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Cyndella paled. “I’ve never seen her before, Zen. Why didn’t I hear about this apprenticeship?”
“Because she only just got here,” I replied quietly, nearing her. “And because you’ve made a concerted effort not to involve yourself in the kingdom’s affairs.”
“Because I’m trusting you,” she retorted sharply. “Where does she come from? Who is her family? She doesn’t look familiar to me, and I’m not sure I like her.”
I smothered a sigh. Cyndella would say that about every new fae she encountered without giving anyone a chance.
“You don’t have to worry about Mirielle or anyone else, okay? Obviously, I wouldn’t be having breakfast with someone dangerous.”
“That’s what Mother said,” she reminded me flatly, and I resisted the urge to shake her.
I am not Mother! I won’t make the same damn mistake! I’ve been taking steps to ensure that nothing like that ever happens again!
But I said none of these things, knowing that yelling at my sister wouldn’t help matters at all. I’d gone through the same shock and resistance that Cyndella was still experiencing. I had to show her some compassion, even if I wished she would get over it.
“She’ll be at the ball tomorrow,” I informed my only sibling brightly. “You can meet her there.”
My sister’s complexion waned. “The ball?” she repeated. “What ball?”
Gritting my teeth, I mentally prepared myself for this conversation. “The debutante ball. The same one we host every year.”
Cyndella’s mouth fell open. “Are you serious, Zen? You can’t have the gala tomorrow! Or any year going forward! It’s barely been a year since Mother…”
She couldn’t bring herself to say it, tears flooding her eyes.
I had known this would be Cyndella’s reaction, which was why I had hoped to hold off until the last possible moment to tell her. I was going to inform her when I got home from my meeting with the ministers, but seeing as she had me cornered now…
“The invitations have been out for months, Cyn. If you got out more, you’d know about it—”
“I don’t need to get out for you to tell me what’s happening in my own house!” Cyndella fired back. “What the hell are you thinking?!”
I sighed and attempted to placate her. “It’s important that we uphold tradition.”
“Are you out of your mind?!” Cyndella yelled, throwing my arms off her. “You’re just inviting trouble in! You promised to keep the castle safe, keep us safe! How can you do that when you’re inviting half of the kingdom here?!”
Her voice pitched an octave, a familiar hysteria lighting her eyes. Cyndella’s personal maid rushed forward, fist closed and extended, but I shook my head, causing Alle to stop in place. If I kept giving Cyndella a potion every time she had an anxiety attack, the herbs would have no effect on my sister, eventually. Cyndella needed to learn how to overcome this without the use of magic.
“Cyndella, we can’t just hide away in the castle forever. That’s not living, and that’s not going to keep us safe. It’s not what Mother would have wanted for us, either. The only way to show the world that we’re strong is to keep living how we’ve always lived.”
“At what cost? Until you die? Me?” Cyndella wailed. “They’ll wipe us all out!”
“I won’t let that happen, Cyn,” I insisted, reaching to place my arms on her shoulders, but she shrugged me off.
“Nothing is going to keep us safe if you just let anyone in here!” she retorted, storming over to pick up her book and rush from the sitting room.
“Should I give her the concoction, Alpha?” Alle asked, shooting a worried look from me to her mistress. Her hand tightened around the potion she kept on hand for moments when my sister got to be too much.
Calliver and Landon stood in the doorway, guarding the door and waiting for me. I groaned inwardly. A part of me wanted to go after her, but I’d done this dance a hundred times with Cyndella already. There was so little I could do but let her calm down on her own.
Maybe I should have listened to Endora all along. Cyndella doesn’t belong here…
Shame burned inside me, and I turned to Alle.
“Only give her the potion if she can’t be calmed,” I told Alle sternly. “I don’t want that being fed to her constantly. In fact, call for Endora first before you give her anything. See if Endora can’t do something before.”
“Yes, Alpha.”
I stifled a long, tired sigh and grabbed my briefcase from where I’d discarded it on the floor, making my way toward the front door again. My head inadvertently turned to look at the generations of portraits lining the entranceway as we headed toward my attending vehicle, my father’s eyes locking on mine. A deep pang of grief twinged my soul for him.
