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Zephy nodded at me to follow her again, but as we started down the hall, Shay called out to us. “Miss…”
Zephy’s smile faded slightly. “Oh, you don’t have to call me that. We’re friends. There’s no reason to be so formal,” she muttered, but Shay didn’t seem to hear.
“You should be careful.”
Stony-faced now, Zephy gawked at her. “Why?” she asked coldly, her body stiffening with mine.
“There’s a darkness enshrouding you. It’s been with you all along.”
Worry colored Zephy’s face, but I interjected again before she could answer. “You don’t need to worry about that. I won’t let anything happen to her,” I vowed.
Shay didn’t smile or look convinced by my promise. She merely withdrew into her bedroom and shut the door, leaving Zephy to stare at the heavy wood in dismay.
“What do you think she meant?”
“Maybe that dark cloud is Hanover,” I offered lightly, urging the frown from her face.
“Cade…”
“She meant that you need to find your belongings, change your clothes, and get back in the SUV,” I told her firmly. “I’m going to show all of Ironhelm that you’remine. You’ll be the Queen of Ironhelm in a few days, and there are no dark clouds in that position.”
I gathered her in my arms and kissed her intensely to eliminate any of her doubts—and stop her from asking any more questions that I couldn’t answer. I didn’t remind myself that Aradia still hadn’t found the source of the attacks on us from weeks ago.
Was I walking my love back into a trap?
Chapter8
Zephy
Aradia fiddled with my hair nervously, and I wanted to swat at her, the movements only frazzling my nerves more, but I didn’t care. I looked toward the corner of the room where Maywin stood, pale and unmoving like a statue. I wished she’d say something—anything—but since I’d come back to Ironhelm Place, my maid had offered very little by the way of conversation.
She’s angry with me,I realized, the understanding breaking my heart all over again. Maywin remained faithfully at my side, but she wasn’t happy with me. She didn’t instigate conversations as she once had, nor did she smile as often, punctuating our discussions with her sunny optimism. When I asked her about the time when I was gone, she was vague and shut down, leaving me to wonder if Cade had, in fact, punished her because of me.
But I quickly realized that Maywin’s behavior was a result of my own actions. She had every right to feel betrayed, and I would have to regain her trust, as well as the respect of the entire kingdom, after what I’d done.
I’m about to become the queen,I told my worried reflection in the mirror silently.I can do anything, just like the King.
“That should do it,” Aradia told me, finally stepping away from my hair. “You look good enough.”
I frowned at her comment, casting her a sidelong look. “Good enough?” I echoed. “It’s my wedding day. I want it to be perfect.”
The enchantress offered me a scornful look. “You should have thought about that before you disappeared the night before your real wedding,” she retorted. “This wedding has no real guests, no hair stylist—your parents aren’t even here. I don’t know why you didn’t just plan another wedding.”
I met her eyes in the mirror, and the enchantress smirked at me. “Never mind all that now. Hurry along. Cade is waiting for you.”
She twirled once, vanishing in front of me in a swirl of smoke as I peered back at myself in the glass mournfully.
“You look lovely,” Maywin offered meekly.
I glanced back at her gratefully, and she gave me a weak smile.
“You’re mad at me,” I said sadly.
The maid shook her head. “No, of course I’m not mad at you.”
“You’ve been at my side for most of my life, Maywin. You’re my friend,” I insisted. “You’re upset by the way I left. And I don’t fault you for that.”
She stepped forward, dropping her eyes. “I was worried about you. That’s all.”
