Chapter 15
HADRIEN
“Agame?” I repeated with surprise.
“Yes,” Lilia replied with a small smile. “I figured it would help with all this…” She motioned between us and didn’t finish the sentence. She didn’t have to. I knew exactly what she was referring to with all this palpable tension between us, especially since I didn’t know what to do with it.
“Yes, back at the castle.”
“Let’s head back.” As we walked back on the well-worn forest path, she moved closer to me than she’d been on the way out.
The forest was quiet save for the crunch of twigs and leaves beneath our feet and the whisper of a breeze through the leaves. The night air cooled my skin and moonlight peeked through the foliage from above, casting strips of light and shadow dancing on the path ahead of us.
I’d kept a careful distance to give her space, the way I had all evening, even though every instinct inside me pushed me to move closer to her.
I couldn’t, not after our kiss last night.
The confusion on her face when she’d pulled away had said it all—that it had been a mistake, something that had just happened in the moment.
She must have regretted it, and I ruminated on it all day while in stone.
I didn’t blame her. Why would someone as vivacious as her want anything to do with a cantankerous grump like me, especially after forcing her to stay here at Valgarde like a prisoner?
I should give her freedom, but couldn’t. How could I let her go and reveal the truth of the wards to anyone? I’d already let her mother and brother go, and the only leverage I had to keep them quiet was by keeping Lilia here.
And even after a few days, I didn’t want her to leave.
Selfish, I knew. But the days when I was locked in stone atop Valgarde, staring out over my land now weren’t so dark, not with Lilia in my vision and in my thoughts.
She’d waved at me when she’d stepped outside this morning before tending the gardens.
She’d often hummed while she worked and referred to books to identify plants she didn’t recognize.
She’d chat with Victor and Genevieve, and I noted the brightness she’d brought to them as well.
Lilia had brought light into the dark walls of Valgarde, and I didn’t know how I could ever let her leave.
Not that I had much choice. With the poppy hardening, I was running out of time. Once I was gone, she was free to do whatever she pleased. Would it be so selfish to keep her here and have a spark of happiness with her before my inevitable end?
What I hadn’t anticipated was how much of an impact she’d had on me in such a short time.
How I’d grown to look forward to her stepping out beneath the sunlight.
Her small wave this morning had filled me with unimaginable delight for such a small gesture.
I’d counted down the hours until we could dine together come sundown, to walk with her and take her hand when we attempted her spell.
As we approached the castle, the faint wood smoke from Valgarde’s chimneys carried through the air. Her fingers brushed mine, reminding me of the heat that had surged through my veins when we’d kissed last night. And my fantasies about continuing on…
She gave me a sweet smile. Something hit me I hadn’t expected, which went beyond desire.
I didn’t want her to leave.
The days since she’d arrived had felt less like a sentence. She’d brought something back into Valgarde I hadn’t realized was gone until I heard it again—laughter, warmth, the sound of someone moving on the grounds as if they belonged there.
She belonged there.
And I had no idea what to do with that.
This time, I brushed my fingers against hers and let them linger for a few seconds, waiting to see if she’d pull away. She didn’t.
I extended my hand and wrapped it around her tiny one. Not only did she not pull away, she curled her fingers around mine. The warmth of her small hand pushed away the cold of the night breeze.
In that moment, I forgot I was running out of time—that relentless countdown that ticked in my head. How could such a small gesture do so much, pushing away the cold inevitability of what was coming? All of it briefly gone, replaced by a lightness in my chest.
Back in the castle, I pulled out a deck of cards from a cabinet in the library. She shuffled while I started a fire.
We pulled the chairs closer together with a table between us and began to play.
“You have no expression,” she teased. “How am I supposed to know if you’re bluffing if you don’t give me any hints?”
I laughed, the sound almost foreign to my ears after years of it being silent since the curse. And yet, with Lilia here, I heard it more and more.
After a couple of games, we moved on to chess, and I won the first round.
“You’re doing that on purpose,” she said with an adorable pout.
“Winning?”
“Looking smug, somehow without even moving your face.” She gave me a sly smile.
I chuckled again. “Part of my nature.”
She took the next game easily. I’d been far too distracted by the way the light from the fire caressed the smooth contours of her face and highlighted the gleam in her eyes.
After one more game, she yawned and covered her mouth with her hand. Although I wanted her to stay here with me all night, I said, “You’re tired. You should get some rest.”
“Okay.” She nodded. “We’ll try again tomorrow.”
We did. After another unsuccessful attempt to restore the wards the next night, we returned to the castle. When we saw Genevieve cleaning up after dinner, Lilia said, “We’re going to play a game. Would you and Victor like to join us?”
Genevieve’s eyes widened with surprise and she glanced at me in question. “Umm…”
Although I was fond of Genevieve and Victor, after all they’d been loyal caretakers for years, I didn’t socialize with them much anymore, not since the queen’s attack when I’d retreated from everything and everyone. Our conversations had mostly been about the castle and meals.
“Yes, join us,” I insisted, unwilling to stifle Lilia’s joy, which I was discovering, led to my happiness as well.
“We’d love to,” Genevieve said, beaming with a smile. “Let me go find Victor.”
The four of us sat by the fire in the Great Hall, playing cards and laughing until past midnight.
That sound warmed me even more than the pleasant heat from the fireplace. I hadn’t realized how quiet the castle had been, so devoid of laughter, until now.
The next night, Lilia asked if we could all dine together as well. I wouldn’t deny her anything, not with how she lifted all our spirits. After we’d all dined, Victor and Genevieve said they’d clean up, and Lilia and I headed to the wards. I carried her basket of plants and books.
“I think I found something we haven’t tried yet that might work,” Lilia said as we held hands without reservation while heading out to La Forêt de Veillepierre.
“What did you find?”
“It was in an old botanical compendium in your library. I cross-referenced it with another book on magic that included protective wards. There’s something there with the overlap between old plant lore and boundary magic, I’m almost certain of it.
” Her voice quickened with excitement as she spoke.
“First, we need to burn white sage to clean out the disintegrating energy. Then we’ll add yarrow at the base of each marker, for protection and endurance.
And add rowan to the stone, as strengthening material. ”
“Mm,” I grunted in agreement. “Sounds…delightful.”
She laughed at my forced enthusiasm. “I’m telling you, Hadrien, I think it’s the right combination.”
I didn’t want to point out that she’d said that a few times before. She’d reminded me of the power of intention, and I forced myself not to let my negativity ruin it.
Once we reached the boundary, she referred to her texts as she followed through the instructions. The distinctive scent of sage burning tickled my nostrils. Then she added the plants and chanted in Old French, while I stood by as usual, like a rock.
“Okay, it’s ready,” she declared. “Hold my hand and put your other one on the stone marker.”
I stooped beside her and did as she instructed.
“Close your eyes. Breathe in.” She inhaled audibly.
Something happened.
That spark that I’d felt the first time we’d tried this—it was back. Not only that, it pulsed, growing stronger. The vibrancy grew where our hands joined, burning brighter between us. I felt it in my body, as the magic coursed through my veins, binding its way toward the stone.
When I turned to it, my eyes widened. A dim blue luminescence expanded from it, one that I’d never seen before. I’d never been able to forge anything like this with my magic alone.
“Mother of Stone,” I whispered.
“What?”
“It’s…” I almost couldn’t believe it as the energy flowed through me, more vibrant than ever before. My mouth fell open before I could form the word. “It’s…working,” I said just above a whisper, almost in disbelief.
Lilia gasped and put her hand on her heart. “We did it?”
“We’re doing it,” I clarified. “I feel it. The ward is knitting together.”
“Oh my god,” she uttered and squeezed my hand.
While the energy coursed through us, I tried to read it better. “It’s a start, but it’s solid.”
She agreed with a resolute nod. “I knew this was the key.”
“Right. This is the way,” I muttered, still in awe. “It may take days, if not weeks, for the magic to weave together fully, sealing the ward. And we’ll have to continue with the other markers.”
Which meant more time alone with Lilia…
She squealed and squeezed my hand tighter, barely staying still as the current of energy continued and eventually ceased.
“It’s done,” I said and pulled my hand to the stone, then straightened.
She turned to me, eyes bright. Then she ran for me, wrapping her arms around my body. “We did it!”
I laughed and lifted her off the ground. I stared down at her, and her bright eyes searched mine, slowly darkening as we remained locked on each other. Her gaze lowered to my mouth.
One heartbeat.
Two…
We came together at the same time, mouths crashing hard as we pressed our bodies close. Everything else slipped away—the wards, the poppy, time running out.
Every shield of restraint inside me fell as I kissed her hard, slid my mouth down to her neck, and she moaned—a sound that rippled through my body right down to my core.
Desire for her exploded. Gods, I could devour her right out here, lay her on the ground, undress her and reveal inch by inch of her satin skin.
When she pulled her legs up and wrapped them around my waist, I almost did just that.
No, she deserved better than to be taken out here by a beast in the woods. I started walking.
She broke away just a fraction, and her warm breath caressed my face. “Where are we going?”
“Back to the castle.” I didn’t stop moving.
“To your…” She didn’t finish the sentence, and her eyes widened in both question and anticipation.
“Bed,” I finished for her, then stiffened, every cursed inch of me hoping she wouldn’t pull away.