“My brother.” Her eyes narrowed. “But I don’t blame you for it. He would be difficult to love, after all. It’d take a special kind of woman to put up with his nonsense.”
I glanced back at the scene behind us. Arenn had risen from the grass and now argued with Erissa while his mother tried her best to separate them.
“I’ve been watching you while we played,” Lyssandra went on. “Even if my ritual had gone wrong, you’d start to develop new feelings by now… But it’s like you can’t stand him. I don’t understand.”
Swallowing, I turned back to face her. I shouldn’t trust this faery. She’d stolen my memories – even if it had been ‘for the best’ as Arenn continuously assured me. Still, this was the first time the prince had left me alone since we’d arrived here, and if I didn’t tell anyone how I was actually feeling soon, I’d turn just as unhinged as Arenn’s fire-wielding sisters.
“He told me that we fell in love after he saved me from some goblins in the forest and that I’ve lived with your family ever since.” My voice dropped to a broken whisper. “But I don’t feel safe in these walls, apparently I have no friends or family aside from him, and every time he kisses me, I feel this awful churning in my chest.” The words bubbled out like thefresh tears wetting my cheeks. “I don’t understand any of this either, Lyssandra. But Arenn won’t let me out of his sight for long enough for me to try and begin to.”
Her lips parted while her forehead scrunched up with concern. After a few panicked moments, she muttered, “I think I may have made an awful mistake.”
Before I could demand she tell me what was actually going on here, footsteps crunched against the grass behind us.
“It’s your turn, Lyssa.” Arenn’s hand hit my shoulder, tugging me back against his chest. When his eyes caught the tears on my cheeks, he stiffened. “What were you just talking about?”
“Your wedding,” Lyssandra chirped without missing a beat. “Naria just asked for me to walk her down the aisle. Isn’t that wonderful?” She tossed me a nervous grin.
“She’s right. I did.” Sniffing loudly, I wiped away the tears from my face. “I’m just looking forward to it so much, I can’t help but get emotional.” The lie tasted bitter on my tongue, but not as bitter as the dread crawling up my throat at the thought of actually marrying him.
I could thank the divine beings that he’d agreed to only hold the ceremony once my feelings for him returned.
Arenn’s gaze softened. “Really?”
I nodded, forcing a smile.
“In that case, let’s bring the wedding forward!” He beamed.
My stomach plummeted. “Oh no, let’s not rush anything—” But Arenn had already turned away to announce the good news to his family.
“Mother, Father, how soon can we hold a wedding?”
His sisters squealed with glee while his parents began to list off all the details, their croquet mallets forgotten in the grass. Off to the side, Erissa watched me carefully.
“I’m going to try and fix this,” Lyssandra hissed into my ear, taking my hand. “Just stay strong for a little while longer.”
Squeezing her hand back, I used the other to fidget with the soft petals of my skirt. I’d just about managed to steady my breathing when Arenn’s mother’s voice rang across the garden.
“My son shall be married in one week!”
CHAPTER 41
LUKAS
“Again,” the Merfolk Queen hissed. My body doubled over, my palms slamming into the sandy floor of the dolphin training paddock.
“Enough. We’ve been at this for hours,” I rasped. “It’s not working. I can’t do it.” Exhaustion pulsed through my veins, and every part of me hurt. But the Merfolk Queen just slinked closer, her long ebony tail trailing behind her.
“You can and you will.” She smirked. “That’s if you still want to saveher, of course.”
I punched the sand with a growl.
About a week had passed since Adriana dragged medown to the merfolk palace. To no one’s surprise, Queen Vearla could hardly contain her excitement once I’d asked if she could teach me about my magic. Though her mood soon soured after I told her why. My other cousins didn’t take the news well, either. All ten of them shouted over each other as if their outrage alone could fix this.
Still, despite my reservations about coming here, it was oddly comforting to know that other people cared about my missing wife as much as I did.That’s if you could call the merfolk people.
Since then, every day had been the same: an early morning knock on my bedchamber door, followed by hours of gruelling training with a few meals in between, before finally crawling back into my sea-sponge bed – only to do it all again the next day.
But after a week of still not being able to summon whatever beast laid dormant in my chest, I was really starting to wonder if perhaps I’d imagined every crackle of power I’d ever felt on my fingertips.
