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“You must be Adelaide,” Theseus said beside me, looking down at her.
Adelaide, the witch. Jason Silber threatened to kill me that night in the Washington National Gallery of Art.
“You!” she cried out, reaching for me again, trying with all her might to stand, but she collapsed in pain. It was only when her eyes closed that the tears fell down her face. All I could do was stare, watching as her cat whimpered beside her face, trying to nudge her to get up.
“Theseus. Druella,” Melora called from the treetops. “Father says to bring this one back home.”
“Her skin burns,” Theseus said in reply. “She’s covered in some sort of poison or magic. If we drag her, it may cause more damage internally.”
Moving back to her again, I touched her quickly like I was testing an iron. When she’d touched me, it hadn’t burned until she got upset…well, more upset.
I touched my finger to her again. “It’s not burning me.”
“Great, you carry her,” Melora said.
I looked back to Melora in the treetops as if to ask Do I have to? I didn’t want to face this. But Melora was gone, and I knew I had to.
One of the most important things I’d learned from all my books and paintings was perspective—a thing could look one way, but under a different light or circumstance, it could look completely different. From my perspective, Jason wanted to kill me to save the one he cared about and therefore was a villain. But from hers, Jason was a hero, her love, and I…I was her villain.
That silvery voice I thought I’d pushed down and locked away came back, loudly saying, You cannot run from this, Druella.
* * *
“So, let me get this straight because I’m late to this party. Jason, a vampire, was in love with this Adelaide, an Omeron witch. And when she was in danger during a battle, he tried to kill Dru, but Dru had done her little time-reversal move, and the battle didn’t happen again. Theseus exposed Jason as a traitor to Taelon Swan, and by connection, all the vampires in America, including President Waban Swan. And you, Dru, made sure he was convicted at trial in Montréal.”
“Yes, Matias,” Theseus said beside me as Matias recounted this whole ordeal while laying on a deep purple chaise lounge like a prince, waiting to be painted. Even his goblet was kingly. It was cast in gold and covered with jewels. All he needed was a bowl of grapes and someone fanning palms behind him.
We were all back at the family parlor. Everyone was sitting in the same spots as the first family meeting I had joined. Arsiein and Atarah were sitting together on a padded bench, drinking from their silver cups. Ulrik and Melora were on the sofa, Ulrik drinking from a silver-ringed horn and Melora from a teacup. Jabari and M’kena sat upon a lavish mountain of pillows by the fire, drinking from engraved ivory. The welcoming party was over as soon as the sun had come up, and the remaining Thorbørns I hadn’t met were sent on a mission by Sigbjørn.
“Well, it is obvious that this is all Theseus’s fault.” Matias nodded as if it was the only logical conclusion.
“In what manner?” Theseus questioned, annoyed and also tired.
“It would have been understandable if you sought to expose Jason after he had threatened your mate or amid battle, but in this case, Druella reversed the battle. He was no longer a threat to your mate, so you were simply b
eing a dick at that point,” Matias replied, then paused, looking at me. “Do you like Druella or Dru? I’m trying to see which will stick. But Druella feels more theatrical.”
“Do Dru when she’s feeling down and Druella for everything time else,” Ulrik answered automatically.
“I disagree,” Arsiein cut in.
“So, you prefer just Dru?” Matias pressed.
“About Jason and the witch,” Arsiein snapped at him, shaking his head as he went on. “It is not as if Theseus could simply let the vampire go after knowing the truth. What if, by saying nothing, Jason remained with them while in Montréal and did further harm to them? Clearly, the Omeron witches were watching Druella. It would be an unnecessary risk to keep silent.”
“They are in a forbidden romance.” M’kena stared blankly, and I waited for her to elaborate, but that was all she said, which was useless because we knew that already!
“Exactly,” Jabari spoke, tapping his finger on the ring of his cup. “But it is not as if one witch could have stormed the capital and the president’s personal home to get at Druella with only a single vampire. They are in a forbidden romance, and it is a secret amongst only the two of them. President Swan does not even approve of Lesser and Noble Blood relationships, let alone a vampire and witch. Surely they both wouldn’t risk it just to get at Druella.”
Was M’kena trying to say all of that? How did he know?
“Does any of it matter?” Ulrik sighed heavily, looking at everyone. “Whether Theseus did it wrong or right, it’s done. What are we going to do with the witch, now, Father?”
At the mention of Sigbjørn, we looked over to where he sat in his chair, his eyes closed as if he were sleeping and as still as could be. But everyone knew better.
When we were silent, he opened his eyes, and Rhea spoke from where she sat on the arm of his chair. “How is her mind? Her heart is deeply obsessed with this Jason. Apparently, her spellbound nature does not make her blackhearted.”
Was that a dig at me? It sure felt like one!
