Chapter 50
THALRIC
Aurora’s body is limp in my arms as I hold her to my chest. I gaze down at her, praying she will open her eyes and look up at me, but they remain closed. Gently, I reach a trembling hand and brush the hair back from her face.
“Please, Auri,” I rasp. “Please, wake up.”
She looks peaceful, as if she’s dreaming.
But every breath she takes is shallow and it feels like it might be her last. The silence in the castle presses in, heavy and suffocating, as the words I said to her echo endlessly in my mind.
I cannot love you. I made her cry, and now she’s gone where I cannot follow.
A tear escapes my lashes as I gaze down at her lovely face.
I swore I would never hurt her, but I did when I pushed her away.
I vowed to protect her, but I couldn’t keep her from the curse.
I have failed her in every possible way, and I can barely breathe as sadness and guilt threaten to consume me.
Footsteps pound behind me, and I lift my head, instincts flaring. A tall figure rounds the corner, his gleaming armor catching in the flickering torchlight.
It’s Ryllen.
He freezes when he sees us, his eyes widening in horror. “What happened?”
“The curse.” My throat burns as I force the words past my lips. “Malvara… She got through the wards.”
Ryllen drops to his knees beside us, his hands shaking as he takes Auri’s hand. “No,” he whispers. “She’s… she’s not—”
“She’s alive,” I rasp. “Barely.”
He swallows hard, his eyes darting wildly around the hall. “Everyone’s asleep. The guards, the servants, my men, the king, the queen… all of them. It’s like the world just stopped.”
Lifting my head, I strain my ears to listen. He’s right. The world around us is silent. Too still.
“Why are we awake?” he asks. “Why did we not fall into sleep with everyone else?”
“I don’t know.” I look down at her beautiful face as I hold her in my arms. “But I know what we must do.” Carefully, I lift her, carrying her into her chamber. The room smells like her—lavender and honey and something that feels like home.
I lay her carefully on the bed, my hands shaking as I tuck the blanket around her. I turn to Ryllen. “The witch said she’ll die if we cannot break the curse before the sun sets on the seventh day. You’re the prince bound by prophecy. You’re the one meant to wake her.”
His piercing eyes search mine a moment before he finally nods.
“Please,” he murmurs. “Whatever gods may be listening… please, let this work.” He leans down. His lips touch hers in a brief but gentle kiss, but nothing happens.
I wait for her breath to quicken, for her lashes to flutter open, for the spell to shatter, but she remains still.
Ryllen pulls back, despair etched deep in his features. “It didn’t work.”
“No.” A hollow sound tears from my throat. “It was supposed to—” I break off as devastation floods my veins. “I don’t understand.”
“Maybe…” Ryllen turns to face me. He swallows hard. “Perhaps it has to be you.”
I shake my head. “But you are the prince bound by prophecy.”
“But you are bound to her,” he murmurs. “She loves you, and I believe you love her. Maybe that’s what the prophecy meant all along.”
My chest tightens as I cup her cheek. My breath trembles against her lips as I brush my mouth to hers in a tender kiss.
Her lips are soft and cool beneath mine. For a heartbeat, I think I feel her breath, but it’s only the wind slipping through the balcony doors.
I pull back slowly, my forehead resting against hers. “Please, Auri,” I whisper, voice breaking. “Please come back to me.”
But she doesn’t move, and the silence that follows is devastating.
Tears blur my vision as I press a trembling hand directly over her heart. It beats faintly and steady, but she does not awaken.
“I don’t understand.” Ryllen looks away, his expression stricken. “Why is it not working?”
“Perhaps the curse cannot be broken by love.” I meet his gaze, the fury beginning to burn through the deep ache in my chest. “Maybe it’s meant to be ended.”
He frowns. “What are you saying?”
I clench my jaw as my grief hardens into deadly resolve. “Malvara did this. She twisted the prophecy, turned it into a weapon. If love cannot wake her, then only the witch can.”
Ryllen blinks at me. “You mean to find her.”
“No.” My fangs lengthen as I extend my sharp claws. “I mean to end her.”
“Then I’m coming with you. Aurora may not have been mine, but she mattered.” His gaze meets my own. “I will help you kill the witch.”
I nod and then brush my fingers over her cheek.
“I will find a way to wake you. I’ll end Malvara and tear her very name from this world.
” Booming thunder shakes the castle as lighting streaks across the sky.
“I will find a way to pull you back from the darkness, my savryl. I swear it on the old gods and the new.”