“At first, we were worried about the Contest. We didn’t want Ethan distracted,” I said. “And then... I don’t know. I fucking hate Gabby with a passion, but that bitch scares me. We were afraid if we told you, you guys would be in danger.”
“Or Ethan would lose his shit and hunt Gabby down for trying to hurt Emma,” Delmare added.
“I’m not ruling the idea out,” Ethan growled through clenched teeth.
I rolled my eyes. “Stop. You don’t know what you’re dealing with. If Gabby and Eli could kill Waldron in such a cruel manner, there’s no telling what they could do to us.”
“Right. Which is why there can beno more secretsin this group,” Stefan said firmly. “We’re working together now to get the stones and save the country. We have to be open and honest with each other about everything.”
Stefan’s eyes landed on Ethan and I. His heavy stare made me feel guilty, but I knew it wasn’t just for me. It was for Ethan, too.
My mate shifted uncomfortably as he said, “I agree. No more secrets. Not from this point out.”
I waited for a confession from him that he was the Phantom, but he said nothing more. My spirit cried. He was such a liar.
But I was one, too. And if he couldn’t come clean about the Phantom, I wasn’t saying a word about the White Rose.
There was only one secret left; the one that separated Ethan and I. And by the dark look in his eyes, I don’t think Stefan was willing to keep it any longer. Very soon, the truth would come out.
I feared the chaos that would reign when it did. What if Ethan thought I betrayed him once he discovered I was the White Rose? What if he hated me for it?
... What if he broke up with me?
He wouldn’t do that, would he? He couldn’t. Matesdidn’tbreak up.
But they could reject each other. And that’s what I feared— being abandoned by my Companion.
I wasn’t ready to deal with that reality. Though I longed to be honest, I didn’t want to lose Ethan. I loved him. Weren’t pretty lies better than harsh truths, if those lies kept my shifter by my side?
Once Ethan knew I was his arch nemesis, he wouldn’t want me anymore. I was almost certain of it. So I had to put a mask on, and keep pretending for as long as I could.
Though I knew this couldn’t go on forever. The clock would eventually strike midnight.
And I’d lose my prince charming as the fantasy came to a bitter end.
Chapter Twenty-One
Ethan
“Is this really necessary?” Emma asked.
I had Emma by the hand and was pulling her down the hallway. Excitement brewed in my stomach as we wandered the halls of Arcanea University on May seventh, eager to surprise her.
“I told you I wanted to give you a birthday present,” I teased. “We just have to get there.”
Emma frowned. “If this is some kind of—”
We climbed the stairs to the Rec Room. As we rounded the corner, there was a loud chorus of, “Happy birthday!”
Emma’s mouth dropped open. Delmare, Stefan, Odette, Theo, Kiara and Alexei were standing around a table that was holding a massive blue and white birthday cake. Blue streamers hung from the walls. Odette flung a handful of blue glitter up into the air, while Alexei blew on a noisemaker. Presents floated in mid-air, suspended by a spell.
“You guys really didn’t have to do this,” Emma said as she approached the table with a smile. The glitter Odette had thrown shimmered in the air— she’d used her illusion magic to morph it into a bird, and it flew in circles over our heads.
“Of course we did. Now shut up and blow out your candles,” Delmare said.
Emma knelt by the cake. She closed her eyes and made a wish before blowing the candles out in one go.
People clapped, and Kiara began cutting the cake. She handed out a slice to Emma, and she took a bite eagerly, her eyes lighting up.
