“This whole time, you… you never told us,” Holly says, unable to hide the hurt in her voice.
“No, no I did not.” She frowns. “I planned to—perhaps one day when the time was right. Before you took the throne or, well, I’m not sure.”
“When could it ever be right to learn something like this?” Holly gasps, shaking her head. “Oh, Mother—” she cries, and I brace myself for an angry outburst.
Instead, she wraps herself in Mother’s arms, squeezing her tight. “I am so sorry—”
“Do not worry, my darling. I received two treasures worth any hardship,” she says, opening her arms so that I can join their embrace.
“And she poisoned him,” I add.
“Moth!” Mother scolds me as if I’m a child who said his first swear word. And something in her tone puts a smile on my face. After all that we’ve been through—secrets revealed, names changed, and being a world away—she is still mymother. The patient face that shines through my lost memories.
“Oh, good.” Holly sighs, squeezing the two of us tighter. “It will take time to unravel the idea I have of him, but knowing there was an act of retribution helps.”
“The truth is complicated,” Mother admits. “There were moments it was… he was—” She shakes her head and sighs. “But perhaps that was just my mind helping me to survive. One thing is certain: wemustrescue Heather.”
Holly pales, nodding vigorously.
“I am sorry for my outburst, brother,” she says. “I should not have made light of the situation. Perhaps I thought that this would all be less maddening if she had planned it herself. I have seen how much love she has for you. Even King Magnus would not be able to change that.”
“It is forgiven.”
“Are we very much like Father?” Holly asks, her gaze tipping up at the family portrait.
I freeze in anticipation of a less than favorable answer. The resemblance between us is so striking that I cannot look for long.
“No, my darlings, you are uniquely you.” Mother squeezes us tighter before straightening. She taps my chin with the tip of her claw. “Wonderfully and uniquely you.” Sprout nudges my leg, pushing the three of us together to share one more embrace. I gather myself with a deep breath.
“And you are lovely,” she whispers, and tears I did not realize had formed roll down my cheek.
It has been hours since the conversation with Mother, yet as my claws trace along the keys of the old piano, I hear not a sound. My thoughts turn from fear, to rage, to sorrow in the absence of my Heather. Then there is the fury of learning the truth of what happened between my Mother and Father. The same fate will not befall the darling sweet human who put color back into my world of black and grey.
The gall this vampire king has to take her for a bride… Furious, I focus on the keys of the piano. It is my first time alone since all of this begun, and I allow my mind to wander.
When was the last time we were here together? It was months after our first time in Eclipsica. Mother had decided to throw another one of her parties. I was going to decline, but Heather had just bought a new dress and was eager to show it off for more than just myself and Sprout.
I couldn’t blame her. The color was a sky blue in a soft tulle, and when she danced, the dress seemed to dance with her, swaying with the curves of her body. The sight of her smile alone was enough to make me ache.
Butthat dress…
The cyan-sheened fabric hung off her shoulders like cascading water…
Even in my memory, the decadence of her presence tempts me. As my fingers stroke the keys, I let my thoughts drift away. Though my hands still move across the keys, I think not of the notes, only of her.
The lilac scented breeze blew through the room, ruffling her hair, sending tiny strands across her face. Positioning herself so that her body leaned back against mine, I wrapped my arms and wings aroundher like a cocoon.
“Do you know how to play any other instruments?” my flame asked, a coy smile on her pink-tinted lips that begged to be tasted.
“No, I do not believe I learned anything beyond this.”
“You’re full of secrets.”
“The only things I am keeping from you are the things I myself cannot recall.”
“What a good excuse to live in the moment then, huh?” she said, her hand sliding across my thigh. “Let’s make some new memories.”
With a few skillful movements of her hands, the laces of my trousers loosened. I would be glad to be free of the whole garment, but I waited patiently while my flame dropped down to her knees, leaving me to straddle the piano bench.
