I snort in my head. I don’t know this lady from Adam. Am I supposed to trust her words? But Cheryl agrees, surprising me. I look into her eyes, trying to read her thoughts.
“They’ll be okay, Ronan,” she says with conviction. “Trust me.”
I relax a bit.I do trust you, sweetheart, with all my heart.
“All right.”
We follow the queen’s ladies-in-waiting down the hallway and leave the younglings with them. We are right next door to them, and now that I’m about to finally be alone with Cheryl, my heart is beating so fast, it might leap out of my chest.
This is it. This is when I put everything on the line.
Thirty-Nine
CHERYL
ELLNESARI, PRESENT DAY
The bedroom assigned to us by Castiel’s mother is a haven of opulence with a hint of magic. It’s an open space the size of a large two-bedroom apartment with a set of double doors that lead to I don’t know where—hopefully the bathroom.
The walls are adorned with intricate tapestries in deep blues and purples, depicting strange animals embroidered with silver threads that shine when the moonlight spilling from the stained glass windows hits them. Torches with dancing blue flames are mounted strategically around the space, and the room seems to come alive with the flickering shadows of the mythical creatures in the tapestries dancing across the walls.
Incense smoke hangs in the air, carrying notes similar to night-blooming jasmine and something darker, like turned earth after rain.
My gaze lands on the king-size bed, hidden partially by sheer drapes hanging from the canopy. It looks inviting with its many pillows and luxurious silk sheets, but I’m not tired in the least, and I have a few other ideas for how to make use of it.
I’m keenly aware of Ronan’s presence in the room, even though he’s keeping his distance from me. This is the first time I’ve been alone with him since his heartfelt confession back at the healer’s house, when he thought I was asleep. Not many days have passed since then, but so much has happened to us that it feels like eons ago. I’m not even sure I wasn’t dreaming, to be honest.
I glance at him, and the yearning I see in his eyes is so strong that it leaves me breathless. But I refuse to be the first one to cave. “So… do you think this place has a bathroom?”
Ronan’s gaze drops to the cape draped around my shoulders, which was provided by Castiel. I’m still wearing the revealing dress I was given at Lord Valkor’s manor right before Heidi went into labor. It didn’t occur to me to procure another dress, and then the shadowbeasts came.
It was chilly on the road, but the room is warm enough, so I release the clasp holding the cape together and let it fall in a heap by my feet.
“I hate that dress,” Ronan blurts out, surprising me.
I scowl. “It’s not like I chose to wear it.”
“I know, and that’s why I hate it. Take it off.”
“I’m not taking it off in front of you!” I pivot, determined to find the bathroom, but Ronan catches my wrist and turns me to face him again.
“Don’t run away from me, Cher.” He wraps one arm around my waist and caresses my face with his free hand. “Please don’t leave me again.”
A flock of hummingbirds takes up residence inside my chest.
“I need a reason to stay. I won’t play second fiddle to anyone. I told you that already.”
His brow furrows. “Second… you were never second. There’s always been only you since the moment we met.”
He’s saying everything I ever wanted to hear, but my heart feels as tight as ever. “You hurt me to defend her.”
I don’t need to elaborate for him to know exactly what I’m referring to. The evening I attacked Manu because she had betrayed Karl, and Ronan stepped in.
He shakes his head. “I didn’t want to hurt you, but I couldn’t let you attack Manu. It would have meant your death. I wasn’t protecting her. I was protectingyou.”
I close my eyes with a shudder. “Then why did you sleep with her?”
“That was a mistake, and it happened once, before you and Karl entered the picture.”
