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And now the rest of us must live without him.
In a month, I’ve lost two important people. I’ve learned to live life without my mother. I can do the same with Levi. But the constant reminders of him in the cabin, the garden, the meadow, and the woods, will stay with me always.
I look into Bastian’s eyes, unable to contain the grief any longer as I bring the tips of my fingers up to the locket and disappear.
With a thud, I land on my knees on the hard wooden floor of our room in Tenny Rocks. My head spins, so I crawl over the floor, scrape a tin basin out from under the bed, and throw up. I roll onto my back, not caring that I’m still on the floor, and stare up at the thatched ceiling. Numbness overtakes my mind and body.
With Levi gone, did any of this even matter?
I drift to sleep. The others will return in an hour or two, and I don’t have the strength or desire to leave this very spot.
The door slams open and Grayson enters, followed by Evie and Bastian. “And I say elves have it two-to-one over pixies. Who ever saw a drunk pixie?”
I groan, grab a pillow from Bastian’s mattress beside me, and throw it over my head to block the inane nature of the conversation. It’s Grayson’s way of dealing with his grief, I know, but to me it mocks Levi’s memory. I don’t know what I expected. A grand parade through the village with flowers and a chorus of mourners?
No.
Levi wouldn’t want that. I don’t want that. What I want is space and time to live in my grief, not Grayson bombarding me with his overtly jovial nature.
The room grows quiet as the others settle onto the beds, their eyes boring holes in the pillow over my head.
“We loved him too, Mari.” Bastian’s voice cuts through the pillow and into my soul. His footfalls creak along the floorboards, and then he’s sitting beside me, rubbing my back. “He’d want us to go on.” He sighs, and his hand pauses. “None of us are saying you can’t feel what you’re feeling. It’s real and raw.” His slow sweeps begin again at my shoulder and run down my back. “But this is larger than us. You have a role to play in this bigger war, and I’m not sure how many more we’ll lose. Levi’s death gave us the prophecy.”
The prophecy. Folded paper wedged between my stiff corset and soft skin, ready to reveal to us the secrets of the world.
I roll onto my elbow to prop myself up and look at him—at them. Like Levi, this is my family now that my mother’s gone and my father disowned me. My face is a mess. I can feel the sticky residue of tears on my cheeks. “I’d trade Levi for the prophecy in a heartbeat. The other savior will reveal themselves eventually. That’s how you found me.”
Grayson walks over and sits cross-legged beside me, placing his hands in his lap. “Levi once told me he knew he’d die at the hands of the fae. He knew too much. Deep secrets ran through his bloodline that the king thought died with Levi’s mother. His human side posed a danger to Frostacre because they knew he held more loyalty to people than to the fae.” He reaches above him and rests his arm on the footboard of the bed. “You say you had a vision placed in your head by Cirrus. Maybe it was really Levi.”
“Was he strong enough to do that?” I piece through my vision, trying to find clarity. “His limited magic couldn’t save him from Quinn Magnum. And why would he place an image of the king and I…” I stop. Heat flames my face, but they need all the details. “In my vision, I wasn’t just in the bedroom. I was underneath Cirrus—in the bed.”
“Levi told me before we left that if he could get close to the king, he might be able to delve into his mind.” Grayson drops his eyes, staring at the floorboards. “Cirrus must have felt the intrusion, seeing him as a threat. Thankfully, Levi planted the image in your mind before he died.”
Bastian furrows his brows, probably trying to block out the image my recollection brings. “The fae have interesting ways to convey messages—even Levi. The king was too smart to reveal the exact location of the prophecy, but it’s obvious he couldn’t resist taking you to his bedchambers.”
“Are we going to look at this prophecy already?” Evie lounges on the bed as she tosses her dagger up into the air, catching it by the handle each time. Will I ever be so brazen?
Sitting up all the way, I reach into my corset, but Bastian stops me, his coarse fingers wrapping around my wrist.
“Let’s wait until we are home.” He helps me to my feet, my muscles aching from sleeping on the floor. “I’ll feel better when we’re behind the safety of our wards. I’m afraid we’ve made enemies with all of Frostacre.”
We gather our things, stuffing clothes and weapons into our bags and cloaks. The setting sun blinds me as we step out of the inn, ready for the long trek home. There’s the fear of the other Supes trying to take advantage of our nighttime journey, but I’m confident in my companions. We need our own beds and the familiarity of Levi’s loving touches in the cabin. It will give us a space to grieve.
The darkened sky still hangs heavy over our cabin when we arrive in the middle of the night. Familiar chirps of crickets and other creatures fill the air. Only two werewolves and one vampire meet their deaths along the way, my kin making quick work of them.
I stagger over the threshold, no longer sure of my footing. The heavy shroud of this day weighs my shoulders down like an oppressive fog. A strong hand catches my elbow, leading me not to the room I shared with Levi but to the stairs.
Bastian rolls down the comforter, fluffs the pillow on the side closest to the wall, and waits for me. I slip into his bed and lay my head down, letting his scent surround me as he wraps me in his arms. “We’ll honor him.” He speaks so softly, I wonder if I made the words up myself.
“He didn’t deserve to die.” My words come out pale instead of being the powerful statement I want to convey. “He saw the good in everyone.”
His fingers trail along my hairline. “We all loved him. He understood what it was like to grow up in the wilderness—to fend for yourself. We both lost our families. Those shared experiences create strong bonds. Though I don’t show my emotions too often with tears, there’s a gaping hole in my heart that will probably never mend.” A feather-soft kiss graces my cheek before he settles onto his pillow.
I stare up at the ceiling. A storm rumbles in the distance, echoing through the valley. Flashes of light illuminate the shadow of trees on the wall. The parchment scorches my skin beneath my dress as if it’s unable to contain its secrets any longer. But like me, it will have to wait a few more hours until we can all open it together.
CHAPTER THIRTY
“Are you ready to do this?” Bastian stands beside the bed holding a croissant in his hand. “Grayson thought he’d lure you out with warm baked goods.”
