“Touch her, Pyrran, and I will?—”
“I think whatever you’re implying is best left unsaid,” Pyrran scoffed.
Lioran’s hand curled into a fist. “Don’t test me, Pyrran. If you lay a single finger on her, I willbreak it.”
I didn’t stay to hear the rest. Pyrran wouldn’t have another moment near me.
Stepping back into the great hall reminded me I was an outsider in their world. Heads turned; whispers mixed with the lulling violin. I couldn’t hear their words, but the concerned stares gave me enough to imagine the rest.
My gown dragged across the stone floor.
“Aelira?” Cora reached for my hand as I passed her and Fyn. “Please tell me what’s wrong.” Her hand squeezed mine.
There was nothing I could say. Each moment with Elric, Pyrran, and Lioran left me feeling haunted. No one here could understand the pain I felt.
If Ashlyn was here, we’d escape to my chambers. I’d cry, she’d make me laugh, and the sun would rise before we ever made it to bed. My chest ached. I had traded that world for this. Ashlyn was too far to reach, and if I ever saw her again, she wouldn’t want me there. I wasn’t her sister anymore—I was fae, or half of one.
My hopes were bound tightly by the words Lioran could have said, but he hadn’t said them at all. “I…”
Fyn slid between me and the rest of the room, shielding me as the tears pooled.
I gripped at the fabric of the gown, a desperate yank at the fabric as it suffocated me. Too many thoughts flooded my mind. I had to get free. “I’m going to my chambers. Goodnight.”
“I can walk you back,” Fyn said.
I shook my head. “Thank you, but I just want to be alone.”
The bustling noise from the feast faded with every step I took.
The door slammed behind me as I tore at the corset laces free. The gown fell to the floor. I was free—theweight of it was gone.
Silky, white fabric slipped over my head. It fell around me. I laid down on the bed, but my thoughts remained with Lioran. The door remained still. No one knocked. The handle didn’t turn.
He almost said something that felt real. Pyrran made sure he didn’t.
Their world was so different. Maybe the fae were freer with how they interacted. Touch might not mean what it did in Bailoc. The way we were together would have never existed in my kingdom.
Maybe it meant nothing to him. Tears pooled on the fabric of my night gown.
It meant everything to me.
Lanterns flickered on the river, their golden light lulling me into stillness. My hands hid my tear-streaked cheeks. I sat with the silence for a moment, letting every feeling wash over me.
Then I reached for the little leather book—it had been too long since I read its pages. There were times I felt I didn’t need to be guided, but tonight, I needed its wisdom. The weathered parchment pressed open easily.
Trust yourself.
I growled, thrusting it down on the bed—the words faded.
“I can’t go after something that may hurt me. I don’t belong with…” I couldn’t say his name. Just thinking of him caused another surge of pain to shift through my chest.
Ink raced across the page again, curving as it formed each letter.
This isn’t about him.
It’s your story.
Your path.
