His eyes glistened brighter than his cheeks as he wrapped his arms around his mother. “I love you, Mama. Goodbye.”
I glanced over my shoulder—one of the chains over the doors had dissolved into dust.
I smiled, but I was fading. Making an illusion of Freya had exhausted my magic and I had no energy to loosen the remaining chains.
I floated out of the dream as easily as I had entered it and opened my eyes to the dark nest of the Duke’s bed.
Derrick was vulnerable and broken, but as his breath slowed against my hair and his heart thumped steadily against my back, I let myself smile.
I still had a castle to invade and a monster to slay before I secured Riyan’s freedom, but at least Derrick would spend one night in a dream.
I ran my fingertips along the spines of the books, not even knowing what I was looking for.
Brietta wanted to read as many books as possible to look for any historical accounts that contradicted what Ashmore had fed us. She and Annalisa were holed up in the main library, but they sent me to the conservatory to investigate. Annalisa had said the conservatory was where the Hytons put all the books they did not care about preserving and maybe I would find a hidden treasure.
I doubted any treasure was in the conservatory, but I needed something to do until nightfall. I had needles under my skin as I fought the urge to try to access Derrick’s mind again, but I had to wait for him to fall asleep for the best chance.
I had to slay the monster of Midnight’s nightmares if I had any hope of getting control of Derrick’s mind.
I scanned the spines for anything remotely interesting when a sad little pull tugged on my heart. I had hidden behind that same bookshelf on Riyan and I’s wedding night.
What would our eight days together have been like had I not wasted that first night being afraid of him? He might have ended the lives of countless men, but he would have never hurt me.
I swallowed my guilt and looked around. Mother had helped me out of my Presentation dress that night but we abandoned it since Riyan’s blood had stained it during the marriage ceremony. Where did it even go? A few ambitious maids had probably taken the dress and picked all the pearls off.
What a fortuitous treasure for them—those pearls were the last of the House of Ravenwood’s wealth. I hoped they at least bought some good bread with their find.
A loud clipping noise echoed through the room followed by the rustle of leaves. Who else was in the conservatory?
I silently peered around the bookshelf. Mother stood at the edge of the curved line of plant boxes in front of the large sunny windows. She had her back to me, fussing with the sharp leaves of some plant.
I did not want to face my mother after stepping into her old role. I would rather just live my days parallel with hers until the full moon.
“You knew I was going to find you eventually.” Mother said, not even turning around. “Are you brave enough to speak with me yet?”
Damn it, Mother!
Reluctantly, I stepped out from behind the bookshelf. The invisible pull of a lifetime as an obedient daughter guided my footsteps over to the plants.
I had almost forgotten what my mother looked like without her dark, seductive makeup. She wore her hair swept up andheld in place with a silver comb. Her sleeves were rolled above her elbows and her black bodice was embroidered with red poisonous mushrooms.
“Not poisonous,” her gentle scold echoed in my memory. “Harmless if left alone.”
I stood next to her, eyeing the sweat that beaded on her temples and the flush of her cheeks from working in the sunlight.
She held her shears at the base of a green leaf. “We have much to talk about.”
Clip.
Mother held the severed leaf out to me. “Here.”
I wrinkled my nose but cautiously wrapped my fingers around the turgid leaf. The skin of the leaf was smooth like leather, but the inside was squishy like flesh. The severed edge wept with a clear nectar that smelled sweet and somehow familiar.
Mother clipped another leaf and placed it in her wicker basket. “Selene succulent. But I assume you have a burning curiosity for the more powerful plants?”
Not really. I never gave much thought to herbalism, but I was never foolish enough to reject information. “Knowing one’s enemy is better than being in the dark.”
She looked at me over her shoulder. “The dark is the best place to be when your enemies shine in the light.”
