My eyes fluttered a few times before surging into a spin. “Forget it.”
She rolled to her side, resting her head on her hands. “I get it. But sooner or later you’re going to have to forgive him.”
“I don’thaveto forgive him,” I argued, although the ache that came with those words threatened to tear me in half. Now knowing what life was likewithhim, I couldn’t imagine my lifewithoutSebastian. Though I also couldn’t see a world where I understood why he did what he did, either. So where the hell did that leave me?
“No. Sorry. I suppose you don’t have to.”
“I want to read the journal,” I announced, pushing up on my side to face her head on. “I want to see just how much he hid from me.”
Her throat bobbed. “I’m sure you can. But I think healing and focusing on this new power of yours should come first. You need to figure out what exactly it means.”
In all honesty, after seeing what I had been capable of during the battle, I was kind of scared to try conjuring the stars again. I wouldn’t exactly say that what I did back in Caelestis wascontrollingthe power. More like in the moment, I had nothing to lose by giving it free range.
I shifted the subject. “I also need to know what's happening in Caelestis. And with Beaumont. Do we know if he survived?”
“Gods. Does your mind ever stop?” Delani’s head tossed side to side in disbelief. “You know that it's okay to take some time to heal and adjust to everything before jumping right back into this mess, right?”
Wrong.
My mind couldn’t handle not knowing. I deserved all of the information. Even ifhedidn’t think so.
“Just answer the question,” I snarled. “Do we know anything about Beaumont or not?”
“No. We’re pretty secluded here in Lumosia,” she answered without an inch of doubt.
I couldn’t stop the way my face scrunched. “You sound like you’ve been here for years.”
Delani’s chin tilted to the side. “Come on, Maeve. Give it a chance. It’s our new home.”
“This place will never be home.”
My home—Vierallo—was gone.
“You can have more than one home,” she argued.
“Sure,” I scoffed, falling to my back to glare at the ceiling and holding up three fingers. “One home is a building with four walls.” I dropped a finger. “Home number two is a person—should you be so lucky.” Another digit fell. “And your final home is wherever they throw your corpse after you’ve lost your two other homes.” I folded my fist.
Delani's hazel eyes widened so much that I swore they were going to fall out of her skull and roll across the birchwood floor. “Oh how I have missed youroptimism.”
“I’m not trying to be optimistic?—”
“Clearly.”
“I amtryingto be realistic,” I sharply concluded.
A heavy knock hit the door, followed by a creek as it was pushed slightly ajar.
“May I?” Archer waited for a response before peering through the crack of wood.
“Sure,” I replied with a click of my tongue. “It’s your house, or mansion, or palace…whatever you call it.”
“Has she always been this sarcastic?” he asked Delani with a chuckle as he made his entrance.
“This is nothing, compared to her usual ridicule.”
My father’s sight locked to where I lay sprawled on the plush duvet. “How are you holding up?”
My bones shook as I moved upright, the cartilage still weak from the multiple breaks I had endured. “How do you think? My mind has been blown one-too-many times today.”
