Guilt slashes at my chest, but through the pain, my lips part. I’ve never seen Claren like this before. So furious. It’s like looking in a mirror.
Taking a breath, I reply, “The salt barrier?—”
“The salt wall would’ve never stopped Maeve, and you know it.” Claren sits back down. “You always talk about her like she’sjust some lost child, but she’s strong. There’s no way she’d let Elheart keep her trapped in there for so long.”
“But what if she was drugged when he put the initial line of salt down?” I argue. “Or if he’s been keeping her in the dungeon?”
“Did you never see them together?” he scoffs. “He wouldn’t have done that to her. Even if he had, Maeve is clever. She would’ve found a way to break the barrier.” His gaze hardens on me. “That’s the reason you never just took this to the faeries, or found some other way to break through the wall, isn’t it? Because you’re scared that if you were to do something so drastic, that Maeve will hate you more than she already does.”
“Enough,” I snarl.
“No, I’ve had enough of you!” he yells. “Why couldn’t you just accept that they were in love instead of making her run away from us just to get away from you!”
I push the thought away, my heart pounding. But the memory crashes over me like a wave.
That’s what we were fighting about that night. I’d caught Elheart with his hand up her skirt in the castle gardens. I would’ve killed him had Maeve not used her magic to protect him.
The worst part was, it wasn’t even what he’d done that had bothered me. It was how she was looking at him. The love in her eyes. Powerful love I’d not seen since before our parents’ deaths.
Clenching my jaw, I focus on the new dent in the carriage wall. “Even if she loves him… that doesn’t explain why we’ve had no letters.”
“Perhaps she doesn’t want to speak to you.” Claren looks away.
My lips part. “Have you heard anything from her?”
“No. But then again, I wasn’t exactly nice to her either when she said she was running away.” Regret dips in his tone. It seems I wasn’t the only demon who made mistakes that night.
Silence falls between us until Claren speaks again. “There’s something else that doesn’t make sense, either.”
My brow lowers. “What?”
“Dahlia,” he starts. “If Elheart and Maeve are still in love, why would he want another wife? Maeve would never let him take a second wife. She was obsessed with him.”
I nod slowly. It’d surprised me when I found out that Elheart had purchased one of Sol’s daughters at the ball. It’s part of the reason I’d been so desperate to offer him a trade. If he was done with my sister, then I wanted her back.
“I don’t know why,” I reply honestly. “And then there’s the fact that Dahlia says she met her at the inn. Why was she there? Why didn’t she just come home?”
“We’ll find out when Dahlia gets out.” Claren nods, finally taking a bite of his sandwich.
I glance at the basket between us, the chocolates he’d brought still untouched. I’m not angry anymore. Only fear eats at my thoughts while I stare into the basket.
Fear that something far worse than love has happened to Maeve. And fear that when Dahlia finds out the truth about all this, she’ll run away just like my sister.
31
DAHLIA
“Are you sure this is the only way out?” I glance between the palace entrance and Maeve. It’s the same archway the guards escorted me through this morning. The same arch Tauren insisted was infused with salt.
Maeve nods, a determined set to her brow.
“Is this about Tauren? Have you changed your mind?” I wouldn’t blame her. This has all happened so fast. It’s been minutes since we sprinted out of the bedchamber and found ourselves here, the afternoon sun beating down on us as we hide behind a shrub.
Confused, Maeve shakes her head. She tightens her grip on my hand then points at the archway again.
“What’s wrong?” Blossom asks. “Is it the guards? I can use my gift to get us past them.”
I shoot her a glare. We had to watch her use her magic words on two more guards on the way here, both of whom are now enjoying a pleasant walk around the grounds.
