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“Are you trying to say that you believe Eurig did this?” Taveon asked, his voice full ofsorrow.
“Who else could it have been?” Bree stared down at him, wondering if this was why he felt guilty about the curse. He had asked Eurig to come here, to train with Bree and Rafe. There was no way he could have known, and he was just as much a victim as everyoneelse.
“Eurig is a friend. I have known him since I was a boy. It is impossible to believe that he would turn on me like this, let alone that he would do this to the entire court. It must be someone else.” Taveon’s voice was insistent, determined, but there was a hint of doubt he tried to hide. Bree wouldn’t have heard it, not normally. The bond between them meant that unintentional feelings reached her, even when he didn’t want themto.
“Then, explain why he was the only one leftstanding.”
“Not the only one, Bree,” Taveonsaid.
Bree stiffened. “You’re not suggesting that I did this, areyou?”
“Of course not.” Taveon reached out through the bond, and Bree swore she could feel the caress of his hand against her cheek. “I am merely pointing out that surviving this curse does not necessarily imply guilt. You are still awake,too.”
“Yeah, and it doesn’t make any sense. Why would the attacker spare me? Why allow me to exist as I currently am? Eurig has never shown me anything other than disdain. And cocky disdain atthat.”
Taveon fell silent for a moment, as if he were thinking through everything that happened. Several thoughts fluttered in and out of her mind, but they were there and gone too quickly for her to latch ontothem.
Finally, he said, “You are not Dark Fae. You are unique. You are unlike any of the rest of us. You were once human, and now you are a version of a Light Fae. Perhaps…whatever curse was cast could not apply toyou.”
Bree frowned. “That might make sense, but Eurig is a Dark Fae. He’s from this realm, so why wouldn’t he fall prey to the curse as well? Unless he was the one who did it, ofcourse.”
“He is a Dark Fae, but he is not the same as all the rest of us. He is also unique. He is an outposter, and their biology is different than ours.” Taveon sighed. “And it could also be that the curse was only meant for members of my Court. Only the Dark Fae who call this castle their permanent home. That would leave out you, Eurig, and perhaps another fae I know you have seenrecently.”
Curiosity fluttered through Bree, along with a large dose of confusion. What was Taveon talking about? What other fae had she recentlyseen?
“Fillan,” Taveon said gently. “Do not forget about our bond, Bree. While you put up many walls between us at times, they often drop when you do not realize it. Mostly when you are in a moment of fierce emotion. For example, when someone is kissingyou…”
Pure embarrassment poured through Bree, and her entire face filled with the heat of one million stars. Taveon had known what had happened between her and Fillan. Her walls had dropped away while she’d been kissing him. She had the sudden urge to run away and jump into the nearest hole where she would have to come out for severalyears.
“Do not be so embarrassed,” Taveon said, his voice still gentle. “I saw what happened. He grabbed you when you did not expect it. But I also know that you enjoyedit.”
“Taveon I…” Bree fumbled for an explanation, and she wanted nothing more than to make Taveon see that the kiss with Fillan had not meant a thing. Yes, she had enjoyed it, but that didn’t matter now, not when she feared Taveon would never look the same at her again, if and when she was able to bring him back into the land of theliving.
“You do not need to explain anything to me Bree,” Taveon said, answering words and questions that she hadn’t even voice aloud. “I do not think badly of you, and I will still look at you just as I always have. My only concern is that he is one of the most dangerous fae alive. You need to stay away from him. He keeps coming into your life, and I worry what that mightmean.”
“And you think that he would have survived this, too?” Bree asked, searching for a way to get the conversation away from the kiss and back onto thecurse.
“Fillan is much like you and Eurig. Different. Unique. Unusual. He is something of an enigma, and I am not certain where his loyalties lie. If I were to bet, he did not fall prey to the curse either.” Taveon suddenly reached out through the bond, and she swore she could feel him wrap his hand around her wrist. “I fear I should not have told you this. I fear you will search for him, and you need to stay as far away from him aspossible.”
“What if he has answers?” Bree asked, gently pulling her wrist out of his grip. “What if he knows information that could lead us to some kind of cure? Not tomention…”
Taveon did not know what Fillan had asked of her. He did not know that Fillan had been searching for his own answers, answers that involved Taveon’s past. Was there some sort of connection? Did all of this have to do with who and what Taveon was? Bree needed to ask. She knew that Taveon was desperate to keep this information hidden not only from her but from everyone else. But she couldn’t help but wonder...what if his strange past was now catching up tohim?
“I know what it is you want ask,” Taveon said, his voice so quiet that she could barely hear it through the bond. “But if I am going to reveal my secret to you, then it must be done in face-to-face. Not like this. I have only ever told one other fae in this world, and if I am going to reveal the truth to another, I want to be able to look into her eyes when I doit.”
Bree yearned to know what it was that Taveon kept locked up so tightly inside of him. She wanted to know what it was he was so scared of telling her. She knew there was a part of him that was worried what her reaction might be when she found out. Brea wanted to show him that it didn’t matter. Nothing he said could change how she felt. No matter where he’d come from, no matter who he was, or what he was, Taveon would always be Taveon to Bree. She wished that he would give her the opportunity to prove her feelings for him, but she also understood his need to look into her eyes when he revealed the true depth of his nature toher.
“I understand, Taveon,” Bree finally said. “But whatever it is you’re hiding…are you certain that it has nothing to do with what’s going on? Are you certain that it won’t help me find a way to get youback?”
“I am certain,” Taveon said, his voice sure and strong. “There is nothing about what I am that has anything to do with this curse. This is about the throne. Whoever is behind this wants to rule Underworld instead of me. If I were to guess, the Wilde Fae are behind this. They are likely angry about what happened at the Battle for the Crown. I would start there…though I am wary of sending you out alone. Before you go, you must promise me that you will find Eurig. And trust him. I would not tell you to go to him if I was not sure that he was on the side ofgood.”
Bree hesitated, but not at the idea that she must seek out Eurig. She hesitated to leave Taveon. Again. She had left him so many times like this, and now she was leaving him to stew in his dark thoughts. She knew what it was like to feel powerless, and it was a feeling that she’d never wish on anyoneelse.
Unfortunately, she had no otherchoice.
Bree leaned down and kissed his cheek. He was warmer today, or maybe she’d just turnedcold.
