Cole’s mouth opened, but nothing came out.
“You always called me a witch, but I’m really just a healer.” She shrugged, then added a small “Just like you.”
Cole blanched. “Oh my god.”
Clapping a hand on his cousin’s shoulder, Sean looked at each of them in turn, but his attention locked on Isobel, something deep in his heart aching with want. Despite all the fear and reservations, as well as the ironclad knowledge that this feeling wasn’t normal or natural, he would still go wherever she went.
Those full, beguiling lips turned up in a half smile like she knew his thoughts. She stood and held a hand out. “Come with me. I’ll show you your room.”
CHAPTER 7
SEAN
Sean opened his eyes to wavering sunlight shimmering through the windows, forging golden patches on the floor of his new bedroom. Any hope that last night had been a nightmare was laid to rest by the incandescent air.
“Sean?” asked a voice at the door. Isobel peeked her head in. “You awake?”
“Yeah. Come in.” He sat up and rubbed his face.
The door swung open. His bedroom in the Sovereign quarters wasn’t oversized, but the intricate wooden bed frame and matching furniture spoke of royalty. Tasteful artwork and baubles embellished the room, warming it to cozy, and Sean couldn’t help but wonder which of his family members claimed these items as theirs. Was it Kywyn? Someone more distant?
Isobel moved to stand at the foot of his bed, clad in a pale green dress made of some gauzy material that looked as if it would cling to his hands like spiderwebs if he touched it. A matching ribbon formed a crown over her auburn hair, then weaved through loose braids. “How are you feeling?”
Overwhelmed.
Shocked.
Like his heart might stop beating if he looked away from her.
“I’m fine.”
Bel perched herself on his bed. The curve of her cheeks, the fan of her eyelashes, every single part of her connected to something buried inside him, hidden.
That girl you see in your head isn’t me. They’re just memories of a past life.
Meléan. The name meant nothing, but Bel’s ancestor dominated a large portion of the strange flashes Sean understood to be his ancestor’s memories.
Something else lingered there, too, though. Gripping tight and yanking her closer.
Questions bubbled again. “Tell me how I know you.”
A fracture formed in her brow.
Sean leaned forward. “Bel? It’s more than just those memories. It’s you. I feel…connected to you.”
A loud silence followed as her eyes squeezed shut. His attention dropped to her necklace again. Burgundy liquid swirled inside the vial. When her eyes opened, she caught him staring. Her hand flew to the necklace, clasping it protectively.
“What is that?” he asked.
She went all cagey and weird. “Why don’t you come downstairs, and we can try to explain a little better?”
The brush off.
Alright, then.
He swallowed. “Back to my…father?”
“Yes.”
