Page 143 of Kingdom of Betrayal and Unknown

“No, you can go for a couple of minutes, but don’t let the prince catch you walking outside right after he visited.” Mother gives me a pointed look.

“I won’t,” I mumble.

Grabbing my coat, I put it on before walking outside, taking a deep breath of the frigid air. I look right and left before heading around the house, making my way straight to the forest. My hands shake as I clench them by my side.

Tears continue to stream down my face as I make my way further into the forest, letting let my feet guide me.

“Adeline.” Kieran’s voice sounds right next to me.

My shoulders shake as a sob makes its way through my body. Kieran wraps his strong and warm arms around me, pulling me into his chest.

“Shhh, you’re okay,” he whispers. “I’ve got you.”

“I was so scared,” I mumble against him.

I can’t seem to take hold of my emotions and force the tears to stop. Around Kieran, my body knows it’s okay to let go.

“I felt it and knew you would be coming to the forest,” he murmurs, and I feel a kiss on top of my head. “I came here when I felt it. I tried to console you through the bond, but for some reason I couldn’t.”

Not responding, I hold Kieran tighter until the tears dry on my face. I take a deep breath and pull away. He cups my face and gently rubs away the tears from my cheeks.

“What happened to make you so scared?” he gently asks.

“I can’t talk about it now. I promised my mother I would only be a couple of minutes. I don’t know if the prince is watching me or not, and I need to be around if my mother needs anything,” I rush out, not making much of any sense.

“Shh, you’re okay. Tomorrow afternoon?” he asks.

I nod and place my head on his chest, taking a deep breath once again. Kieran is still cupping my face as I pull back and give him a smile.

“Are you safe?” he asks.

“Yes,” I reply. “Or I think I am.”

I owe the prince something. I don’t know what it could be, but he wouldn’t call upon it now… not when my mother just asked for me to be around for a couple of weeks while she recovers.

“If you aren’t, pull on the bond, and I will come right to you and keep you safe.” He looks into my eyes. “Do you understand?”

“Yes, but I won’t do it. I won’t pull on the mate bond and get you into trouble,” I say before I pull my face out of his hands. “I need to go, but I’ll meet up with you tomorrow. Promise. Later at night, when the sun is starting to set. The prince won’t be around then.”

Kieran nods, and I turn, clutching my chest, and I start to walk away from him. Why is it getting harder and harder to walk away from him?

We need to find out how to break this curse, or I am going to find myself living with the Fae and end up in a cell or getting the Fae all killed.

“What are you doing in the forest?” Avira sneers.

Balling my fists up at my side, I take a deep breath and look at her. “I was calming down after the prince came and visited us.”

“And you left Mother alone in the house after she just had a baby?” She looks at me like I’m crazy.

“I did, but it was only for a couple of minutes, and she said it was fine,” I tell her and raise my hand as she opens her mouth. “No, I am not ready for this right now. I am going home. Why don’t you go back to the palace where you clearly want to be?”

I push past her and start walking to the house. Exhaustion weighs on me even harder as I drag my feet against the cobblestone road.

“Were you with a Fae?” she asks out of the blue, ignoring what I said.

I freeze and turn toward her. “No, I wasn’t. What is your obsession with them?”

How does she keep knowing when I’ve been with a Fae?