“There’s no need for that. I want to assure you that he hasn’t violated my consent. I love Cameron dearly, and he was a good husband for many years. It’s only been lately that he’s been… reluctant to hear me.”
Maybe Cameron hadn’t done anything to assault or harm Drea, but he was acting like she was someone to carry out his demands when he demanded it, not someone meant to live life with him side-by-side.
I couldn’t say I hadn’t gone down the same path. I was grateful Ava had stopped that shit in its tracks before I took it too far. She had put me in my place for good reason, because without boundaries, I was clearly a maniac who had no self-control. “It’s not right that he tries to control you. It’s not right for any husband to do.”
I never wanted to exercise control over Ava, ever again. I never should’ve tried in the first place, even if my objective was to keep her safe. There was no excuse for it.
“You have to understand that the man you know isn’t the man I married. Since we discovered you were alive, Cameron has changed, and I don’t know why— guilt, perhaps? I keep hoping the man I married comes back to me.”
“I hope he does,” I told her. “Perhaps I’d like to meet that man some day.”
Her voice cracked with tears as she said, “I hope so, too. Because the man who took his place isn’t the father you deserve.”
I could tell this conversation had given her a lot of pain, so I cleared my throat. “Thank you for the sword. It really means a lot.”
“I know you’ll use it well. Your grandfather spilled a lot of blood with that sword. He’ll be happy to know it’s being used again.”
“I don’t know if it’ll work for me in a real battle,” I pointed out. “Oberi and I share power, so as long as he’s not wearing that inferichite collar, I can siphon his magic to shift into a wyvern. I couldn’t take the sword with me, because I’d lose it when I shift.”
“Not if Oberi’s shifting powers work like the fae,” Drea said thoughtfully.
I tilted my head. “What do you mean?”
“When fae shifters take on their animal form, their weapons shift with them,” Drea explained. “Think of it like a temporary witch stash. Their clothes and weapons are displaced in space through their magic, so their weapons come with them. Then when they shift back, their weapons reappear on their person.”
Oberi stood, sounding curious. Drea has a point. Your clothes have always shifted with you, so my shifting powers must be similar to fae magic. When I was able to shift into my unicorn form, my saddle shifted with me.
“Yeah, but we used simultension to make that work,” I told him.
Perhaps we never had to, Oberi theorized. I might be able to shift with other items. We’ve never tried. If we ever get a chance to fight again, I think you should take Cassiel’s sword with you into battle, just in case.
I turned back to Drea. “Oberi thinks weapons should shift with me, like they do the fae. Thank you, Drea. I can’t tell you how much this means to me.”
“You’re welcome, Charlie. If you need anything, you merely have to ask. I truly mean that.”
Drea bowed to me, though she seemed nervous she’d overstayed her welcome, so she left the room. I didn’t stop her.
Once Oberi and I were alone, I kept running my fingers over the cherry blossom etchings on my grandfather’s sword. This was one of the greatest gifts I’d ever received. It was an honor that Drea had given it to me. I wanted to prove to her that this honor wasn’t wasted. I would use this sword well.
My grandfather had mended his marriage with Aponi. Maybe I could find a way to mend my marriage with Ava, too.
I barely got thirty seconds alone before someone else burst into the training area, panting like they’d run all the way across the palace to find me. My heart lurched in surprise.
“There you are!” Danny cried. “I just spoke with Professor Hemlock. She found out who the spy is— you know, the one who’s been ferrying information to the Warden, and she says it isn’t Abigail. She sent me to gather everyone I could. We have to talk to her as soon as we can!”
The urgency in his voice was enough to get me moving. There was no time for questions, because if Ava’s lady-in-waiting wasn’t the mole, that meant someone else was roaming the palace that worked for the Warden. We needed to intercept them, now.
Eddie had been standing guard in the hall, surely on orders from my father. He overheard Danny and ran behind us. We met up with Kallie and Marcus along the way, who were sitting near one of the garden fountains.
“We found the spy. Let’s go!” Danny shouted. Kallie and Marcus hurried to catch up, and Rishi scurried alongside them.
“Where’s Ava?” I asked, struggling to keep up with Danny. Even without his vampire speed, he was fast.
“I met up with Ava first. She’s already with Hemlock?—”
Danny’s voice was drowned by the sound of a bloodcurdling, horrific wail of agony. It brought the entire group to a halt, terror racing through our bodies so potent it quivered throughout our bones.
Oh, no, Oberi whispered, confirming the worst.
