AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“She’s a Vitas princess—a member of the displaced branch,” I said. “And if the Paragon or any other supernatural finds her, they will destroy her. She’ll be a sacrifice in the name of slowing the death of magic. If found, her suffering is inevitable; the Paragon is about as good a fae as can be found, and he’s so bent on the idea of using her, he refuses to investigate any alternatives.”
“Are there alternatives?” Ker asked.
I tilted my head, listening to magic. It hadn’t started screaming yet—it was still too pleased with Chloe’s dwindling presence. “Maybe. Though I couldn’t give any certain theories.”
Ker nodded her head. “And Chloe’s presence as the last shadow could be a threat to the princess, because she would draw more attention to you than just the Paragon.”
“Precisely,” I said.
“If the elves of Calor Villa went public, it’d be extremely easy to hide the princess,” Ker said.
“Perhaps, but that’s not going to happen. The only way I can see it working is if Chloe were to abandon her family and her life—as you have. But she’s already indicated she’s unwilling to do that. And I can’t blame her for that. Sheshouldtreasure her family. What she has with them is indeed special.”
“Maybe,” Ker agreed. “But I can’t help but think that what you have with her is also special.”
I shrugged. “Perhaps it is for me—I’ve lived longer and am all too aware of what I lack. But Chloe isn’t the same. She’ll have more opportunities.”
Ker stared at me, her gaze relentlessly sympathetic.
“And I care for her enough to know that those other opportunities will be more beneficial for her,” I belatedly added.
Ker shook her head and sat up straight. “I don’t know how you can take all of this loss and not go crazy.”
“I’m hardly alone in this,” I said. “I could argue you have lost more than me—you actuallylovedyour Pack. No matter how one were to construe the definition of love, there is no way one could say I shared any kind of similar bond with my family.”
“Yeah, except I get to spend my days with my new Pack, living off your wealth, generally having fun,” Ker said. “I’m not being forced to give up the love of my life.”
I rolled my eyes. “Now you’re being dramatic.”
“You’d argue that Chloe, whom youstillcall Amalourne—and don’t deny it because as much as I pretended not to hear you calling her that, we both know I could hear you when we thought she was a cat—is not the love of your life?”
I was silent—more out of self-preservation than anything else.
Because, yes. I would say Chloe wasn’t the love of my life…because that was too tame and shallow a description.
Yes, she was my Amalourne, but she was more than that. In the future, no matter what she did or who she ended up with, she would unknowingly carry a piece of me with her. Even though our bond was dormant, she’d still have me.
Kerberos, most likely sensing my inner struggle, patted my back.
A wry grin twitched across my lips—she was treating me like an upset pup—but my humor disappeared when I felt a bone deep groan.
For a moment, I assumed it was magic—restarting its tired chorus. It was only when I looked at the sky that I realized wild magic was still quiet, and it was the sorrow in my own soul I was hearing.
Chapter Ten
Chloe
Three nights later, when Joy dropped me off at the Book Nookery for my night shift, she followed me inside.
“Good evening, Chloe, Joy.” Ms. Booker, wearing a belted, fitted dress designed with geometric patterns and a navy-blue woolen overcoat, rested her hands on the store’s front desk as I hung up my jacket and stowed my purse. “How go the new security measures?”
“Good evening, Ms. Booker. It’s going just fine.” Joy smiled at my employer. “Knowing she’s made it safely to the Book Nookery takes quite the cognitive load off my mind—and Pat’s.”
Although I preferred to walk to work—and I was perfectly capable of driving—after the previous incident with the tracker, Pat and Joy had decided I now required an escort to and from Book Nookery.
I was willing to do it for their sake—the tracker did have a history of attacking when I was on foot and alone.
Besides, I had my own security measures I made sure of, that they didn’t know about. I had an emergency bag in which I kept a stash of their dirty clothes, just in case I needed to ask a werewolf to smell them out, but my siblings didn’t have to know about that.
