She lifts her chin—her eyes hardening—and my voice trails off.
I want to believe her, but hope is a dangerous thing. And this hope isn’t where my focus should be right now. Even if he was someone she knew, that doesn’t mean that was the real him—or maybe itwasand he’s simply too far gone now.
She’s not going to change her mind about this. How is she so certain he wasn’t like this all along? That he wasn’t simply biding his time to betray them; that he was to blame for the empire crumbling.
“You’re right—I did know him in another life.” Her voice softens, but her mouth is set in a thin line. “He wasgood,Lu. He put everyone before himself time and time again. I know you can only see him as what he is today, but he was one of the best people I have ever met.”
Good.
That word sits in my chest with the weight of a thousand boulders.
The man she’s describing certainly isn’t the one we came face-to-face with. And as much as I hate to admit it, a sharp acheof longing shoots straight to my heart. I’d always wanted a father like that, a father I could be proud of.
But that man is gone.
I swallow and force myself to take a deep breath. I can’t get lost in the past when the future depends on every move we make now.
Leda sits quietly, listening intently but not adding anything.
“He loved your mother.” Brielle’s voice cracks. “It’s not my place to tell you their story, but I can tell you what I know to be true. Daimon had never thought he was good enough for Evelina, had trained himself to the bone from the moment he was chosen as a Rider—all to work his way up in the ranks for her.
“Of course, I didn’t know at the time that that’s why he always worked so hard.” She huffs a laugh. “But once I saw them together years later… It all made sense. His eyes would follow her every move—some nights, he would stand outside of her cabin without more than an hour of sleep to make sure she was safe. His love for her far outweighed the love he had for himself.”
I swallow, a bitter taste coating my tongue.
My mother never told me any of this, and I’m certain this barely scratches the surface of their story. I have to hold onto the hope that she had her reasons, that her hiding this outweighed me knowing the truth.
She’s right—that’s not the man I see him as, nor can I imagine him behaving that way. The Lord of Shadows is brutal. Selfish. Even in the short time I was around him, that much was evident.
But the man she’s describing…
That’s the man I would be proud to call my father.
“You’re saying there’s a chance he’s still…him?” My stomach churns as I ask.
Brielle nods sharply. Before she can tell me anything else, though, movement catches my eye at the door to the cottage.
Aster’s stark white hair is tied into a low bun, his armscrossed as he watches us. He leans forward, his gaze unreadable. Willow is beside him, similarly stoic as she gazes down at Brielle.
“Mylah, give us a moment, will you?” Willow calls out to the young healer, who nods at her and shuffles out of the room.
Willow and Aster step in, Leda and I both sitting a little taller as they pull up chairs to join us. They’re different today, no charcoal smudged across their faces or hoods pulled over their heads. They aren’t in the tattered green cloaks; instead, they both wear simple brown pants and fitted leather tops.
Seeing them this way—Willow with the smattering of light freckles across her cheeks and Aster with his soft eyes—makes them feel more…approachable. Friendly.
But as soon as the thought enters my mind, the idea of them beingfriendlydissolves. They sit around Brielle’s cot with fire burning in their gazes—intensity only a warrior can have. They don’t say anything, and neither do we. Tension weaves into the air as I try to figure out if these are fae we can truly trust. Brielle is still lying down, her jaw clenching as she looks between them.
I don’t see this going easily, so I settle back, preparing myself for a long day of arguments.
Well, this is going to be fun.
Twelve
Hydrous Phosphate
Tension sits thicklyin the air as silence builds between the five of us. No one is speaking, and it makes me shift in my seat.
Finally, it’s Willow who breaks the quiet.
