Chapter 16
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
OPHELIA
Towering ceilings and lit chandeliers hang above. The shelves are crammed full of titles, ones I know and ones I do not, with spines thicker than any mortal would have time to read. That’s the point. The people in this palace are not mortal; they have infinity to learn.
I trace my fingers over a spinning globe, noting all the far-off names—places I have never heard of.
Just how big is this realm of ours?
Despite Emyr’s teachings, I can’t shake the desire to channel the air again. Alone. Perhaps it’s an urge to prove him wrong, or a need for my gifts to be more than emotions.
I breathe deeply and focus on the book on the dark oak table, imagining it lifting into the air. I think of the air on my skin, how it would sweep through the space, and…
Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
“Gods.” I shake my head. “It’s of no use.”
“What is not of any use? Hm?”
It’s not the first time Emyr has sneaked up on me, but this time, it leaves me jumping out of my skin. Goose bumps form across my arms, and I yelp, turning to him with wide eyes.
“Are you truly everywhere?” I ask harshly.
“No, but I can be.” He does it—something he hasn’t done since we first met. I blink, and Emyr becomes two, each smirking at me.
The first time he worked this magic, it caught me off guard. Now, I tilt my head to the side. Curious. How easy it is for him to use his magic. Will it be effortless for me someday?
“I’d rather you not haunt every hall,” I retort.
He chuckles and fuses back into one, without so much as a hint of struggle. “This is my palace. Can I not be wherever I please?”
“I suppose you can, but that doesn’t mean I have to enjoy it.”
But I do.
I came here to be alone, and while anyone else interrupting me would be unwelcome, I’m not particularly perturbed by Emyr joining me. My face grows warm, something I hope he cannot notice under the candlelight.
Being with him is peaceful. It’s the same feeling of being alone, but perhaps a bit better. Now, I’m with a friend.
The only thing wedged between us is my secret.
I carry many secrets now, but it’s for the best that I keep them close to my chest. Even if we could court one another, I’m not the true love he seeks.
No, he will find that in Princess Minetta, even if they met in a strange fashion. I must believe that.
“Tell me what you are trying to do,” he says.
It sounds more like a command than a suggestion. Warmth grows in the pit of my stomach, and a soft throb awakens between my thighs. I haven’t felt that in so long, but I know what it is.
Desire.
Heavens, I shouldn’t feel such a need for the prince.
I lift a brow. “Is that an order, Your Highness?”
He leans onto the table, his fingers splaying over the dark wood. “Perhaps. Do you dare disobey me?”
How can I survive those words? I bite back a comment that would land me in trouble—and not the sort of trouble I’d prefer to be in with him. He must know what he’s saying. Emyr isn’t naive.
“Of course, I won’t, Your Highness.” I hold my head higher. “If you must know, I’m trying to channel the air again.”
He chuckles and shakes his head. His white hair falls around his chin, grazing his pale skin. “I already told you, it will be easier for you to learn to channel water first. That’s your natural element.”
I cross my arms. “Then I’m meant to give up? Is that it?”
“No.” He holds his hands out. “We can try together. Come on. You may not be able to channel the magic yourself, but with my instruction, you can add to the energy.”
I take a tentative step closer. “What good is it if I can’t do it on my own?”
“Perhaps you can do it with Helena’s help.”
“She can only work with the light.”
“It’s always possible for her to learn. If your gifts continue growing, you can be the one to teach her.”
I extend my hands, but I don’t have the boldness required to take his in mine. He does it for me, his thumb rubbing over the back of my hand. There it is again—that warmth. There’s nothing I can do to stifle it when he is touching me.
“Close your eyes,” he murmurs.
I do as he asks. Already, from a simple touch, magic wells around us. It’s him channeling the element, and I know that now, but it feels like the wind breezes through me, just as it had the first time.
When I open my eyes, the air sweeps around the room, knocking over the book I have picked and several others.
Pages ruffle about. It blows through my hair, pulling curls loose, pushing us closer.
I can’t fight it. My chest presses against his, my nipples hardening painfully under the layers of fabric.
It’s just the cool wind. Nothing more.
His lips part, and his eyes darken. “Feel the magic, little halfling.”
Damn my desire. I can do nothing with it.
“All right!” I laugh, surprising myself with the sound. “That is quite enough.”
He drops my hands, and the air settles. “Was that the magic you were looking for?”
“It was acceptable. Now, I must learn to do something on my own.”
“Why is that?” He peers at me as if he’s searching for something—something I can’t gift him.
His fingertips brush against my skin, tucking strands of hair away from my face. I’m warm everywhere he touches, from the tips of my ears to the apple of my cheeks.
“Are you unaccustomed to working with others?” he asks. “No siblings of your own?”
“Um… no. I’m an only child.” I cast my gaze away. “My father took a wife just before he passed, and she had two children.”
My stepsisters became—perhaps not quite sisters, but they were friends. It’s easy to forget them now that I am here, but a longing builds in my chest, great enough that I worry it will break free, that Emyr will see something I wish to keep a secret.
Something I don’t wish to feel at all. I still miss my family, no matter how they betrayed me in the end.
“Forgive me,” he whispers.
My brows furrow. “For what? Her children were not all that horrible.”
“For your loss. Your father.”
“Ah…” I nod. “It’s been three years, but it still feels like he should be here. I can’t explain it better than that.”
“Mourning takes time. That feeling in your chest grows lighter over the years, but it always remains. It’s quite a problem for those with such long lifespans—like us.”
It’s as if he can read my mind, plucking out thoughts I’ve had late in the evening, when the quiet settles over the palace and my thoughts begin to race. He doesn’t understand that I’m mourning more than my father, but my home and stepsisters as well.
I hope they’re all right.
“Yes,” I murmur, “it remains.”
“I—” Emyr seems to find a book interesting. He picks it up and riffles through the pages. “I do know something about mourning, you know.”
My expression softens. “Do you?”
“I lost my brother. It was many decades ago, but the loss is still fresh.” His gaze lifts to mine. “As I said, you can take your time to mourn. I certainly have.”
My heart catches in my throat, and I step closer. “Thank you. I didn’t know about your brother.”
“Most do not speak of it.”
“There is much that goes unspoken in this kingdom.”
Since arriving at the Sun Palace, this is the most I’ve said about myself. I’ve given Emyr something real, something that matters. The prince isn’t supposed to be my confidant, but it’s too easy to open my heart and pour it all out for him.
“I suppose you’re right.” He smiles wryly. “What is it like to live as a faerie in a mortal land? I can’t imagine it.”
“It was…” I chuckle beneath my breath. “Well, shall we just say that I am happy to be here?”
“I am happy to have you here as well.”
I finally meet his gaze again. His cool irises are cool, but there is warmth within his expression, and I feel it to the core of my being.
My heart thumps faster.
I can no longer keep this secret. It’s selfish, but I need him to know it was me he wanted on the night of his ball, even if it won’t change our circumstances. The burden is too heavy. I can’t live with another thing haunting me at night.
“Your Highness,” I say, “I—”
“Emyr?” A cheery voice cuts through the room, silencing me with ease—his betrothed.
Princess Minetta fixes him with a sickeningly sweet smile.
The realm shatters around me and the dreams I allowed myself to have, just for a moment, splinter into tiny pieces.
She gazes at him with such great affection, her eyes softening as soon as she glances at him.
Such love—it can’t be faked, can it? Perhaps it was her he danced with at the ball.
“I must go,” I mutter.
“Wait—”
Although Emyr wants me to remain, I can’t give him what he wants. His life is with the princess now, and it has always been. I can no longer deny that.