our door, I paused. My dad was standing frozen in the open doorway, staring inside.
“Dad?” I glanced past him and was confused to see all the furniture was gone. The apartment had been completely cleared out.
What the fae?
“Have we been robbed?” my father asked as he walked deeper into the apartment.
I was tired and my mind felt foggy, so it took me a second to figure out what was going on.
“Oh, we were supposed to move into Bane Manor,” I said.
His posture relaxed. “Oh, right.” Walking over to the kitchen counter, he pulled a note off the top. It was directions to Bane Manor. My father looked at me bleary-eyed. “I’m too tired totrek to the East Side right now. Are you too pampered to sleep on the floor?”
I grinned. “Never.”
With that, he walked back over the street to Mable’s to borrow some blankets, and we made two bedrolls on the floor, just like in Isariah.
“I’m glad you’re okay, kiddo. I was worried today,” he said, peering at me from across the living room floor.
I let out a big yawn as Yanric snuggled deeper into my blanket. “You too, Dad.”
The words barely left my mouth before I drifted to sleep.
TWELVE
ARIYON
It had been a few days since I’d seen Fallon. But doing so had given me renewed hope. She was looking for me; I should have known she wouldn’t stop. I grinned at the memory of holding her against my chest in this very cell. She’d brought me the best news when she told me that my aunt was safe and not dead. I was going to do whatever it took to get back to Fallon, my aunt, my brother, and The Gilded City. So far, I was winning my tribunal, and they were throwing everything at me, three to four fights a day. Marissa was also back, watching from the corner of the room like a psycho. I think she liked seeing what her daughter’s power could do. Watching me was like watching Fallon in some weird way. I couldn’t help but get a creeped-out vibe that Marissa was obsessed with Fallon and her power, and I wanted to know why. What she’d said the other day, about needing Fallon in order to be queen and getting the Nightlings bodies, was so beyond disturbing. It didn’t make sense. Even if she succeeded in finally assassinating my aunt, she couldn’t be queen. Right?
I decided the next time I saw Marissa, I’d ask her about it. Worst case, I pissed her off and she slapped me. But she couldn’t kill me. Not according to the Accords, which I still longed to havea copy of. From what I gathered, I was a prisoner, so I could be roughed up and forced into fights, but I couldn’t be killed unless it was during a fight. They had to treat me like one of their own until my tribunal was over. I feared what would happen to me if I lost my tribunal. You were allowed to forfeit the fights, but it was frowned upon. Would I just live here in my bodily form forever? Become a guard and just… No, I couldn’t allow myself to think like that. Or about the Bottomless Pit that Amethyst had threatened me with. I had to stay positive.
