Page 79 of Sky’s Edge

“I’m the True Bride,” she stated needlessly.

“Yes,” I agreed, equally superfluously.

“And Gayle is the fated mate to the future king of Land’s End,” she continued.

My gaze flew to my mother as what should have also occurred to me way before started to occur to me. At the look on Mom’s face, I knew she’d caught on too.

Even though we had, Laura didn’t quit.

“And you’re the next queen of Sky’s Edge.”

“Oh my gods,” I whispered.

“And we’re all best friends, and have been since we were kids,” she kept at it.

“Oh my gods,” I repeated.

“That can’t be coincidence,” she stated. “Something is up. Something is at play. Something is happening. We just don’t know what it is. But we know it’s something, and our males are losing their minds about it.”

“Oh, my girls,” Mom breathed in a horrified tone.

“It isn’t over,” Laura said. And then she went on to say something else we’d already figured out. “The troll attack was just the beginning. And with those texts, we know this is deeper, it’s been going on a long time…”

She took a deep breath, squeezed my hand, and finished.

“And the threat is real.”

Chapter 9

Potion

I was sitting at the dressing table in Tanyn’s (and now my) closet, inserting an earring.

I’d changed for dinner into a plum-colored sweater that fell off the shoulder, a matching pencil skirt, and a pair of charcoal-gray suede boots.

My mind was again a muddle, but what had pushed to the fore was worry about Tanyn, who I hadn’t heard from since that morning, and my dad, ditto with not hearing from him.

But mostly Tanyn.

Because he’d already learned that it was more than likely his father had been murdered.

But what was far worse, he might have learned since, his mother had been.

On this thought, as if I’d conjured him, I saw him in the mirror, entering the closet, so I turned on the little bench where I was sitting that was covered in sparkling porcelain taffeta.

“Hey,” I greeted.

“Shower,” he grunted, going direct to his side of the closet, grabbing some clothes, then disappearing through the door that led to the bathroom.

He closed it behind him.

He hadn’t even glanced at me.

I stared at the door, then my gaze wandered to his side of the closet.

The room was enormous. And it was not automated, so there were rails, shelves and drawers, with two islands, one on my side, one on his.

Mine was now minimally filled with my jewelry, scarves and some other accessories (and no, I did not unpack here either). His was filled with belts, wrist units, cufflinks, ties, etc.