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Chapter24
Lia
Ispent the entire morning with Bayleon, Bastian, and our warriors, training like usual. Aidan arrived early this afternoon to speak with Bayleon and Bastian about fighting strategies and tactics. He was impressed with how the Tyvar fought and wanted to utilize some of those skills with his own warriors in his court. I was happy to see my men and my family growing closer.
My parents also visited, and my mother and I had a contest to see who could hit the target with the most arrows. I’d been beaten by my mother more times than I could count, but this time . . . we tied. It was a welcome victory. Everything seemed to be returning to normal, but unfortunately, normal wasn’t part of our lives here in the Land of the Fae. There was always something or someone waiting around a darkened corner. I hate that I felt like that, but Diawen was still out there.
Did she have a necklace that could hurt me? Yes, but I wasn’t afraid of her. She wasn’t going to get near enough to me to be able to get it around my neck. My hatred for her welled up in my chest and felt like tiny knives jabbing me, provoking me. I didn’t want those feelings to consume me, but they did. Diawen was within my grasp and now she was gone.
I feared it was going to be a long time before our paths ever crossed again. The thought was almost enough to drive me insane. I didn’t like the feeling of not having control of my life. Bayleon and Bastian were my future; if I couldn’t break the curse, our lives together would be limited. As long as I had them by my side, I knew I’d be happy, but there was more I wanted to give them.
My steps were silent against the garden path as I wandered through the lush foliage. The sun was setting, casting a golden glow across my palace and its sprawling grounds. With every few steps, I’d pause and take in a deep breath of the sweet-scented air, letting it fill my body with warmth and peace. At last, I made my way to the fountain; its trickling water provided a gentle soundtrack for my evening.
Sliding my fingers through its cool depths, I sighed in contentment. Behind the gardens, a vast green field stretched into the horizon. It was mine—my court, my land—and an electric thrill of power coursed through me at the thought. Closing my eyes, I let my magic flow from my fingertips onto the ground below. When I opened them again, an explosion of color spread out before me—thousands of pink and yellow tulips danced in their beds of grass. A low rumble of thunder echoed across the sky, seeming to travel directly to my heart. An eagerness built within me as I imagined making love to my men beneath the warm embrace of the storm. We had yet to do that, and I looked forward to it.
“Very beautiful, dear,” my mother called out.
Smiling, I watched as my tulips swayed back and forth in the gentle breeze like dancers twirling gracefully across an imaginary stage.
“Thank you,” I said, glancing back at her. Her red hair had been styled into a romantic updo, but the wind had freed some of the strands and they fluttered around her face like tiny flames. “Are you and dad about to head home?”
She came up beside me and bumped me with her shoulder affectionately. “Yes. Although, I think your dad is having a little too much fun with your cousin. Aidan convinced all the guys to partake in a few drinking games.”
“And you didn’t want to join them? Usually, you like showing them up.”
My mother threw her head back and laughed, locking eyes with the twilight sky before returning her gaze to mine.
“Yes, I do. I blame it on all those long nights I spent with the warriors when I was younger. Your grandparents hated it.”
I shrugged, feeling a rush of pride surge through my veins as I thought about my mother’s strength and courage. “You weren’t just a princess. You were a warrior. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be strong.”
She nodded slowly as if she was reliving past memories—both pleasant and painful alike—in her mind. “I know. It just wasn’t the way things were back then. So, when your father and I had you and Kale, we both agreed to start training you the second you learned to walk.”
I linked my arm with hers. “I’m glad you did. If you hadn’t, I wouldn’t be able to finish my quest.”
Her head jerked toward me, and I didn’t have to look at her to know she understood my meaning. I had debated on telling her, but I needed someone to know. That way, she’d know where to look if something happened to me.
“Your quest? Lia, no. I know what you want to do, and I think you should let it go. Bayleon and Bastian are here, and they’re yours. Making love to them to keep them healthy doesn’t seem all that bad.”
Shaking my head, I looked over at her. Yes, I could heal them with sex, but it shouldn’t have to be like that.
“I want to hunt Diawen down,” I growled. “The Tyvar curse should never have started.”
My mother stood before me, her hands grasping mine and her amethyst eyes full of worry. “I agree. But you have to think about this, Lia. What’s going to happen if you waste years of your life consumed by hunting her down? That’s not a way to live.” She flourished a hand around the field of tulips. “This is your home and it’s beautiful. You’re in love and you’re safe here. The last thing you want is to jeopardize that.”
She was right; I didn’t want to jeopardize what I had, but I had this overwhelming urge to keep fighting. Tears stung the back of my eyes, and I closed them, hoping I could keep them from falling.
“I love my life,” I murmured, opening my eyes to look into hers. “But if things stay the way they are, I’m going to miss out on the one thing I really want.”
Understanding flashed on her face and she cupped my cheeks. “I see,” she whispered. “You want children.”
I nodded. “I do. And I don’t want them to be cursed.”
My mother pulled me into her arms and sighed. “I wish I knew what to say, Lia. I understand your need to want to have children with the men you love.” Her arms tightened around me and I rested my cheek on her shoulder. “However, there is something I really want you to think about.”
My tears fell down my cheek and onto her dress. “Tell me,” I said, my voice thick with emotion.
She rubbed a hand soothingly down my back before letting me go, her expression serious and determined. “Bayleon and Bastianneedyou, Lia. If you go searching for Diawen and something happens to you, you would condemn the men you love. If you are no more, they have no one to heal them. And we both know what Bayleon and Bastian will do.”
