My father shook his head. “Many things. Perhaps Kole could take you aside and explain.”
No sooner had he uttered the words than Kole was there, gesturing for Koraline to follow him. He led her somewhere out of the room, and my parents and I retreated to the couches and chairs near the fire.
The entire time, my mother held my hand, not flinching or drawing back.
“We’ll remove the Imperial Warriors from the palace grounds.” My father leaned back in his chair, his expression haggard, but he didn’t say more.
I nodded, too afraid to speak lest my uncle’s magic be triggered, and I realized it would always be like this. Always walking on eggshells. Always watching every word we said.
I prayed with everything I had that everyone was always careful, but if one of us had a bad day, had a slight mishap, or said a tired statement that wasn’t worded carefully, my horrific magic would impale their minds and erase everything that Kole had revealed today.
How can we live like this?
Even though I no longer needed to breathe, I inhaled a deep, shuddering breath, more out of habit from my previous fae lifetime than anything.
My parents and I continued to sit in silence, only the crackling fire making a sound, and I didn’t dare consider that my parents were reaching the same conclusion as me, too afraid to say more in case anything changed.
I didn’t know how long Koraline was gone with Kole, but when they returned, my sister’s footsteps padded across the floor at my back. And when she came around the couch, she crouched down to face me.
Her eyes were moist, her mouth downturned. Without saying a word, she clasped my hands and squeezed tightly.
For a moment, she just stared at me, then she said with burning intensity, “I’m sorry. I’m really,reallysorry.” She pinched her mouth closed, but her eyes conveyed how much she meant those simple words.
I pulled her into a hug, thankful that she didn’t say more, and she hugged me back just as fiercely.
In that moment, something unraveled inside me. Finally, the peace I’d craved with my sister had at last been found, and I took that as a win.
“Thank you,” I replied thickly.
“Don’t ever thank me. Never. I was so angry before, at you, at our parents. I felt deceived, but I didn’t know—” She stopped herself. “Don’t worry. It’s okay now.”
We hugged again, and my heart swelled.
“We have a lot of lost time to make up for,” I said in a lighter tone.
She chuffed. “We do, but you’re not going anywhere now. You’re home. You’re exactly where you’re supposed to be.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
I spent the rest of the day with my family, Lillith joining us too. Kole also pulled her aside, looking glass in hand, and when Lillith returned to my parents’ sitting room, unlike the poised stoicism Koraline had shown, she burst into tears and hugged me so tightly I felt crushed.
But like Koraline, she didn’t say anything, also seeming to understand the importance of never voicing nor alluding to what I’d become...if they truly knew.
For all I knew, Kole had only told them that Arnel had been the one who tried to assassinate and then capture me. It was possible my family was still entirely in the dark that I was a vampire.
Or maybe they weren’t.
I would never know.
When we all sat down for the evening meal, it was the first time since living in the palace that I didn’t use my parents’ potion to test my food. All of those vials had been cleared away, no longer needed. And even though my parents invited Kole to join us, he said he needed to take care of a few things, causing my anxiety to spike.
I walked with him to the door as everyone else began to eat. “Are you feeling okay?” I asked him quietly.
“I’m fine, my love. I simply mean that I need to return to the Council. I need to fill them in on a few things.” He kissed me on the forehead, his love strumming toward me along our bond.
Once he left, I sat at the table again, and by the time we finished the meal, Kole was waiting for me in the hallway. New clothes adorned him, and even though he looked tired, he was still alert.
I was emotionally drained. Terrified too. I held his hand tightly and searched him for signs of unwellness.
