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“I wouldn’t put it that way, but yes. My mother…” A shadow crossed his face. “She didn’t come across any of this during her research.”
“Did she tell you everything she discovered during her trip to the human kingdoms?”
“Obviously not.” He frowned. “But this seems important. If there are descendants of the gods still left in this world, then they’re—”
“Dangerous.”
“You don’t have her power,” he countered. “Andromeda is the God ofDeath. She can kill through touch. And trust me, your touch does something to me, Tessa. But it’s not death.”
I blushed. “Regardless of who and what I am…I am sorry about your mother. I can’t even imagine how you must feel. All these years, she’s still been here. She’s still alive.”
His eyes clouded. With a sigh, he stood and moved over to the hearth. His dark silhouette swallowed up his expression. “There might be a fragment of her in there, but it’s not her anymore. Not if that power has consumed her to this extent. The mother I knew would never have wanted a mortal to die for her, much less five or six. Whatever is left, it’s a twisted version of who she used to be, and Oberon deserves to die for what he’s done. He really was playing around with the power of the gods. All this time, I was right.” He turned and took a step toward me, power humming from his body. “That mark is still on you.”
“I know.” I swung my legs over the side of the bed and padded over to him. “The vision didn’t tell me everything about the ritual, but I do know I have to be in close proximity to the gemstone in order for it to work. I’m safe, as long as he doesn’t find me.”
“I’m going to kill him for this.”
I couldn’t help but smile. “You were already going to kill him.”
“Yes, but now I will relish in his death.”
A knock sounded on the door. Before Kalen could cross the room, Nellie and Val tumbled inside. They took one look at me and then dashed my way. My mother stepped into the room just behind them, brow pinched. Nellie reached me first and threw her arms around my neck. Val slammed into us a second later. I hugged them just as tightly as they hugged me. They’d made it through the mists. For now, we were safe.
Val finally pulled back, her furrowed gaze scanning my face. “I was worried you weren’t going to wake up for days. The way you looked when Kalen carried you inside—”
“Wait.” I glanced over at Kalen. “He carried me here?”
“It took him almost two days,” Nellie added.
My chest warmed. “Was that not painful?”
“Nothing could be painful enough to stop me from saving you.”
Our gazes locked across the room, and fingers of heat crept up my neck. I’d assumed he would never want me the same way he had before I’d…well,stabbedhim. But the way he looked at me gave me hope. If anything, there was far more in his eyes than there’d been before.
Nellie coughed, and Val shifted awkwardly on her feet. I dragged my gaze from Kalen’s and tried to focus on them instead. It was then I noticed their cheeks were free of dirt, their hair was glossy, and they wore fresh linen tunics and trousers, both in gorgeous shades of green. No more crimson, thank the light.
Mother, still in a nightdress, slowly limped over to the bed and clasped my hands when she reached me. Tension tightened the muscles in her face, but the love in her eyes cut through it all. “Oh, Tessa. I was worried I’d lost you again.”
I clutched her right back. “I’m not going anywhere. Kalen made certain of that.”
Anger flashed in her eyes. She still didn’t trust him, even after he’d carried me back to Endir without stopping to rest. But at least she’d come here. At least she hadn’t run, like some of the others. She was alive. We all were. And for the first time in a very long while, we were safe—fullysafe. I had not felt relief like this in years.
Nellie sat on the bed, brushing her chestnut hair over her shoulders. “Do you feel up to a tour, or would you rather sleep?”
“I feel like I’ve been asleep for days.” I smiled. “What time is it?”
“Late morning. There’s still some food set out in the Great Hall for you to break your fast.” Kalen opened the wardrobe on the opposite wall to reveal rows of tunics and trousers in varying colors. He then crossed the room to push open a door I hadn’t noticed earlier. It led to a second chamber, with a claw-footed tub and a window overlooking the misty landscape.
“You can bathe now or later. I can fetch a maidservant to bring hot water for you.”
“You have maidservants here?”
“Dubnos is my home, but I consider Endir my second home. The castle is fully stocked and well staffed. There are many fae, and a few humans, who live in the city. It’s protected by a guarded wall, and the pookas do not cross it. You’re safe here for as long as you wish to stay.”
“And what about—”
“Oberon?” A shadow darkened his expression. “I’ll take care of him when we find him. For now, I want you to make yourself at home and try to forget about the darkness of this world for a little while.”
