Chapter 11
Samian
My chest tightened as I watched Sybil turn the corner.
Memories from just days before when she left for Lowbrook still haunted me.
We fought then, too, though this time felt different.
The worst had already happened. She had already fallen for Ambrose’s tricks, and he pounced, trapping her, binding her to his insidious plans.
But this time, she had both Ivara and Daelan protecting her, along with our mating bond linking us in a way we weren’t before.
She would be too far away to communicate with, but I could feel her soul connected to mine.
I could feel if anything happened to her, and that was enough.
I turned, looking back at the oak door to my room.
Just the sight of it felt isolating. I didn’t stay with Sybil last night, our hearts too raw from whatever Sybil was keeping from Kieran and me.
Though it still felt unreal that he was her mate, that fate wove mine and Kieran’s lives together, giving her two mates.
He had always been my friend and brother.
But now, he was more than that. The mate of my mate.
What that made us, I still wasn’t sure. But as I stared at my door, it felt like my energy was buzzing.
Looking back down the hall, I clenched my hands into fists.
Aster was the last person Sybil saw before she started acting distant, and I needed to know why.
I needed to understand what had happened during her visit.
Taking a steadying breath, I forced my feet to move, to take me to the medical wing.
When I walked through the open double doors, I ignored all the healers, heading straight to Aster’s office.
The door was slightly open for once, a bit unusual for Aster, but I lightly knocked, opening it further.
Aster whirled in her seat, those gray eyes wide.
Panic flickered across her face, but eased when she saw me in the doorway.
“Sorry,” I murmured. “The door was open, so I figured I could come in.”
“You should have waited,” Aster frowned, her pen thumping against the paper she was writing on.
“But since you’re already here, you might as well make yourself more comfortable.
” Using the pen, she pointed to a chair in the far corner and turned back to her work, not waiting to see if I moved or even settled in the seat.
I drummed my fingers against my leg, my nerves rooting me to the spot. “Was Sybil upset when she left here yesterday?” I blurted, my heart racing inside my chest.
Aster let out a breath of frustration, tilting her head back like she was praying to the gods for patience—or silence, knowing her. She turned in her chair, her eyes narrowing on me. I could feel the steel in her gaze piercing me.
“I need to know. Please, I need to know.” I wasn’t against begging. She had already seen me during my worst moments; this wasn’t anything new or different.
“And why would you need to know that, Samian?” Her voice was cold, stern.
“Please, just tell me.” I didn’t care how my voice cracked or how my stomach twisted and turned. I didn’t even care that she could see how unsettled I truly was. I needed to know why Sybil kept herself from me.
“You formed the bond with her, didn’t you?” Aster asked, her voice low and filled with…understanding?
When I didn’t speak, she jerked her chin toward the door.
I turned, shutting and locking it before moving the bookshelf in front so no one could hear or see us.
I cast a net of my magic around us, making sure that none of Ambrose’s spies were nearby.
When I found none, I went to the chair opposite to Aster, sinking into it.
My body felt too jittery, like I was forcing myself into a cage, but I breathed, willing myself to sit still.
“I wondered why she was asking about mates,” Aster murmured. “I guess it makes sense now.”
“Aster, please tell me what happened. I need—I need to understand.”
Aster studied me for a moment but finally nodded.
“She said she came to check in on me after noticing how I acted after Bryony came into the room last night. I told her she was my mate, and what you had told me about Arbus at that moment. After that, she asked how I knew Bryony was my mate and what the difference was between a mating bond and your soul bond.”
“How did she react? Did she say anything about me being her mate?” My heart pounded hard against my chest as Aster leaned back in her chair.
“It was subtle, but she did have a small reaction to what I said. Like she realized something, but she never asked more than that. How—what is she acting like?”
I hissed out a breath, my blood running cold.
She knew. She knew that Kieran and I were her mates.
I leaned back in my chair, running my hand down my face.
“Ever since visiting you yesterday, she’s been distant and on edge.
I know our mating bond snapped into place.
I felt it, and I know she did too, but she’s been pushing me away. Kieran, too.”
“Kieran? What does he have to do with this?” Aster asked hesitantly, her brows knitted together.
“He’s her mate as well. I just found out last night.” I grumbled, thinking of our fight. My anger still rose at his secrecy, at the way he had hidden something so important from me.
“I always miss the good things.” Aster blew out a breath, her eyebrows raised.
“Look, she wasn’t upset after our talk, but,” she paused, looking to the left wall, to the door of the hidden passage.
“I told her I would keep her secret, but she went to visit the queen when she was here. She said that she didn’t know where the passage was in her room and that if she did, she wouldn’t have known how to get there, so she came here and followed the path we took that night with Ezra. ”
I felt like I couldn’t breathe; like my heart had completely stopped. “Did she say anything when she returned?”
“No, but she looked pale. She left quickly after she returned, so I didn’t have the chance to ask. I figured whatever she learned, she would talk to you about it.”
“Fuck,” I whispered, twisting my ring around my finger.
“Fuck!” I ran my hand through my hair, letting out a shaky breath.
I closed my eyes, taking a moment to calm down before opening them again, my gaze going straight to Aster.
“Are you busy today, or would you like to go with me to visit Cassia? I’ll be going to the camp after to see if Bryony needs any help. ”
Aster swallowed thickly, her face slightly paling. “I don’t have anything today. I just need to let them know I’ll be out collecting some herbs as a cover.”
“We can go together,” I smiled, giving her a slight wink. “We can take the passage in my room.”
Rolling her eyes, Aster stood, moving the bookshelf back in place and opening the door.
I waited for her at the entrance while she talked to a healer, my thoughts lost of Sybil and what had compelled her to go to Cassia.
Whatever she needed, she could have come to me, could have asked me.
Did she still suspect me of truly working for Ambrose?
Did she still not trust me, even after the soul bonding—after our mating bond? My heart squeezed at the thought.
Aster stood beside me, clearing her throat, ripping me out of my downward spiral.
We walked in silence to my room, ignoring everyone we passed.
Opening the door, I let her in first while I sent another net with my magic, searching for anyone nearby.
Finding the area empty, I walked through the door and locked it.
Aster waited in the living area until I walked through the suite and followed behind me as we made our way through the hidden passage.
My heart tugged when we passed the door to Sybil’s room, as we yet again had another fight just before she left.
Reminding myself that she was gone, I forced my feet to keep moving, to take us to Cassia’s cell.
We walked through the dark, cold tunnels until the queen’s warmly lit cell came into view.
Stepping to the iron bars, I wrapped my hand around them, though my voice lodged in my throat as I stared at her. Even spending decades here did nothing to quell her beauty, to darken those bright, sky-blue eyes. Cassia raised her eyebrow, tilting her head to the side.
“You look like you did when you were a child after having a bad dream,” she breathed, a small smile forming. “Come, ask me what you want to know.”
“What did Sybil ask you?” I asked, my voice tight, my nerves coiling in my chest.
“She came to ask if I could remove the bargain that plagues her.”
“And? Can you?”
Cassia paused, pondering her next words carefully. “No, I cannot.”
I watched her, watched how remorse flickered in her gaze. Sybil's guilt for agreeing to Ambrose's bargain was eating away at her. I could feel it through the soul bond, though she tried her best to hide it. But she felt that even before she talked to Cassia.
“Did she ask anything else? Did you speak about something other than the bargain?”
“Yes, we did,” Cassia said so simply that I could only blink at her.
“Well? Are you going to tell me what you spoke about?” I clenched my jaw, holding back my growl.
“No.”
No? That was it? That word rang through my mind, and disbelief surged through my veins. I could feel the heat crawling up my neck, but I could only gape at her, nothing more than a fish out of water.
Aster choked back a laugh, and I turned to her, shooting her a glare. Looking back at Cassia, she stared at Aster, her gaze bright when she inclined her head in acknowledgement. I narrowed my eyes. “What do you mean, no?”
“I mean, child, what Sybil and I spoke of does not concern you, and you will do well to remember that.” Cassia raised her chin. She stood straighter, her shoulders rolling back.
“I deserve to know what you spoke about to my mate,” I growled.
Cassia laughed and stood, her lilting voice echoing along the stones as she gracefully made her way to the bars. She stopped just inches away, staring up at me as if I were nothing but the small boy she found, so lost in the forest.
“You will not speak that way to me, Samian Olokas. I was the one who raised you, and no matter what I speak to your mate about, it will remain between us until she desires you to know of it. Is that understood?”
I hissed, moving away from the bars. “Fine,” I spat out, ignoring how Aster was still smiling widely, glancing between the queen and me.
With a cluck of her tongue, Cassia returned to her seat. “Always a child,” she muttered beneath her breath.
“Can you at least tell me if she will be okay?” I asked, fighting to cool down my temper.
“That is up to her. Now go, I’m growing tired and wish to rest.”
I scoffed, returning to the icy bars. “I will find out what you told her,” I ground out.
“Rest well, my queen.” I bowed low and dramatic, stretching my arm out to the side when a heavy thud hit the bars before falling to the stone floor.
Peering up, I found the queen’s book lying on the ground. “Missed me,” I smirked.
Aster followed me as I walked away from the queen’s furious muttering, her eyes filled with amusement. She was never going to let me down from this, but she kept silent while we traversed through the tunnels and into the field. Her face grew paler and more solemn as we got closer to the camp.
Once we were at the gates, we stopped, waiting for them to open. “Will you be okay?” I asked Aster softly.
“I have to be, right?” she said, swallowing. She kept her eyes glued to the center of the gate, not daring to look at anything except for what was ahead of her.
My heart ached for her. For Bryony, too.
The love between her and Arbus was strong.
They were so sure the mating bond would snap into place at any moment.
Bryony had been a shell of herself after Arbus’s death, barely able to smile.
To lose a love like that only to find your mate…
“Just remember to be patient. It might take some time for her to be open to the bond.”
“I know,” Aster huffed, giving me a sidelong glare.
The gates groaned open, and we found Vivi waiting for us on the other side. She smiled warmly at Aster while giving me a shake of her head. “I was hoping you both would come.”
“And here we are,” I smiled, hugging her.
Vivi returned my hug, though she smacked my shoulder. “I thought you would like to join us at the Seelie Court today, while Aster helped Bryony with making some herbal remedies?”
I looked over at Aster, who blushed and nodded.
I bit back my laugh, knowing it would spook her.
In all my years, I had never seen Aster so unsure of herself.
“I guess I wouldn’t mind going to see old friends,” I sighed.
It had been ages since I had visited the Seelie Court.
Too many memories of the place kept me away, though I tucked them deep inside my mind.
Vivi laughed, swatting my shoulder again, and led us through the camp until we came to a large tent.
I stood at the entrance while Vivi took Aster, linking their arms, pulling her to Bryony.
Aster tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, nervously glancing between Bryony and Vivi, her cheeks growing redder with each passing second.
Bryony still looked pale with dark circles under her eyes, but she didn’t back away from Aster.
Instead, Bryony offered her a small smile, stretching out her hand, letting Aster take hold of it.
The tension fell away from Aster while Bryony led her to a small workstation filled with various herbs, pointing out the ones she needed first. They both settled side by side, working silently together.
Vivi returned to my side, watching the two work. One gave the other a quick smile and a nervous glance, but both of their eyes shone bright and hopeful.
“They have a long journey together,” Vivi murmured. Her voice sounded wistful, yet so full of affection.
“They do, but I think they will be alright.”