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“So you didn’t bespell me, like he did?”
His jaw worked, but he remained silent, his dark eyes roving over my face. Everence, meanwhile, stood and walked toward the hearth.
“Bringing you here was a mistake,” he admitted and leaned back, one hand stroking his chin.
Inside my chest, a hole opened up. Like every other man in my life, Rafael regretted ever looking my way. The ache spread out from my chest, until it pushed away all other sensations and left me hollow. I stared at my hands and rubbed idly at the skin on my knuckles.
“I see no way to avoid our invitation,” he threaded his hands behind his head and stared at the wall, casually, as if he hadn’t just split my heart open. “Which means you must convince my brother that you hate me.”
“I don’t understand.”
“If he thinks there’s a chance you have any affection for me, he will torture you. In front of me.” His jaw flexed, as if he’d said more than he’d meant to.
Everence stepped forward, her eyes on me as she spoke to Rafael. “Talia will prove to everyone that she despises you for ripping her from her world.” She nodded, as if encouraging me to agree. “By doing so, you will ensure your own safety.”
My husband breathed so loudly, like a stallion after a race, that I had a hard time keeping my eyes on Everence. As she and Rafael awaited my response, my mind flashed back over the past week—was that really all it had been?
Rafael had saved me—from Ortiz, from poverty, from my nightmares, and tonight from an enchantment that addled my mind. In the market, he’d offered me a deal, and I’d taken it. I’d never paused to consider why he wanted to save me. Why, indeed?
Sinsorias apparently knew. Hector knew. Everence knew. I alone was in the dark. And yet, it was somehow in my hands to save myself from slavery to a powerful fae sovereign, if I could only convince others that I hated Rafael.
There was more to this than they were telling me. The creature in the kitchens knew more than I did. I was having a hard time recalling exactly what the dryad had said, now that my mind was again my own, but there was a secret here to be uncovered.
“All right,” I said. My voice was low but grew louder as I continued. “I will convince them that I hate you.” And in the process, I would also—so help me sun and stars—discover his reason for marrying me.
* * *
Sunlight woke me, and I was fairly certain a bee was trying to extract pollen from my hair. I swatted at the tiny creature, still perplexed at why someone would build a bedroom that doubled as a beehive. Today, there were definitely more bees. I sat up and stared at the honeycomb wall. Overnight, the active part of the hive had doubled…at least.
A butterfly flitted in and landed on the rose petal blanket. The edges of the petals were softer, less brown than yesterday.
Flinging the covers off my body, I glanced at my reflection in the round mirror over a painted dresser. Last night after dismissing Rafael, Everence had drawn a bath for me in her rooms and proceeded to pamper me with every luxurious-smelling thing imaginable, including the nightgown I’d borrowed and worn back to my room. It smelled of lavender and was softer than melted butter.
Everence had spoken of her magic, of her love for the cold, of how one can grow accustomed to living in a new world. She’d carefully avoided talking of Rafael, Sinsorias, and the looming invitation to the Sun Palace. After my bath, she’d given me an enchanted white lily, explaining that I was to keep it with me at all times. Its fragrance would not only hide my mortal scent from Fabian’s spies, but its magic would also act as a shield for spells.
I donned a fresh set of riding clothes and headed for the stables a little early. The garden was touched with dew and I decided to take a walk through a part I hadn’t yet explored.
The sun shone brightly on the white lily petals. They sparkled faintly and wobbled in the gentle breeze. White and red and deep purple blooms covered the only part of the garden not overrun with weeds. The lily patch was tucked up against the stone walls of the estate, in the corner where a rounded tower room jutted out from the main wall.
“You’re harder to find when you wear that thing,” Sinsorias’s cold voice chilled my skin.
I slowly turned. In the sunlight, his skin looked sallow. My eyes darted across the garden, hoping to catch a glimpse of Rafael, but he was nowhere in sight.
He tossed an apple in his palm. “Care for some fruit?” No wound remained, but his eyes appeared sunken.
I pressed my lips tightly together and drew my dagger, which I wasn’t planning to leave in my room ever again. “Your spells won’t work on me today.”
He rolled the apple in his hand. “As long as you have that flower, you’re right. But if it were to fall out, you’d be as vulnerable as a trapped mouse.” His teeth were blindingly white. In a heartbeat, before I even registered his movement, he loomed over me, reaching for the flower.
I screamed and spun away into a crouch, blade lifted. The flower hung on.
“Ah, such a fast little mouse.” He eyed the tip of my dagger. “Steel, yes?” He exhaled. “A mortal dagger.”
I tilted the blade a little in my hand, brow raised.
“Less iron, you see. Far more practical for your world, but less effective here.”
Heartbeat scrambling, I scanned once more for Rafael. It was day. I’d never seen him during daylight hours. He wasn’t going to save me this time.
