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He looks at me. “Isn’t it clear? Grandfather is doing this for you, his granddaughter. You’re the only piece of your mother left. You might not remember him, but he remembers you.Iremember you. You were two the last time I saw you, but I was four. When we go home, I’ll show you pictures.”
I turn my attention from Venali to Warrick. “I believe him. I want to go and visit my family.” I grab ahold of Stellan’s hand. “We’ll get an alliance and that will be enough for the fae to back off.”
Warrick looks at me for a moment, his eyes scanning my face, then he nods. “Fine.” He turns to Venali. “I am trusting you with my son and daughter-in-law. They are the future of our people. If you harm them in any way, I don’t care how strong the elves are. We will come for you with everything we’ve got.” His eyes turn black and he makes the threat, though I don’t think it’s because he can’t control his emotions. I think he’s showing off his power. It rolls off of him in waves.
Venali stands. “Thank you, King Basilicus. I promise, no harm will come to them.” He turns to Stellan and me. “I will make arrangements and we will leave first thing in the morning.”
He turns to leave the room, but Stellan doesn’t move to get up. Instead, he turns and looks at his father. Neither of them speak for several seconds. I wonder if they’relistening to make sure Venali is far enough away that he can’t hear before they speak.
“What do you think?” Stellan asks.
Warrick takes a deep breath, looking from me to Stellan. “I think that he’s serious about caring for Wisteria, but I am not convinced they’ll be willing to let her go. We are not in a position to refuse, but I believe you should be cautious and vigilant while there.”
I want to argue that they’re wrong—they didn’t feel how Venali and my magic connected. I do not believe he could ever hurt me. But maybe they’re right. I don’t know him or any of my elf family. We are going into an unknown situation. All I can do is hope that Venali’s words are sincere.
Stellan
I don’t know what to make of the elf, Prince Venali Krishorn, or the fact that Wisteria trusts him. And shedoestrust him—I can feel it through our bond. From the moment he touched her, she made up her mind about him. But I don’t have her optimism about the situation.
Elves don’t like outsiders, that much is obvious. And I’m not convinced that Prince Venali likes me very much.
But Wisteria… she complicates things. How can I tell her no when she is so obviously thrilled about this?
She excitedly packs her suitcase, like she’s going on an adventure. And for a girl who has been locked away in a palace her whole life, I suppose thisisan adventure. I just don’t want her to get her hopes up. We don’t know anything about the elves. Are they true in their desire for an offered alliance? Or are they just trying to lure Wisteria there?
Wisteria grins as she struggles to zip her overflowingsuitcase. “I hope I packed enough. We won’t be there longer than a week, right? But maybe I should pack a fourth suitcase. What if there are more informal situations? I should pack—”
I step up to her, taking her hands in mine. “Wisteria, you’ve packed enough.”
“But,” she starts to argue.
“It’s fine,” I promise her. “Anything you need, I will buy it. I am a prince, after all.”
She nods, taking a deep breath. “Right. Yeah, you’re right.”
I can’t help but grin at her slight panic at the thought of forgetting to pack something. Then I remember her panic is likely because she hasn’t been allowed to travel before.
When I see Emperor Emrys again…
“Do you think Venali is okay?” Wisteria’s purple eyes focus on me. “He might not find the thermostat in his room. Maybe he needs another blanket or something.”
I walk over to her and put my arms around her. “Wisteria, your cousin is fine. He’s a grown elf that is fully capable of taking care of himself.”
She leans into my embrace. “I know, but…” she sighs. “You didn’t feel what I did. When our magic connected, IknewI could trust him. And I know you don’t trust him.”
“Your safety will always be my number one priority,” I tell her. “But for you, I will try.”
She grins, looking up at me with her purple eyes that have a hint of light pink around the edges. “Thank you, Stellan. I know I haven’t talked about my mom much, but that’s because I don’t know anything about her. My dad always refused to speak of her. As far as I knew, she died when I was a baby. I didn’t realize I was two. I want toknow about this other half of my life that has always been forbidden to me.”
I can’t deny Wisteria anything, especially not when she looks at me like this. I can feel her love and trust for me. I know that I can’t keep her from her family, and maybe this is the solution that we need.
“I will not keep you from your family, I promise you that.” I cup her chin gently with my hand. “You are free here.”
The smile she gives me makes everything completely worth it. Even if we are walking into a trap, I will handle it. I will protect her with my life.
19
Elf etiquette
