39. Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Isoria
Piercing sun rays seared against my closed eyelids until, with a groan, I gave in and opened my eyes. Somehow, despite my nerves as I’d waited for Archer to follow through on his vow and rescue Brenton, I’d tossed and turned in my bed until exhaustion had claimed me.
Voices deeper in Archer’s quarters drew me out of bed. I seized a robe from the closet and threw it on.
I followed the hum of conversation to Archer’s bedroom, where the prince himself was seated in a window seat, paging irritably through a book.
Another form was in the armchair before the fire, facing away from me.
Orchid moved nearby, setting a tray of steaming tea, a pitcher of water, and a plate with an assortment of food on a low table.
As she stepped away, I was able to catch a clear view of the chair’s occupant, who was already greedily drinking down a glass of water.
“Bren!” Any lingering exhaustion drained from my limbs as I charged toward my brother. Unshed tears burned my eyes. “You’re here. You’re safe.”
Setting down his glass, Brenton lifted his eyes to me, his gaze shifting with hope and uncertainty. There was dirt smeared on his brow and dark circles beneath his gold eyes, the same shade as mine. “Izzy?”
I hesitated, my heart pummeling my chest. What had Archer told him, if anything? What did it look like, finding me here, in Archer’s rooms, in only a nightgown?
“I came to find you,” Bren continued, searching my face. “Mama has been so worried. We feared if you’d been captured, you’d have been executed by now.”
I glanced at Orchid, who blinked, her eyes flashed between Brenton and me. Chest tight, I whirled toward Archer, but he was already standing, arms crossed. “She’s safe. She knows what you both are, and she won’t tell a soul.”
My gaze flitted back to Orchid, who nodded earnestly.
There was something wholesome in her expression, perhaps because of the lack of judgement, hatred, or fear in her eyes.
“I promise, I’d never do anything to harm you or your brother, Your Highness,” she breathed.
“You are a good, kind female, and I trust you. Not only because Prince Archer does, but for your own sake.”
Watching her, tears sprang to my eyes. Hope unfurled, fragile yet lovely. If she could accept me as I was, could others? My mind darted toward Lily and Owen before I banished that thought, needing to focus on the situation at hand.
I wanted to go to Orchid and hug her, but Bren stood and seized my arm, confusion and hurt scrawled across his face. His gold eyes, the ones that matched mine, searched me like he was trying to find the missing piece in a puzzle and coming up short. “What’s happening?”
Vaguely, I was aware of Archer dismissing Orchid as I turned back to my brother. There was a tension in our bond that wasn’t coming from me, one that made me suspect he wasn’t thrilled about opening up with my maid and allowing her to know so many of my secrets.
“So much,” I said with a half-laugh. How could I begin to explain the bond? Our engagement? The fact that we had a wedding scheduled? “I was captured,” I explained, gesturing toward Archer, who remained still and silent in the seat behind me, “but…I was spared.”
Bren shot a glare at Archer. “Spared? What does that mean? Has he—has he touched you? Hurt you?”
“I’m safe here,” I said, a little surprised to hear the words falling from my lips. “But I’ve had to be careful to ensure no one else learns my identity, and I haven’t been able to leave yet. It’s a long, complicated story.” I sighed. “You were the one thrown into the dungeons. Are you hurt?”
I threw my arms around him as I asked, unable to hold back my tears of relief. He returned my embrace, even if I could sense the confusion still rolling off him. “No,” he said slowly. “Have you found a cure?”
Swallowing, I pulled back. For some reason, the thought of discussing the phoenix condition in front of Archer made me uncomfortable, like revealing a vulnerability, which seemed ridiculous now.
He was about to travel to Everhaven with us and see for himself, and I’d have to take precautions to ensure he wasn’t ever able to find his way back to our village again on his own once we left.
“I’ve been hunting to no avail. No historical accounts share anything similar to what we’re experiencing.
No spell books share a curse of its kind.
” My throat was tight. “How is Mama? Aunt Aurora?”
“Worse,” Bren muttered darkly. “Mama wanted to march into the capital herself to find you. I begged Brook to make sure she didn’t do anything rash once I left, but these days, Brook hardly leaves the house. Aunt is…we don’t think she has long.”
Wiping at my eyes, I drew a shaky breath. “And you? Any symptoms?”
He shook his head. “No, but we’ve had a few others start to show recently.” He hesitated, watching me carefully, as if weighing his words. “Brook is among them.”
Ice filled my veins. I couldn’t lose any of them.
The thought that Brook was now suffering too, with Mama and Aunt Aurora too far gone themselves to nurture her much and Brenton and me away—it was almost too much to bear.
“I have to stay here longer and keep looking. I’ll find the answer, I swear it.
But first, we need to get you home, and then I’ll have to come back.
You’ll have to tend to them while I’m gone and stay put this time. Trust I’ll make it back to you.”
Brenton pursed his lips. “Izzy, you can’t stay here.” His gaze flicked to Archer again. “Does he have you under some sort of spell? Is it his mind magic? Did he seduce you?”
Cheeks burning, I reared back. “Absolutely not,” I snapped. “But Everhaven doesn’t have the answers we need.”
“You protest too loudly, Feathers.” Archer smirked, stretching like a lazy cat until his shirt lifted and revealed a sliver of his toned abdomen.
I glanced away, annoyed, finding Archer’s actual cat snuggled in his bed.
I crossed the room to pet Onyx, wanting something else to focus on.
Bren’s frustrated accusations, his news of Brook, and Archer’s presence… they were all too much.
“Archer is an unbearable flirt, but he won’t hurt us,” I told Brenton, still trying to decide how much I should tell him. I didn’t want to burden him with worry for me when we had far too much to concern ourselves with already.
I could feel Archer’s curiosity and lingering distrust and hurt through our bond, the strength of the emotions overpowering enough that they tangled with mine. It made me restless, eager to be on our way so I could transform and finally, finally, take flight again.
Plus, I needed to see Brook. Tears blurred my vision. Lifting Onyx, I snuggled him close, pressing my face against his side. How could I bear leaving them again?
But I didn’t have a choice.
“When can we leave?” I managed at last, setting the cat down. He stretched and peered at me before pressing his paw against my arm, like he wanted to offer some measure of comfort. Like he somehow could feel my emotions like his master could. I gave him a watery smile.
“Nightfall. Orchid is going to pack bags for us and we’ll use the secret tunnels. I’ve also left a message for her to deliver to Father in the morning.”
“Why does he have to come with us?” Bren demanded, venom in his tone. Flames burst to life around his fingers, and his gold eyes burned bright.
Alarm flared in my chest, and I hurried back across the room, lifting my hand to placate my brother. “Bren, don’t. I told you, he won’t hurt us.”
“I don’t trust him. Why does he have you tucked away in his bedchambers in a nightgown? Defending him? He’s used his magic on you, made you think you love him or something.”
I barked out a laugh. “Love? No. We’re blood-bonded.”
Brenton’s brow scrunched in confusion, the flames around his hands winking out in a puff of smoke. The acrid scent stung my nose, pleasantly familiar. “What the hell does that mean?”
Archer’s eyes flicked between Brenton and me. “It means that if you hurt me, you hurt her, and that anywhere one of us goes, the other must follow or die. It’s an irrevocable tether, or at least, we haven’t found the way to break our bond yet.” He swallowed, his eyes lingering on me. “Our curse.”
My brother’s shoulders slumped.
“I’ll explain more after you get cleaned up. You can use my washroom, and I’m sure Archer has a change of clothes you can wear.” I shot the prince a pointed glance.
“We can’t let him go home with us,” Brenton protested softly. “We can’t let him see.”
I lifted my chin. “He’ll go blindfolded.” And if you do anything to threaten my people, I don’t care how hurting you will also hurt me. I won’t let you touch them.
Archer’s brow twitched, and I wasn’t sure if it was surprise, amusement, or something else to hear me shoot a threat into his mind.
I waited for my brother to grab his glass of water and assemble a sandwich with the bread, meats, and cheeses left on the tray before taking his arm to lead him toward my room. As I turned, I reluctantly sent one more thought toward Archer. Thank you for rescuing my brother.
You made me do it, Archer’s voice replied dryly.
A stab of remorse struck me. Before I’d spelled him, he’d chosen of his own volition to refuse a public execution and keep my brother alive.
He’d hastened to obey my command quickly, even though I hadn’t given a timeframe, and he’d been thoughtful enough to ensure he had breakfast served to him right away.
The warmth of gratitude confused me, so I tried to shove it aside, concentrating instead on the next task: going home.
“This is…” Bren was at a loss, rubbing his hand through his sandy blond hair. “Why would the gods choose you? And with the…” He lowered his voice, his eyes darting toward my closed doorway. “The prophecy? This doesn’t make sense.”