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“Fine. I’ll call the king myself,” I hissed.
Disgusted, I picked up the phone, ready to dial out, but the guard finally relented when his partner nudged him in the ribs.
I almost slammed the door in his wake, shaking with the injustice of it, but when I turned to Odette, she looked at me withcurious, shining eyes. “You do have a backbone when you find it,” she mused.
I wasn’t sure if that was a compliment or an insult, but I wasn’t ready to be her friend yet, anyway.
“What ritual am I here for?” I asked, my eyes trailing around the room for evidence of potions or magic books. I may not have trusted Odette, but I did trust Nyx, and if he wanted me there, I believed it was for a good reason.
“A shroud of protection for you and your baby.”
I blinked, surprised by the declaration. “Really? Now?” I asked, conflicted by the suggestion.
“There’s no time like the present,” Odette said cheerfully.
“Or the past,” I replied slowly, acknowledging as she gestured for me to sit on the bed. “Why are we doing this now and not before?”
A newfound rush of hope burst through me at the thought of the shroud, suddenly.
Will this mean I can go out now? And if so, why didn’t Nyx just order one placed on me before?
Odette was about to answer both questions in one fell swoop. She turned her back to enter the closet as she spoke. “There are pitfalls to enacting a shroud of protection. Yes, you and your baby will be protected against most forms of magic,” she began.
“Most? Pitfalls?” I echoed, straining forward as she disappeared into the tiny space.
“Well, yes. There are some very powerful beings in the world who can break through the toughest veils of protection, but they are few and far between.”
Disappointment clung to me. If there was any chance of the shroud being penetrated, Nyx wouldn’t allow me to leave the castle.
“Like whom?” I demanded, goosebumps prickling my skin.
“Shapeshifters, probably, some dark magic warlocks—to be honest with you, Miss Maren, I haven’t known anyone to break through a shroud, but I have heard it can be done.”
“Does Nyx know this?” I asked, my eyes narrowing, refusing to lie down. “About the loopholes?”
“Yes, Miss Maren. Everyone familiar with this level of magic knows that a permanent shroud of protection can only do so much. Otherwise, everyone would be walking around with one all the time.”
I chewed on the insides of my cheeks. “And what are the pitfalls?”
Odette reappeared, her hands full of the vials and tubes I’d been seeking earlier. “Your magic will be weaker for it.”
I inhaled sharply. “What does that mean?”
She shrugged. “You won’t be able to enact your own magic as quickly or as strongly.”
“What about my shifting?” I asked, sitting up suddenly. I wasn’t sure I wanted to go through with it if I couldn’t shift anymore.
She offered me a taut smile. “It shouldn’t affect your ability to shift by much, but it’s nothing to worry about,” she reassured me quickly, but it sounded like a lot to worry about to me. “You are well protected here, aren’t you? Don’t you feel safe in the castle?”
I begrudgingly admitted that I did as she took me by the shoulders and laid me back before removing my sneakers from my feet.
Immediately, I tensed. “But is this dangerous for the baby in any way?”
Odette appeared offended by the question. “I would never harm a member of the royal family,” she told me. “Ever. It’s my sworn oath to protect the kingdom and uphold the rights of the citizens of Steelshire.”
That sounds a little rehearsed, but at least she’s not talking down to me.
“This will take some time,” she warned, brushing her cool, pale hands over my eyes, and they closed immediately under her touch. “I need you to relax. When you stand, you’ll be the most protected fae in Steelshire.”
