“He has a plan—and you, my dear, are a part of it. A very disposable part.”
“What do you mean?”
“He will convince you that he loves you.” He waited for my retort.
He kissed me like he meant it.
Lioran held me like he would never let me go.
If Elric was telling the truth—if it had all been a lie, then Lioran knew just how to fool me.
I couldn’t accept that—I stood there, frozen and broken.
“Then you’ll do anything for him. You’ll hand him a fully healed Kingdom, but he won’t care what it costs you. He’ll continue his life without you. Marry, have children, rule the way he was always intended—until he forgets your name entirely.”
I quaked under the weight of his words. Each thing he said was more painful than the last, until agony crushed me. Air withdrew from my lungs slowly until they ached.
“He wouldn’t.” I skirted myself over on the stone wall, putting distance between the two of us.
“It’s too late, isn’t it?” His eyebrow raised. “You’ve fallen for him already.” He rubbed his hands together. “It can’t be easy to hear this.” He slid his hand on top of mine.
I pulled free from his grasp. “I don’t believe you.”
“You do. The truth is painful.” His exhale collided with my cheeks. “The fae are cunning beings. This world isn’t like yours.” He pulled back for a moment and took a step awayfrom me. “I must go, but I’m sure we’ll find each other again soon. I’m here to help. All you need to do is ask.”
He walked off and didn’t look back. My hands dripped with sweat; my grip was slipping as I clung onto the stone.
Lioran wouldn’t. He couldn’t.
My presence here was supposed to be a secret, yet he knew everything. Lioran and I had only just confessed our love, but he somehow knew that, too.
I crumpled onto the stone path, afraid to touch the grass, or anything around me. A gush of wind tore through the garden and thrashed against me.
My father’s words were etched into the book like he knew something I didn’t. Lioran was unworthy.
Pyrran said he was using me—that Lioran couldn’t love me. It angered him, but Lioran never denied it. Never challenged it. Not once did Lioran tell him he loved me.
He didn’t even say it back when I told him I loved him.
My magic fizzled until all that remained was a bitter taste on my tongue. Smoky clouds rolled overhead. A chill stung my chest from the onyx.
I tried to recall moments with Lioran—his lips on mine, the way he looked at me, the way he told me he loved me before Pyrran interrupted us. It all felt real, but what if it wasn’t?
I pulled myself up on the stone box, careful not to touch a single bloom. The rain pelted me. Drenched in agony, my gown clung to me. My body weakened with the chill that overtook me. I carefully followed the path back into the castle. My boots never left the stone.
“Usually, it’s best to seek shelter before a storm.” The light dimmed in Fyn’s eyes as he assessed me. “Are you hurt?” He braced me as I stumbled. “I will get Lioran.”
“No.” The stone wall braced me. It was so cold, so lifeless.
I wanted Lioran to hold me, to tell me his love was real, but if he was lying to me—I would fall for it all again. If he admitted he lied it would break me.
“Please, let me walk you to your chambers. You need to change out of those clothes.” Fyn reached for me, his hand hovering between us. “Lioran would want to be here for you.”
Fyn’s words left me aching, longing for a truth I couldn’t grasp. Elric knew things he shouldn’t have. Lioran promised to protect me. Yet he was there, waiting at the divide just as Elric said. Cora must have told him. She knew the truth behind it all.
“Where is Cora?”
“I’m not sure. Do you want me to find her for you?” He gripped my arm tighter as I stumbled forward.
