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I’d never been the laughing type when we’d known each other. Then again, that wasn’t really a surprise considering the state of our lives.
Espen and Namir kept side-eyeing Laith, as if they expected him to change his mind about giving up his magic and just attack everyone. It frustrated me that they thought the man was so damned evil, when I knew it had all been a façade.
A façade that had only been planned to keep Laith alive.
“What would happen if you removed the illusions from everyone’s memories?”I asked Laith.“Is that even possible?”
“No. I would have to go in and edit each memory individually, and their magic would fight me harder every moment I spent in their minds. An illusion happens in the present, and becomes a fact for the person who lived it after it occurs.”
Damn.
We were both quiet as everyone finished eating and continued chatting. Laith nudged me or tried to get me to eat more whenever he noticed I hadn’t touched any food in a while, but I was feeling nauseous, so I only ate tiny bites in an attempt to console the man who I could feel was worrying about me.
Espen and Akari were the first to leave the table, so Laith and I excused ourselves quickly after them. Diora gave me another hug before I left, and murmured a quick, “I’m glad you’re okay, Vee.”
I murmured back an, “And I’m glad you’ve found your peace and freedom, Diori.”
She flashed me a grin as I pulled away, and I winked at her before wrapping my hand around Laith’s elbow and letting him lead me out of the dining room.
We both ignored the stares from all who surrounded us.
“Do you really want them to believe that you were saved by love? If you demonstrated your magic, I’m sure they would realize that you never needed saving in the first place,”I said quietly to Laith.
“Better they assume you changed me than realize the extent of my lunar magic. The strength of my illusions would only give them another reason to fear me.”
“Not your brothers, though. They’re strong enough in their own rights, don’t you think?”
“My brothers despise me because of our childhood. They know about my magic; should they understand the extent of it, they would’ve started trying harder to kill me long ago. I kept them at bay by scaring them; now, I can’t risk doing so.”
I heaved a sigh.“I think you’re wrong, but it’s your call.”
“Thank you, Lemay.”He pressed a kiss to the side of my forehead, and we started walking faster. Akari and Espen were ahead of us, and we had to get to their door before they started going at it again, so we needed to hurry.
Their door closed only a moment before we reached it. I knocked hard, and there was a long pause. Though I heard murmuring from within the room, and felt a bit bad, I let Laith pull me back against his side and tucked myself against his body. We needed to get moving; my illness wasn’t getting better, that was for sure.
Espen finally opened the door, and his eyes narrowed as they flicked between the two of us.
“Can you transport us to the coast?” I asked him, not bothering with beating around the bush. “Laith would get us there, but he gave you his magic. We’re not sure how long the journey will take, so we need to get going.”
The fact that we also weren’t sure how much time I had left didn’t need to be said aloud. It would only stress everyone out.
Espen didn’t answer immediately, his clouded gaze lingering on Laith.
Akari stepped up into the doorway beside him, and his arm wrapped tightly around her waist.
He was worried Laith would hurt her, which frustrated me immensely.
“Of course we will,” Akari said without hesitation. “We can go into town to get you some supplies first, if we need to.”
“I have everything prepared, if we can stop at my castle first.” Laith’s voice was low and silky. He was still putting on a mask, and I fucking hated that.
“No problem.” Akari dipped her head in a nod. “Let’s go.” She looked up at Espen, who didn’t look thrilled. But he did nod, and a breath later, darkness swelled around us.
The magic that used to belong to Laith felt familiar, but foreign at the same time. It lacked the comfortable touch of the man whose soul was made to complete my own.
We appeared in the main foyer within Laith’s castle. Espen must’ve known that Laith was living in his mother’s old home, which didn’t quite surprise me.
The king’s gaze slid over the grand staircase, and his lips set in a grimace.
