“But you’d been speaking of wards,” I said to them both. “Which means you two obviously still feel that Gwen and Timith are at risk even though Verin’s been caught.” Lowering my voice, I said, “Was that bottle found in the alleyway that had the liquid Verin packed for me?”
Kole dipped his head. “It was. They found it a few hours after I reported where it would likely be.”
“And?” I raised my eyebrows.
Jamie frowned, his lips sealed, but Kole said, “You were right. The potion was detected in it.”
Jamie scowled at Kole as the blood drained from my face.
“So, it truly was me that the potion was intended for.” I thought back to the previous weeks and realized that having Verin become employed at my aunt and uncle’s home was theeasiest way to get access to me without raising suspicion. Even though I hadn’t lived with them anymore, I still frequented their home often. I always came by regularly, at least once a week for?—
My head snapped up. “Oh Gods, I know when she poisoned Timith!” I pulled the warriors farther down the hall, so as not to alarm my aunt in case she overheard us. Once near the front door, I continued, “A few days before my uncle fell truly ill, I came by for supper, but when we went to sit down, I spilled my drink on my chair, soaking the upholstery.” My eyes widened even more as memories of that night returned to me rapid fire. “We shifted around the table, moving the plates too, and my uncle ended up grabbing my plate since we hadn’t started eating yet.” My eyes widened even more. “Verin tried to rearrange the table settings, and she’d looked near panicked, but we’d swished her off, telling her it wasn’t needed. I’d been confused why she’d been so worried about it, but now it makes sense. She’d put the potion in my food that night, but Timith ingested it instead.”
I paled even more, and Kole growled low in his throat.
Through a sliver of doorway into the kitchen, Timith was visible, patting Gwen’s back and placing a steaming mug of tea before her. He looked bright and alive, but just an hour ago, he’d been turning into somethingother. A creature Verin had meant for me to turn into.
My hands began to shake, and I took a quivering breath. “Why would they want me to turn into something with fangs, and is this all somehow related to that horrible creature outside of Inisville?” I asked Kole.
Jamie gave him a sharp look, but Kole replied, “We don’t know, but even though that creature and what Timith was becoming have similarities, that doesn’t mean they’re related. They could be entirely separate incidents. Right now, we just don’t know.”
I wrapped my arms tightly around myself because I distinctly remembered the excitement the creature felt when I’d shown up in the Wood after Kole. “But thatthingin Inisville recognized me. I’m sure of it. I could feel its excitement when I arrived.”
Kole took a deep breath. “I felt that too.”
“Which means, in all likelihood, thatallof this is connected even if it hasn’t been proven yet.” I mulled it over more. “Do you think that creature showed up in Inisvillebecause of me?”
Kole and Jamie shared a veiled look, and even though Jamie shot him another warning glance, Kole nodded. “I was starting to suspect that. Each creature I killed in the first few days was near your proximity.”
“Kole,” Jamie growled.
I brought a hand to my forehead. “I don’t understand any of this or why someone’s after me or why they’d send creatures to hunt me but then want to turn me into a different version of one.”
Kole stepped closer, as though he was going to touch me, but he stopped the second Jamie’s aura heightened. “We’ll get to the bottom of this, Princess Primelle. I swear to you.”
“Kole,” Jamie growled again. “That’s enough information.”
Kole cut him a scathing look. “She saw the creature herself, Jamie. She felt the block that was placed in Verin’s mind. She already knows all of this, and if that potion was intended for her, and she wants to stay informed, she should be. If you have a problem with that, bring it up with the Council.”
Jamie huffed, but something in me calmed. For the first time since meeting him, Kole wasn’t hiding things from me, and he wasn’t lying. Gratitude for him swept through me, and it hit me that even though he’d betrayed me, strangely, he seemed to be on my side. At least, at the moment.
I took a slow, shaky breath. “And my aunt and uncle? Will they be informed about this too?”
“No, but they’ll be safe.” Jamie’s response left no room for argument, so I didn’t push further.
“Prim?” Kole’s blue irises met mine, and a curl of dark hair fell over his eyebrow. “We must return to the palace. King’s orders.”
“Already?”
“I’m afraid so. There and back. No delays. No stops,” he replied, loosely quoting my father’s command. “We’ve already been here for quite some time.”
“Of course.” He was right, and I realized I had best heed my father’s demand. After all, my parents hadn’t commanded me to use my wish as they saw fit. The least I could do was respect their desire to keep me safe behind their warded walls, and given what I’d seen of Verin’s mind being shattered by whoever was behind this, their concern wasn’t for naught.
A truly ruthless enemy was behind all of this.
I nodded. “Let me say goodbye, and we can be on our way.”
Kole mistphasedus back to the palace, into the exact chambers we’d left from. The air rustled around us, then stilled. Nobody was about. The door was still closed, and the windows were still too high for me to see out of, but evening light streamed into the room.
