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“Tomorrow night?” I squeak as I stumble, tripping over my own exhausted feet.
“Tomorrow,” he confirms, sweeping me into his arms. “Ten o’clock. Sound good to you?”
“It sounds…perfect,” I say, resting my cheek on his chest as he carries me the rest of the way to his bed.
A part of me wants to tell him again how grateful I am for his help, and how excited I am to be his wife, but the potion sickness wins out.
I’m asleep the second my head hits the satiny smooth pillowcase.
I wake up feeling a little hollow inside, but much better than the night before. I’m sure a big part of that is the man cradling me against his strong chest like I’m a precious treasure he intends to guard with his life.
I lift my head, meeting Edmond’s slightly fuzzy blue gaze with a smile. “Hey, you.” I rub a hand over my bleary eyes. “What time is it?”
“Hey to you, too, and it’s nearly noon. The attendant already took your breakfast tray away, but she should be back with lunch soon.”
“Noon.” My heart lurches in my chest. I sit up fast and regret it as the room begins to spin. I press a hand to my forehead, fighting to steady myself. “I have to get up. I have to check on Amy and—”
“You have to eat something, doctor’s orders,” Edmond insists. “And Amy’s fine. I dropped her off with Annie and the guards watching her and Aurora. She’s safe.”
I shake my head, gingerly this time. “No, I have to see her. I need to hold her and hug her and promise her I’ll never let anyone hurt her again. And then I need to help question every one of the jerks who put her in danger. We need the truth from them before the attack.”
“You will do no such thing,” he says in his deep, bossy voice, the one he only whips out with me, as far as I can tell. With everyone else, Edmond is the soul of amiability. “You’ve already put too much stress on your internal organs. If you try to work that spell again too soon, you could kill yourself.”
I blink. “R-really? Is that what the doctor said?”
“Yes. And why I intend to be glued to your side for the foreseeable future to keep you out of trouble.” He cups my face. “I can’t lose you. And more importantly, Amy can’t lose you.”
I exhale, sagging back onto the mattress beside him, my thoughts racing. I need answers from the traitors helping the Shadowbanes, but I need them from Priscilla, too.
And with Priscilla, I don’t have much time left.
“Did the doctor say when I’ll be able to work the spell again?” I ask.
“That isn’t his area of expertise, but Blaire contacted your tutor. She apologized for not warning you more forcefully about the risks of potion work, but she was laboring under the delusion that you were a full-blooded witch. If you were, the spell should have had only mild side effects. But as a half-blood, you’ll need several months or even years to reach full power. You’ll have to start slow, building your tolerance for potion work with easier spells first. Like the one you worked on Herbish.” He brushes my hair tenderly from my face. “I spoke with her last night, by the way. She’s healing well and very grateful to you. So grateful she shared the names of the vampires she’d heard rumored were traitors.”
“Anyone new?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “No. She named Janet and Bartholomew, our treasurer, who Sultan already named, as well. But she offered to bring you a goblin strengthening poultice to help with your healing. She said she’d have a couple sent up this afternoon. You should be honored. The goblins don’t share their vitality enhancing knowledge with just anyone.”
“I am honored,” I say, silently hoping the poultice is the real deal. If it is, maybe I’ll be fit to work that spell sooner than later. I don’t have months, let alone years. I need answers now. “And I’ll definitely take her up on the offer. I haven’t felt this weak since right after Amy was born. And I was in labor for three days.”
“Food should help, too,” he says, turning toward the door to his cozy bedroom. “If it doesn’t arrive soon, I’ll call the attendant.”
“No, it’s okay,” I say, relaxing against him. “I can wait. Amy isn’t too upset, is she? We missed our appointment to walk Annabelle.”
He hugs me closer. “No, you didn’t. It was rescheduled to after sundown tonight. I told Amy it was because I wanted to join you and bring Annabelle a special treat. She didn’t mind at all and is having a great time playing with her cousin.”
I sigh, my heart aching. “She’s such a great kid. I love her so much. I don’t ever want to let her down.”
“You won’t. You’re the best mom I know,” he says, but it’s hard to believe him today.
My brain keeps circling back to the moment I decided to trust Sophie, a total stranger, and insisting I’m a garbage mother who is solely to blame for any trauma Amy may carry with her into adulthood as the result of the kidnapping. But the kinder side of myself knows that isn’t true.
Sophie is the one to blame. She’s the one who pretended to be a friend to our family, then turned against the sisters who welcomed her with open arms.
“Any sign of Sophie this morning?” I ask.
“Not that I know of,” Edmond says. “But I haven’t been updated since a little after six a.m. Darcy came in just before he and Blaire went to their rest. We’re going to meet this afternoon in the war room with a few others to start planning our defensive maneuvers. Or our attack plan. We haven’t decided which is best yet. But I should be free by sundown.”
