56. Princess Davina
Chapter 56
Princess Davina
“Love is just a word until someone comes
along and gives it meaning.”
— Paulo Coelho
I feel a strange, tingling sensation, as though I’m being pulled in different directions. It’s disorienting, like I’m floating between two worlds.
I gasp, blinking my eyes open, the world coming into focus. The ceiling above me is familiar, and I realize I’m lying on a soft surface. A bed. My head throbs, a dull ache reverberating through my entire body and making me feel like I’m caught in a fog that just won’t lift.
I sit up, my movements sluggish as if I’m moving through water. My limbs feel heavy, my mind foggy. My heart pounds in my chest, a frantic drumbeat that matches the confusion swirling in my mind.
How long have I been sleeping?
The air is heavy with silence, and a sense of unease settles in the pit of my stomach. I try to regain my senses, to shake off the fog, struggling to recall anything.
Slowly, I force myself to my feet, and the room spins slightly as the memories of my last moments rush in. The strange enchantment, the feeling of my consciousness slipping away. Cole’s blissful expression as he kissed my forehead, his distant murmur before everything went dark.
“Cole?” I croak, my throat tight and raw. My voice barely reaches a whisper. I’m so exhausted that I collapse back onto the floor, and it’s then that I notice my diary lying beside me, its lock shattered.
With trembling hands, I pry it open.
My heart sinks as I read the hurried, desperate scrawl.
I always thought I knew heartbreak before you came along. Now, looking back, that was only a fraction of what I knew heartbreak to be. It’s as if every breath I take is a reminder of how incomplete I am without you, and I try desperately to gather up all the things I want to remember about you, trying to engrave them into my brain so I can return to them wh
The words blur as a wave of panic crashes over me. I need to find him and let him know that I’m awake, that I’m fine.
Ignoring the dizziness, I rush downstairs.
“Cole?” My voice echoes through the hall, but there’s no sign of him.
“Princess?” Rafe’s voice pierces the stillness, and he appears as if summoned by my distress. His face is a mask of relief and worry. “It’s about time.”
“What happened?” The realization hits me like a thunderclap. “The slumber?”
“Yes.”
Juliet joins my side, relief flooding her face as she pulls me into a tight hug.
“Where’s Cole?” I ask impatiently.
The silence that follows is deafening.
Rafe and Juliet exchange worried glances, the seconds stretching painfully as I wait for an answer, their expressions becoming a mask of unease and guilt.
“Where is he?” I demand, my voice rising, growing more frantic.
“Davina, maybe you should sit down—” Rafe begins, but I cut him off, my panic escalating.
“Davina?” I echo. “You’ve never called me by my name before. What is going on, Rafe?”
He runs a hand over his head, clearly struggling to find the right word. “It’s—you know?—”
“No, I don’t know.”
“He’s gone.”
The words hit me like a physical blow. I stare at him, the disbelief making my legs weak. “Stop it. You’re kidding, right? This isn’t funny. Where is he?”
They exchange helpless looks, and Juliet steps forward, shaking her head. “Davina, he’s gone.”
“What is that supposed to mean? What do you mean, gone?”
Their eyes remain locked on me, filled with pity and regret.
“Maybe he… He bargained with Lorelda to get a cure for your slumber.”
“What the hell ,” I explode, my heart pounding frantically. “Why didn’t you stop him? How could you let him?—”
“I tried?—”
“You tried,” I echo, the words like a cold knife in my heart. “You tried,” I repeat, the words hollow as the crushing weight of reality settles over me, the gravity of the situation slowly sinking in.
I begin to pace, my heart shattering with each step.
“He left,” I whisper. “I can’t believe he left me.”
“You left him first,” Rafe says matter-of-factly. “He lost you when you ran away. Then you didn’t use your power, risking everything for a stranger. The difference is, you were trying to protect someone else, but he was always trying to protect you. Now he’s with her, and?—”
“Stop, Rafe,” I interject, my voice breaking. “Just stop.”
The weight of Cole’s sacrifice crashes down on me, and my heart aches.
Juliet tugs at the hem of her shirt. “It all happened so fast, I can’t even—he came and gave you his blood, and then he left immediately after. He said we aren’t supposed to look for him. He said he won’t come back?—”
“God, I hate him.”
“No, you love him.”
“I know.”
My heart is pounding, and I point a finger at Rafe. “You’re going to help me to get him back.”
“Listen, you don’t have your full power yet—you’d have to burn someone to stay alive and get it…”
“Wait, what ?”
“The cure only helped awaken you?—”
“Why bring me back if I still have to use it?” I snap, frustration boiling over. “Cole made a stupid, reckless deal with Lorelda for practically nothing?”
“Cole wasn’t himself,” Juliet says, worry written all over her face. “He wasn’t thinking clearly. All he wanted was for you to wake up, so you don’t suffer.”
“What do we do now?” I ask desperately.
Rafe takes a deep breath, his expression conflicted. “I know you don’t want to use that power,” he says, his eyes meeting mine. “But if you want to stay alive, if you want to help get him back… I made sure there was someone in the dungeon. Someone you can use that power on.”
I swallow hard, my mind racing. The idea of taking someone’s life again is horrifying. But the thought of Cole being tortured by Lorelda is even worse. Bile rises in my throat, and I’m torn between the need to have him back and the repulsion to hurt someone.
“Who… Who is it?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.
Rafe hesitates before answering. “A prisoner. Someone who was captured trying to kill.”
I close my eyes, trying to steady my breathing. “Are you lying to make me feel better?”
“No.”
I draw in a deep breath, filled with self-loathing.
“Then take me to the dungeon.”