I leaned forward and lightly kissed the terse line of Forrest’s lips. Within seconds, he had lost his hardened edge and returned my kiss with a deep, passionate one. As if his kiss were a potent drug, I found myself letting go of the bottled-up stress and anxiety and losing myself in his mouth and warm embrace. Almost every aspect of my existence was spinning out of control, and the only thing strong enough to keep me tethered to the ground was Forrest.
Chapter 11
Several loud, urgent knocks broke through the silent night. I shot up out of bed, heart racing. Nothing good ever came from late-night calls to my cottage. Wrapping my robe around me, I made my way to the front door, with Forrest following closely. I opened the door a crack and saw nothing.
“Ahem!”
I looked down and saw fiery hair glowing in the moonlight. “Magda? What are you doing here so late?” I paused, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes while trying to think of the last time Magda had made a house call.
“Will you let me in already, child? It’s freezing out here.” Magda pushed past me and hurried inside the cottage before taking a moment to catch her breath. “We don’t have much time,” she gasped as she bent over, wheezing.
An unnerving dread snaked its way through me. “Magda, will you please sit down and catch your breath? I’m sure whatever it is can wait a few moments.” I ushered her toward the sofa in the living room. “Forrest, could you please go get a glass of water for Magda?”
He nodded as he rushed into the kitchen.
Magda slowly looked up at me and whispered, “Violet and Fiona were found guilty by the Children of the Celestial Mothers. Maxx and his mob of idiots rounded the two of them up tonight. They’re both being held at the sanctuary. Their execution is planned for two days from now. They want to make a big spectacle out of it.”
Forrest came back with the glass of water. Magda took a long sip before continuing.
“They’re coming for you tomorrow morning, child.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, the walls closed in on me. My chest tightened, and my heart raced. I pulled at the collar of my robe, feeling suffocated by the fabric.
Forrest turned me so I was facing him, gently rubbing his hands up and down the sides of my arms. “Aurelia, look at me.”
My mind started to spiral. I had failed, the cost of which was steep. Two women were going to lose their lives because of me. I stared at the floor, willing a hole to appear so it could suck me in and take me away from this madness.
“Aurelia, will you please look at me?” Forrest’s voice broke through the haze.
How long had he been talking to me? I looked up to find beautiful azure eyes full of resolve.
“We planned for this, remember? Our bags are already packed and ready to go.” He leaned in and gently kissed my forehead. “I will not let them take you.”
I pulled back, wiping tears from my face. I turned to Magda, my voice barely above a whisper. “How did they find out?” I wasn’t sure why I needed this information. It wasn’t like the outcome would be any different. It was just my own morbid curiosity. “I know it has to be either Violet or Fiona, and I’m not upset with either of them. I know if I were in their situation, I would say whatever I needed to if I had any chance of helping a loved one out.”
Hurt and anger were written all over Magda’s face when she answered. “Neither of them said a word.” She stopped to take a deep breath. The weight of what she was about to share seemed to be too much for her tiny frame. “It was Wyatt. He was so incensed after your little fight in the village square the other day that he decided to share everything he knew about you with Maxx.”
No. There was no way that he would do that.
“Magda, are you sure it was him?” I asked. “How could he possibly have known that I had helped them? I have never been honest about my work with him, and as far as he knows, I make bathing oils and tea blends. It had to have been someone else.”
“Do you remember Willow’s mother?”
I nodded, my heart aching at the memory of that terrible night.
“She happened to be at the sanctuary this afternoon when she overheard a damning conversation take place between Wyatt and Maxx. She shared this information with me so I could warn you.”
I shook my head in disbelief. This was a courageous and thoughtful deed for a woman still grieving the loss of her child.
“Wyatt told Maxx that he knew you were involved with what had happened with Violet and Fiona, because for years he had been bringing up the supplies you needed from the South to make those elixirs. He claimed that there was no one else in this village with that knowledge but you. He confessed that he’d known all along what you had been up to but chose not to say anything, as you two were together.”
“How valiant of him,” Forrest sneered. Contempt radiated from him in menacing waves.
Magda nodded in agreement at Forrest’s facetious comment. “They plan to come for you early tomorrow morning. Make a whole spectacle out of it.”
This news felt like a giant boulder sitting on my chest, crushing me under its immense weight. I couldn’t believe that this man, who I had let into my life and my bed for years, had been able to turn on me so quickly because I had rejected him. I knew Wyatt had been furious with me, but I never could have imagined that he would stoop so low to get back at me.
“Where—is—Wyatt—now?” Forrest asked.
