Chapter 26
Aurora
Soren falls asleep after our embrace, and I slip from the bedroom to find the cabin still unoccupied. Thank goodness.
I need to find Camryn to tell her about Soren and find out where she was last night. I make it to the meeting house as Arc emerges in a fury. “Have you seen Camryn?” I ask as he breezes by me.
He only grunts, which I interpret to mean that she is still inside.
I find her pacing in front of the hearth. She’s the only one left inside and with her back to me, she roars with a scream that’s been bottled up for too long.
I stand motionless in the doorway. “You okay?”
Her hands unclench from her sides, and she whips her head to me. “Ugh. Yes. It’s just that fucker, Arc. I don’t understand him. He’s cruel one moment, then kind the next. I have whiplash.” She rubs her temples.
My lips press into a hard line. “I’d like to think good lives beneath that icy surface of his.” I sit at the front table, pulling her down beside me. “What did he do now?”
“I asked him if his plan was just to stew inside the mountain for the next fifty years or if he’s going to help. To which he replied I could join him if I’d like. He can tell me what my powers are and work with me to harness them.”
My eyes widen. “You said no, right?” I scan her face, but her gaze refuses to meet mine. “Right, Camryn?”
Her eyes soften as they finally meet mine. “Of course I want to come with you. To be with you and the others. But ... I don’t know my purpose yet. And I feel like I will only be in the way. Without knowing if I have any fae magic, I’m basically just another mouth to feed.”
My heart pounds in my chest. “That’s not true! There are plenty of ways you can help with the rebellion. Or you don’t even have to. Just having you there with me is enough.”
She looks down at the table. “You have Soren, Rory. You have your role in all of this. People are counting on you. You don’t need me there, getting in the way.” Tears well in her eyes.
Hot, angry tears spill over mine. “You can’t go with him, Camryn. You can’t!”
She places her palm atop my clenched fist. “Rory, I love you. But that decision’s not yours to make.”
I shake my head. “Did you forget he kidnapped you? Held you hostage for months?”
She chews on her lip. “I know. I know it isn’t logical. He’s been the bad guy. But I don’t think he wants to be. I think in his twisted way, he thought he was helping. And I think he can help me now.”
My eyes narrow. “He only thinks of how he can help himself. What makes you think he’s changed? That he won’t keep you and use you for his gain?”
Camryn takes a deep breath. “I can’t explain it. But I don’t fear him. I feel like he’s my best option right now.”
I recoil as if she slapped me across the face. “Better than me?”
She shakes her head again, her eyes locked on mine. “That’s not what I mean. If there’s a chance he can help me, I have to try.”
Nausea and anger course through me. She’s choosing him.
My chest heaves with several deep breaths. I can’t let this come between us. I just got her back. And she’s strong. I have to trust her. Trust she knows what she’s doing.
I tug her hand, pulling her into a tight hug. “Promise you will come back to me.” I fight back the tears.
She sighs into my hair. “I promise.”
We settle back into our seats, and I slip my hand into the pocket of my sweater. My fingers wrap around the smooth metal, and I place the communication mirror on the table between us.
“Here. Take this, so I always have a lifeline to you.”
Camryn picks up the small looking glass and smiles. “A piece of Rory in my pocket. Fae magic,” she huffs, shaking her head.
“Where were you last night, by the way?” I ask.
She nods to a small couch in the back of the room covered with a thick quilt.
I scrunch my nose. “Sorry.”
She smiles softly. “It’s okay. I figured you and Soren wanted some privacy.”
My cheeks heat at the thought of him. “About Soren ...” I tell Camryn how Maeve told us he’s a traveler who fell into the realm when he was a toddler.
Camryn’s mouth gapes during the entire story. “True, fated mates,” she mutters when I finish speaking. Her brows pull together. “Wait, so he’s ...” she pauses to do the math in her head. “Over one hundred years old?!”
I shrug. “I guess so.”
“Damn, he looks good. I guess we must have a bit of fae aging in us?”
“I think so. At least since arriving in Silverveil. That makes me feel better. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel if I continued to age while Soren stayed young and handsome.”
Camryn swats my hand. “That man loves you. I think he’d take you, grey hair and wrinkles any day.”
I giggle, knowing she’s right.