Theo’s face soured. Clearly, he was still in the friendzone and their relationship hadn’t progressed further— though the point must’ve soared over Odette’s head, because she bounced in place and smiled.
“My mother and I went on a backpacking trip around Poland, before I went back to Detroit,” Emma said softly. “There are quite a few fae ruins there. I looked, but didn’t find anything.”
My stomach jolted when she spoke, giving me a wave of nausea. By the gods, even her voice was painful to listen to. It wrenched agony from within me, peeling my heart away layer by layer.
I did my best not to let it show on my face, though I’m sure my true intentions showed, because Emma’s eyes flickered to me before settling forward.
“Us either,” Kiara said with a sigh. “My mother has an extensive library on fae lore, with thousands of books, and I didn’t find a single clue on the Crystals of Harmony. Alexei stayed in Dolinska, but that was a dead end, too.”
“I surveyed all the historical sites. It was interesting and I learned a lot, but they didn’t get me anywhere,” Alexei said.
“What about you two?” Theo asked Stefan and Delmare. “Surely there must be one clue.”
Delmare shook her head. “We traveled all over France. If there was a hint of the crystals, we would’ve unearthed it.”
“Sure you weren’t too busy honeymooning in Paris to concentrate on the stones?” Kiara teased.
“I was concentrating on stones, all right,” Delmare replied. The girls broke out laughing— save for Emma, who barely grinned.
“Hey, there were some sexy times going on, but we made sure to stay on task,” Stefan said. “And nada.”
“What about you, Ethan?” Odette squeaked. “Did you find anything?”
The group turned inward. My muscles froze. I worried what would happen next, with my upcoming confession— if this would be the straw that broke the camel’s back, and they’d outcast me from their presence. But I’d made a promise to be completely honest with my friends, and I planned to stick to that. No more lies.
I shifted uncomfortably. “I spied on the Circle and attended several events, but no mention of the crystals. The lords and ladies were too busy gossiping about my cousin’s kingship.”
The subject was a sore one. Gabby and Elijah had been crowned, and were on Malovia’s throne. I’d been on edge since it’d happened, and yet three months had gone by, and so far there were no drastic changes.
Yet. I was sure the two of them were just getting comfortable before they started giving the real orders.
“What about your vigilante work? Did you find out anything that way?” Alexei asked.
Emma’s eyes burned with tears, but she quickly blinked them away. I forced myself to stop looking at her.
“No. I haven’t put on the Phantom mask all summer,” I said.
Or since that cursed night of the masquerade. It’d sickened me to look at.
A couple of notes of surprise rang throughout the group. Emma’s eyes lit up with hope. It pained me to see, because she didn’t realize that it was truly over. There was no hope for us.
Not with the leshane in the way.
“Does that mean you’re done with it?” Alexei asked.
All eyes were on me. I cleared my throat and said, “I’m not sure.”
Hope changed to hurt, and disgust rang clear in Emma’s gaze. She said nothing.
“But you’ve been traveling, right?” Kiara asked. “Where’d you go?”
This was it. “See, the thing is…” I began. “I have been traveling, but I haven’t been looking for the crystals. I’ve been looking for help.”
“What do you mean?” Delmare raised an eyebrow, and Stefan leaned in. Emma’s face darkened, like she couldn’t understand my meaning.
I sighed. “I uh… I was possessed by the leshane that killed my father.”
Blood drained from Stefan and Delmare’s face. Both Odette and Theo took a step back, as if they were terrified. Alexei let out a choked gasp, and Kiara clutched at her throat.
