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KAI
“How? When?” Cora’s questions fall from her lips faster than I can follow them as she pulls back to peer at me as if to reassure herself that I’m real. We’re both crying, our tears making our voices thick with the emotions that fill the room. Behind her, the horned monster stands, his eyes hard on my monsters.
“I’ll explain everything,” I promise. I turn and check on my monsters where they stand stiffly behind me, their eyes on the king. “They are with me,” I explain. “They are safe.”
Weyland, Kaito, and Dade all bow their heads toward the monster king. Rook doesn’t bother, his own eyes hard and unwavering. Luckily, the king doesn’t seem upset by the sign of rebellion.
“Grim,” Cora chides, glancing over her shoulder. “Ease up. This is my sister, and these monsters are her . . .”
“Mates,” I state, lifting my chin. “They are my mates.”
Cora’s smile is bright. “Then they are family.” She loops her arm through mine, just like she used to when we were childrenin the Shadow Lands, and starts to lead me away from the throne room.
There is no hesitation or anger, just acceptance and love, and my tears fall harder.
“Come. We have much to discuss.” Her eyes trace over my body, no doubt taking note of the differences. The last time Cora saw me, I was starved, gaunt, and damaged. Although scars still litter my skin, I appear far healthier than I’d been thanks to my monsters—not to mention the new, inky drawing on my skin and the color of my hair.
“No weapons,” Grim commands of my monsters.
Rook laughs and holds up his hand. “I am a weapon, Your Majesty. Do you expect me to stay outside?”
“Yes,” the king answers at the same time as Cora says, “Of course not! You’re welcome in our home.”
Rook grins at the king and then purposely looks toward Cora, bowing to her instead. The move seems to make the king feel better. He straightens and nods, an understanding passing between them.
“Nero and Raz will be here shortly,” he tells Cora. “The others will be alerted.”
“No need,” a large, stone-colored man declares from the side. I hadn’t even noticed him, mistaking him for a statue. His large wings are folded against his back, and his expression is unreadable. “They’ve already been notified.”
I recognize him, not because we’d had a proper introduction, but because he was the one who dove after me over the side of the tower. He’d been too late. He didn’t know me, but he knew how important I was to Cora, so he risked his life to save me. Now, seeing me standing before him, he takes in my appearance, and I see something ease in him despite there being no emotion on his face.
I realize he blamed himself.
The guilt comes back tenfold as Cora drags me from the throne room and into a beautiful courtyard. Here, everything blooms brightly rather than the washed-out gray of the forest outside. Flowers shine vibrantly in every color, and the trees drip with fruit I don’t recognize. What we would have given to have trees like this in the Shadow Lands as children, and now they have a home here in Cora’s castle. The grass is green and brilliant, and the scent of all the blooming trees fills my nostrils and relaxes me. It puts me at ease despite the talk I know Cora and I must have. Though I’m glad she’s happy to see me, there will still be hard conversations ahead. I know that, she knows that, but for now, in this moment, we’re two sisters who have been reunited.
Grim, the monster king, follows our party. The gargoyle trails along with him, studying my monsters. Weyland and Kaito watch him carefully, but Rook and Dade are focused on me and the space between me and the king. Do they suspect maliciousness from him?
Cora settles on a stone bench and pulls me down with her. Her dress shifts around her legs, and it makes me hyperaware of the fact that I’m still dirty from our journey. I’m wearing baggy pants and a shirt meant for Kaito’s slender frame rather than my own curves. It was the best we could do, and I’d grown comfortable in them, but sitting beside Cora with her glittering black crown and her pristine dress makes me aware that I’m underdressed for a queen’s company.
I have changed, but so has she.
Gone is the tired, determined Shadow Lands girl, and in her place is a queen.
We stare at each other in silence, my heart beating loudly in my ears. We don’t speak for several long minutes, as if we’re both burning each other’s image into our brains. The last memory we have of each other isn’t a pleasant one, andI hope we can replace that with new ones. Still, I owe her an explanation. It’s been months since we last saw each other, and I’m only now coming to see her.
“How did you—” Cora begins as I say, “I’m sure you’re—”
We both cut off and laugh. It feels like old times and it puts me at ease, so I sigh and take her hand. “I know you’re wondering how I’m alive.”
She nods eagerly. “We searched for you.” She gestures toward the gargoyle. “Raz searched along the river, trying to find any trace. When he came back empty-handed, I hoped . . . well, I hoped you made it.”
Even after what I’d done, she looked for me. She hoped I’d come back. What a fool I’ve been to fear this meeting.
I glance over at Kaito. “When I fell from that tower, I wanted to die. I expected to. I was a broken, hollow shell of the woman I’d once been. He’d broken me, Cora.” I look at my sister, the woman who sacrificed herself to save me, knowing she deserves the truth. “Kaito saved me and nursed me back to health. Weyland showed up soon after. It took a long time to be able to exist again. When Dade and Rook appeared, I was still damaged, and I’m still fighting, but . . .”
Cora watches me carefully, her eyes tracing my face before shifting over to my monsters. They are tense, as if not quite sure what to do. “You saved my sister,” she tells them. “For that, you have my deepest gratitude. Please, treat this castle as your home. You are welcome here despite what the grumpy minotaur would have you think.” She leans close to me and whispers, “He’s always grumpy. You’ll get used to it.”
“I heard that,” the king grumbles.
