23
MAX
“Drink that. All of it.”
The green liquid is thick and grassy. It smells ripe and my stomach churns. Nothing in me wants to drink that.
Fee and Reid exchange a look, confused. The Hadeon patrols the grounds of my father’s small stone cottage, paws stomping into the ground with intention.
“Tell me where my mate is.” He was there last night. We had plans to get back to our kingdom after the ball. He had seemed so genuine. Why would he just run off?
“That’s a complicated answer, little one.” Baris sits in the chair, long lean form curling into it. “First, you should know. That potion in your hands will protect your heart.”
My eyebrows raise, and I rub my chest right over the burn. It’s taking longer to heal than it should. “This is the same potion you and Effy drank as children, I assume.”
“An immature potion, yes, but quite effective.” He hands the Fae a cup of the same green drink. “It protects you in theIn-Between.”
“We’ve been there,” Fee mutters, looking into the cup. “I doubt a little potion would save us.”
“That is the physicalIn-Between. TheIn-Betweenexists between kingdoms but also realms.” Tapping his head, he looks to me. “The royal family of the Summus Kingdom have the ability to travel through theIn-Between. It’s where sleep meets death and spirits can roam. You are being attacked there. This potion will keep your heart safe and your mind sharp.”
Reid takes a sip and gags. His pale face turns as green as the beverage.
“It’s Effy, isn’t it?” I whisper. “She’s the one visiting me. She’s the one who tried to kill me.”
“She is a vengeful Fairy,” Baris agrees. “She sees you as a threat to her reign—over the Humans and the world. She will do anything to make sure she wins.”
Tentatively, I put the cup to my mouth. The potion is bitter, tasting like acidic fruit and old swamp water. Holding my nose, I finish the glass and feel something clamp around my heart. Strong chains of iron anchor it into place. Looking down, the burn on my chest is fully healed, leaving a small red line behind.
“So, she can only do it in theIn-Between,” Fee surmises. “That’s the only way she can touch her.”
“I’m afraid not now.” Those black eyes turn apologetic. “She’s getting bolder.”
There’s a pause and I release a deep breath. A fear I’ve had breaks through and I glance at my father. “Effy is Aoife, isn’t she?”
Fee whips her head back to my father, fangs bared, and Reid falls against the cottage wall. The weight of the admission is too much to handle.
He’s pained as he answers, “Yes.” Clasping his hands together, he waits for my reaction.
Fee launches across the room, dagger to my father’s neck. “She’s the reason for my brother’s pain? My entireline.”
She’s thinking of what Kaden endured. What Oslo had to overcome. What every firstborn succumbed to and was crushed by. I understand her fury and my heart breaks for her pain. It seeps through her bared teeth and angry eyes, a living wraith upon us.
Reid grabs his sister, pulling her away. She doesn’t go without throwing curses, kicking her feet out, begging to be released. But we all know, if she wanted to escape, she would. She’s too upset to think.
Baris sighs deeply. “I’m sorry. I thought it was a simple crush—something that she would eventually grow tired of. Instead, she fell in love with Kyrin. And cursed him when he chose another.”
“It’s repeating again.”
“Yes. I believe she’s fixated on Kaden because he looks the most like Kyrin.” Baris shrugs, rubbing his neck. Fee nicked him and blood stained his hand. “Because of that, I think she’s done something drastic.”
I close my eyes, expecting the worse. “What?”
“I’m not sure.” As Fee’s growl, my father holds up his hands. “Aoife has always justified her actions with nonsense. She once tried to lay a love spell on Kyrin but he was already bound. Love spells don’t work on mates.”
“That doesn’t mean she’s not trying something else.” I glance to the sky, the sun already setting. My stomach twists and my fingers tremble. “Kaden killed a Fae Lord last night. It wasn’t like him. He justified it but it wasn’t right.”
“That’s not like him,” Reid says. “I mean, yeah, he kills. But he always has a reason. A good one.”
