“Yes, she was. She helped me prepare for bed.”
“That can’t be right.” Tauren shakes his head. “There’s a salt barrier around Elheart’s palace?—”
“I’m not lying! She had your hair and your eyes, and she was sweet to me. When I first got out of the carriage I was so scared, but she made me feel better. Even without words.”
“That sounds like Maeve.” His gaze is distant, searching. Then he’s up, gathering up the bedrolls and stamping out the fire.
“Are we leaving?” I reach for my corset. My bloomers are a lost cause. I’ll have to hope my wedding dress is dry.
“Yes.” Tauren drops the bedrolls. Before I can process what’s happening, he’s back on top of me, kissing me until I can’t breathe.
“Thank you,” he says against my lips. “This means more to me than you could ever know.”
“He’s still got her, though,” I say nervously. “She’ll probably be in his palace again by now.”
“She will be.” He nods. “But since you saw her outside of the palace, that tells us one important thing.”
“What?” I breathe.
Tauren grins, and I resist the urge to kiss it. “There’s a way back inside.”
23
TAUREN
“Are we certain it was Maeve that she saw?” Thobas croaks across the table. “Could it have been another demon? There are many others who live outside your court.”
“Dahlia said she was with Elheart’s soldier and that she looked just like Claren and I. Who else could it have been?”
My advisers nod in agreement, their hopeful murmurs filling the meeting room. After escorting Dahlia to our tower, I’d come straight here, stopping only to alert the guards to wake my castle advisers. Ten minutes later, the half-dozen hurriedly-dressed demons funnelled in, followed by Kennix, his dark hair still mussed from sleep.
He stands by my side, rubbing a hand over his stubble. “It’s strange, though. If Maeve can now leave the palace, why hasn’t she come home herself?”
“Elheart would have her under constant supervision. Dahlia said there was a guard with her,” I reply.
“Yes but why risk it at all?” Kennix says. “Surely there are other servants he could’ve sent to care for his bride at the inn. It doesn’t make sense for him to take such a risk when he knows how desperate we are.”
I furrow my brow. He’s right. It doesn’t make sense. Then again, if Lord Elheart was a rational man, he’d have accepted my initial offer of Dahlia for Maeve and my sister would’ve come home days ago.
“It doesn’t matter,” I address the table. “All that matters now is that Maeve was spotted outside the palace, therefore there must be a way inside. We’ll send soldiers to scout the wall and the forest surrounding it. There must be an opening somewhere.”
“There’s no harm in looking.” Thobas nods, scribbling onto his parchment. “We have seven squads that can be dispatched at moonrise.”
“Do it.” I turn back to Kennix. “You’ll go with them.”
“Of course.” He dips his head. He’s hiding it well, but I’ve known him for too many years to not see the hope in his eyes. Before we lost her, Maeve was loved by all of us here, but Kennix always had more than just a soft spot for her. I didn’t approve of his desire to court her then, and I still don’t feel great about letting anyone other than family near my little sister – but if anyone will bring her home safely, it’s him.
“Are we entering the castle if an opening is found?” he asks eagerly.
I shake my head. “Report back here first. We don’t want to rush this and spook Elheart into sealing it again. We’ll scout the location, make a plan and?—
A draft hits the back of my neck.
I turn. My jaw clenches at the sight before me.
Dahlia stands in the now-open doorway of the meeting room. Her hair is knotted from sleep, and there are dark circles under her eyes. But it’s not that my gaze hardens on. It’s the black,near-translucentnight gown swinging around her thighs.
Are you fucking kidding me?
