33. Raven
What did Winter say? I couldn’t concentrate on his words when…when…When my hands had turned blue. Blue!
When had that become a thing?
Granted, I didn’t have much experience with pulling individuals back into life—except for that one time with the woman. That time I had ended up exhausted, and my reaper abilities had turned sluggish. But blue? My skin had shown no signs of blue.
And the questionable device—the glove—had no such effects during or after my previous use.
I sucked in a breath and felt for a new missing sliver of my soul. Instead of missing, a part of me now felt ice cold. A mini glacier had taken up residency inside of me.
I knew going into the potential healing that it could be dangerous. Still…
Blue?
Winter wrapped his hand around the blue-tipped fingers on mine. He had yet to notice the blue spreading along the fingers on my left side. I’d tucked that hand against my thigh.
“Your Highness.”
The spoken title yanked me from my reverie.
Two uniformed guards stood a foot inside the small bedroom. They bowed deeply. I caught a glimpse of two more waiting in the hallway. Judging by their ears, full-blooded fae faced us.
“Highness?” I made no attempt to hide my surprise.
Aoes coughed into his fist and smiled, sweeping his gaze back and forth between Winter and me. “Guess we failed to mention that Winter here is a prince. A prince who enjoys slumming it with us common folks, and who also prefers his title not be recognized when doing so.”
Winter rolled his eyes at Aoes. “There’s nothing common about you. And it’s just a title.”
A title. A lineage. A life filled with obligations and expectations.
I swallowed the knot trapped in my throat as Winter turned a sheepish grin on me.
Despite being a prince, he’d spent countless hours tending to my needs when I’d been shot and bleeding. He’d gotten his hands dirty to save me and had kept my secret from Chace.
Holy reaper’s hell. Chace.
He’s going to love this little turn of events. He’ll use Winter to his full advantage, gaining access to the castle and the royals within.
My heart clenched. But Chace is missing.
And I need to find him.
“Your Highness,” the guard repeated. He tapped his heels together and stood ramrod straight. “We’re under orders to immediately escort you back to the den. Healer Valen waits in the carriage to evaluate your condition.”
My mouth popped open. Valen? Valen is in the carriage?
Winter frowned. “As you can see, I am fine. My grandmother worries far too much.”
“Yeah, but…” Aoes said. “Only minutes ago, you were not all right. You were far from all right.”
“I’ll have to take your word for it.” Winter planted his feet firmly on the ground and stood, pulling me upright alongside him.
The glove fell from my lap, hit the ground, and slid under the bed.
My equilibrium struggled to adjust to the motion, sending my head swimming and the world slipping out from beneath me.
Winter’s arm immediately wrapped around me, bracing me in place.
His brow pinched as he swept an evaluating gaze over me. “Are you still interested in meeting Valen? I seem to recall you were looking for him.”
I had been looking for Valen. Had I told Winter that in my delirium while I was holed up at Camilla’s?
I exhaled a weighted breath. Found the idea of taking a nap before engaging in further social matters appealing. But the offer stood for now, not an I’ll-come-back-later sort of deal.
My body clearly required recuperation before resuming my search for Chace. So why not recuperate while furthering our reapers’ quest to locate the necessary key regarding the curse? Aldine had suggested we’d find what we needed at the palace, among the royals. So…
“I would like that,” I said with a gentle nod.
Even though Aldine had been (supposedly) healed and no longer in need of assistance, I bubbled over with curiosity. Plus: palace, royals, key to the curse.
“Then so it shall be. You’ll come home with me.” Winter smiled, wide, bright, and impossibly genuine.
The sight of it lightened the weight in my chest. He wrapped his arm around me and held me at his side, preventing my knees from buckling and my body from dropping to the floor.
He glanced at the awaiting guards. “I’ll be bringing a guest with me.”
“As you command.” Both guards bowed, and Winter led us from the room.
The two uniformed men waiting in the hall pivoted and walked in front of us, and the two guardsmen from the bedroom fell in line at our backs.
As a unit, the four escorted Prince Winter…
and his guest, me…down the stairs, through the pub, and out the door to the carriage parked in front of the building.
The carriage where Valen waited.
A footman opened the carriage door and held it ajar. When I lifted my hand, Winter ushered me in first before climbing into the coach himself.
I slid into the seat across from a stern-looking male. Valen, I presumed. He had his black hair pulled back taut, and his dark attire leaned toward the theatrical.
Granting him a mild smile, I slipped my hands under my thighs to warm my frozen fingers and hide their blueness from the stranger. I should have grabbed a pair of gloves before setting off on the small adventure to the palace. Too late now.
Winter settled into the seat at my side, and not a second later, the coach door closed.
As the carriage lurched into action, the stern male cleared his throat and visually examined Winter up and down. “You look better than I expected, Prince. And who, pray tell, have you brought with you?”
“Raven here is a friend,” Winter replied.
I nodded and rocked forward and back in my seat. The action generated little warmth, but it served to keep my drained senses slightly sharper.
Valen merely raised an eyebrow. “Where did you find this one? Rolling around in a sewer somewhere?”
“Manners, Valen,” Winter reprimanded.
Self-conscious, and temporarily forgetting my desire to hide my hands, I brushed my fingers through my wet and tangled locks.
Sweat and filth from the tunnels clung to my skin and clothes.
Water from my attempted drowning had rearranged my hair.
More sweat from relocating Winter’s soul dappled my brow and topped off my appearance.
Reaper’s hell.
I headed to the palace looking an awful mess.
“I do so hope she is not a special friend,” Valen said. “You know how the queen feels about such relationships.”
“I should have you horsewhipped for talking about my guest in such a fashion.” Winter’s eyes sparked with an intensity I had not seen in him before.
He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and tugged me into his side.
“It’s because of this extraordinary lady that I’m the healed male you see before you. ”
“Interesting. I heard you had been afflicted.” Valen leaned forward and swept a second scrutinizing gaze over me, this time with a hint more interest. “And how did you cure him from such a state?”
“Easy there.” Winter waved Valen back in his seat. “You may fire your questions at her after she has had a chance to clean up, rest, and meet Grandmother.”
Valen frowned then shrugged and settled back in his seat. “Very well.”
We made the rest of the carriage ride to the castle in relative silence and shop talk as Valen examined Winter, taking his vitals and asking questions pertaining to his health.
I worried my lower lip. When my father had suggested I seek out Valen, I had assumed that Valen had once been a reaper. Because once a reaper, always a reaper…except maybe when trapped in a place where reaping didn’t work.
My father had suggested Valen might be able to help Aldine. Only Aldine was apparently now well, so did I need Valen’s help? Did he need to know who and what I was?
I supposed I didn’t need to decide just yet whether to open up to Valen or not. We still had the rest of the ride for me to settle upon a course. And, if he were once a reaper, he likely already knew the truth. Realized it the moment he laid eyes upon me and my reaper-esque features.
We passed through multiple magical barriers between the outer palace gates and the main structure, and the electric hum of each invisible wall vibrated through me. Gaining access to the royal residence presented a minefield without an invitation or some kind of pass: card, key, whatever.
The carriage deposited us at a side entrance rather than the main grand one situated at the front, and before heading inside, Winter sent a messenger with word to the necessary parties, whoever they were.
“Raven.” Winter motioned a uniformed woman forward. He glanced at her name tag. “Tara here will be your lady’s maid. She’ll show you where you may clean up and rest. We’ll meet up in roughly an hour’s time.”
I don’t need a maid, lady’s or otherwise.
Even though the thought immediately bloomed in my head, I couldn’t get my mouth to comply with vocalizing it.
“I’ll see you soon.” Winter pressed a kiss to my temple, squeezed my arm, and strode into the depths of the palace.
Lady’s maid Tara led me through endless hallways to a room and attached washroom where I could clean up. She ushered me straight through the ornate bedchamber to the bath.
She turned on the water―glorious running water―and began to fill the tub. Steam rose from the water’s surface as she added foaming soap, scented salt, and lavender.
She placed fresh towels beside the tub then turned to me. “My lady, may I help you disrobe?”
Still don’t need a maid. And definitely don’t need one undressing me.
I rubbed my arm and wished the burn of the current reaping task would lessen, because…the underworld waited on Tara’s overdue soul. I’d welcome some distance from the assignment. Lots and lots of distance.
I shifted my gaze from her awaiting form to the door and back again. “Would you mind stepping into the bedroom for a moment?”
“My lady?” She tilted her head, a blatant blink of confusion washing over her face.
“Would you?” I raised my hand, motioning to the door. “Step into the bedroom?”
“Of course.” She bowed her head then straightened and stepped out of the washroom.