Chapter 23
MAX
“Drink that. All of it.”
The green liquid is thick and grassy. It smells ripe and my stomach churns. Nothing in me wants to drink that.
Fee and Reid exchange a look, confused. The Hadeon patrols the grounds of my father’s small stone cottage, paws stomping into the ground with intention.
“Tell me where my mate is.” He was there last night. We had plans to get back to our kingdom after the ball. He had seemed so genuine. Why would he just run off?
“That’s a complicated answer, little one.” Baris sits in the chair, long lean form curling into it. “First, you should know. That potion in your hands will protect your heart.”
My eyebrows raise, and I rub my chest right over the burn. It’s taking longer to heal than it should. “This is the same potion you and Effy drank as children, I assume.”
“An immature potion, yes, but quite effective.” He hands the Fae a cup of the same green drink. “It protects you in the In-Between.”
“We’ve been there,” Fee mutters, looking into the cup. “I doubt a little potion would save us.”
“That is the physical In-Between. The In-Between exists between kingdoms but also realms.” Tapping his head, he looks to me.
“The royal family of the Summus Kingdom have the ability to travel through the In-Between. It’s where sleep meets death and spirits can roam.
You are being attacked there. This potion will keep your heart safe and your mind sharp. ”
Reid takes a sip and gags. His pale face turns as green as the beverage.
“It’s Effy, isn’t it?” I whisper. “She’s the one visiting me. She’s the one who tried to kill me.”
“She is a vengeful Fairy,” Baris agrees. “She sees you as a threat to her reign—over the Humans and the world. She will do anything to make sure she wins.”
Tentatively, I put the cup to my mouth. The potion is bitter, tasting like acidic fruit and old swamp water.
Holding my nose, I finish the glass and feel something clamp around my heart.
Strong chains of iron anchor it into place.
Looking down, the burn on my chest is fully healed, leaving a small red line behind.
“So, she can only do it in the In-Between,” Fee surmises. “That’s the only way she can touch her.”
“I’m afraid not now.” Those black eyes turn apologetic. “She’s getting bolder.”
There’s a pause and I release a deep breath. A fear I’ve had breaks through and I glance at my father. “Effy is Aoife, isn’t she?”
Fee whips her head back to my father, fangs bared, and Reid falls against the cottage wall. The weight of the admission is too much to handle.
He’s pained as he answers, “Yes.” Clasping his hands together, he waits for my reaction.
Fee launches across the room, dagger to my father’s neck. “She’s the reason for my brother’s pain? My entire line.”
She’s thinking of what Kaden endured. What Oslo had to overcome. What every firstborn succumbed to and was crushed by. I understand her fury and my heart breaks for her pain. It seeps through her bared teeth and angry eyes, a living wraith upon us.
Reid grabs his sister, pulling her away. She doesn’t go without throwing curses, kicking her feet out, begging to be released. But we all know, if she wanted to escape, she would. She’s too upset to think.
Baris sighs deeply. “I’m sorry. I thought it was a simple crush—something that she would eventually grow tired of. Instead, she fell in love with Kyrin. And cursed him when he chose another.”
“It’s repeating again.”
“Yes. I believe she’s fixated on Kaden because he looks the most like Kyrin.” Baris shrugs, rubbing his neck. Fee nicked him and blood stained his hand. “Because of that, I think she’s done something drastic.”
I close my eyes, expecting the worse. “What?”
“I’m not sure.” As Fee’s growl, my father holds up his hands. “Aoife has always justified her actions with nonsense. She once tried to lay a love spell on Kyrin but he was already bound. Love spells don’t work on mates.”
“That doesn’t mean she’s not trying something else.” I glance to the sky, the sun already setting. My stomach twists and my fingers tremble. “Kaden killed a Fae Lord last night. It wasn’t like him. He justified it but it wasn’t right.”
“That’s not like him,” Reid says. “I mean, yeah, he kills. But he always has a reason. A good one.”
“I know.”
“It’s Aoife’s influence.” Baris paces the small room, arms crossed. “You’ll need the spell book to see what she did.”
“She never broke the spell.”
“She did,” I mumble. “But only I could see it.”
“Only those of Aoife’s blood could see the spells.
She uses blood magic—not unlike your abilities, her blood is used in all things to make them near unbreakable.
” Grabbing my hands, he kneels before me.
“I’m sorry you weren’t told until now. I was afraid if Aoife knew who you were—who you were to me, that she would kill you.
I see now, that was not the right choice. ”
“No, it wasn’t,” I argue. “But I understand why.” He only wanted to protect me.
“All of this, your family, your connection is why you can end the curse, little one. Only someone who truly loved the beast and of Aoife’s blood could stop it.”
“She did it on purpose.” Clearing my throat, I push away the defeat swimming in my veins and focus on my anger. Anger at Aoife. “She wanted to be the one to end the curse. She wanted Kyrin to be in love with her and thought she could force him into it.”
“I just don’t think she saw him becoming so uncontrollable. The curse grew, and it spread through the line, becoming its own entity. She could’ve broken the curse with Kaden if he had loved her. But that is not Gods’ Will.”
Fee ignores Baris, glancing to me. “If we get the spell book, we can reverse whatever she did. We can end her.”
It’s the only plan we have. Oslo said the book was important—maybe not to end Kaden’s curse, but to end Aoife.
“We’ll get the spell book.” Exiting the cottage, I inhale, clearing my mind. “But I’ll be the one to kill Aoife.”
No one stops me, or corrects me. We’re in agreement. Aoife has to die.
“Get the spell book. Bring it to me.” Baris stops at the door. “If we can’t figure it out, we may need to focus on breaking the curse over the land fully, to have a chance at saving it.”
Griffin is still a threat. My lands are under attack.
And I don’t care. Not about the worries, the threats, or the world. I only care about ending Aoife’s reign and getting my husband back.
“We save Kaden first.”
It’s night by the time we get back to the palace. I jump from the horse and fall to my knees in the dust. The guards at the entrance ignore me but inside I feel my resolve break.
There are too many obstacles—too many worries. Saving Kaden was supposed to be done. We were supposed to save the Shadowlands together—we were supposed to be together.
After so much time apart, so many concerns, we’re back where we started. I have to save—or let him go. It’s what anyone else would do—choose to save the many over one. But I am not truly selfless; I cannot abandon Kaden.
Reid wraps his arm around my shoulder as a tear falls to the ground, blending into the dirt. “Whatever you decide, we will stand by you.”
Another tear drops. “And if I decide to save the world instead of your brother?”
Fee kneels in front of me, amber eyes as bright as the fire she controls. “You are our sister. And our queen. We will follow you. You’re not alone in this.”
My heart breaks anew as fresh sorrow threatens to drown me. They would choose me over their brother, if it meant doing the right thing. How can they trust me so easily?
“There you are,” Kaden calls, striding from the palace. Dressed in his typically dark clothing, I notice the rose in his breast pocket. A symbol of Aoife—her scent, the rose that did this. I want to vomit all over the pink flowers gathered in front of me.
“And where have you been?” Fee asks, standing. She puts us behind her like a shield.
Looking into my mate’s eyes, I see that flash of madness again. It’s a sign I ignored last night. It’s not him—it’s not Kaden. Not truly. But it is Aoife. Whatever she’s done, she’s put her influence over him and changed him completely.
“Discussing war strategy with Aoife.” He glances to me and smirks. “Move aside, Fee. I’d like to touch my mate.”
“Where did this meeting take place?” Reid helps me to stand, never removing his arm from my shoulders. And Gods bless her, Fee stays at a fortified wall between us. “We checked the grounds.”
He rolls his eyes, smirk growing. The energy coming from him isn’t normal—it’s chaotic. A cat ready to pounce, he feels dangerous. I better watch my step.
It’s the same feeling from the purification ritual.
“Off grounds,” he replies. “Aoife and the lords have a special meeting place further away. We discussed what to do about Griffin.” He looks to me and the eyes flash again. My stomach clenches. “Move, Fee. I won’t ask again.”
“No,” she whispers, pulling her sword. “You’re not you, brother.”
Kaden laughs, the sound rich but unnatural. I know his laugh—cherish it, wish for it daily. This isn’t him. A bucket of cold water drops over my head, dousing me and chilling the sadness. I only feel numb—cool rage that wants to strike Aoife for changing him.
It’s as if he’s a puppet, being used against his will. Whoever controls the strings knows him, but not enough to mimic him fully.
“Then who am I?” He holds out his hand to me. “Come here, kitten. I’ve missed you.”
Against Fee’s glare, I step close, resting my hand in his open palm. He shifts us, hips align, and he rubs his nose against my jaw. Inhaling my scent, he smiles and says, “Much better.”
My opposite hand touches his chest and I close my eyes.
My fingers turn red and I swallow thickly. There, under everything, is his heart.
Something I couldn’t hear from my mate. But when his beast was in control, I could hear it plainly. Like now.
My Kaden isn’t here. Someone else is using him, controlling his body. Perhaps my Kaden is trapped inside, like before, but he isn’t here.
My lips tremble as I pull away. “What did she do?”
He tilts his head. Something my mate does frequently, but it isn’t right. It’s not angled correctly, not the same mannerism. Only someone who committed every tell to memory would see it.
“Who?”
“Aoife.”
There’s a tick, a fluttering of his eyes, a twitch of fingers. It’s happened before. He reacts to the name physically.
Kaden is still here. He’s still fighting. I know it—deep in my heart. And the name causes him discomfort. He knows she’s using him.
“Nothing.” He sighs, looking to the stars. “Now, she’s waiting on us. We’ve decided on a new tactic.”
“Such as?” Reid asks, stepping to my side. He doesn’t take his eyes off his brother.
Kaden winks. “Come inside and I’ll show you.”
He moves to grab my hand, but Reid pulls his dagger, tapping it against his wrist.
It’s quick—a flick, a flip of a blade, before Kaden’s sword is pulled and held to his younger brother’s neck.
Everyone freezes. Air halts. If I didn’t know what was happening before, I do now.
“Really?” Reid drawls, eyes narrowed. The Fae has more patience than me. “You’d raise a blade to your only brother?”
“You would stop me from touching my mate,” he says lightly. “I don’t take well to being kept away.”
Fee comes up behind him, holding her sword to his back. The point presses, and the tang of blood hits my nose. “Release him, Kaden.”
There’s a pause before the blade is dropped and he steps away, smiling wide. It’s unkind and deranged, and there, I see it. What I’ve tried to ignore.
Kaden’s nature. The ritual showed me this side, reminded me it was underneath all the loving embraces and hungry hands. That this part of him—who feeds off anarchy—lives within Kaden’s soul. I didn’t want to acknowledge it, claimed to understand it, but that was a lie.
It was a warning for what was to come and now, I’m facing the real possibility of Kaden’s darkness. Can I still love him after all this?
My heart rebels. Of course, I can. I just need to get him back and away from Aoife’s influence.
“I guess you can find out here, then.” He pulls on his cuffs. When he looks up, his eyes are submerged black and the shadows he commands twirl around his feet like good pups looking for affection.
They attack at once, capturing his siblings, disappearing into nothingness.
I scream—a visceral reaction, throwing my hand out. I don’t want to—I really don’t, but I focus on his heart and will it under my command.
He stutters, dropping his knees. He looks to me—eyes wide, mouth parted, but if I expected a plea, I’d be disappointed. He only glares, so darkly, a chill ghosts over my arms, like the smooth touch of death.
It’s pure rage. Nothing else.
A cool blade falls to my neck and I freeze. Fenrir walks around me, tsking slightly. “Let him go, blood summoner. Mother would not approve if you killed her new king.”
Bile rises up my throat swiftly, but I release him. The bond flares, then darkens as if fighting to rekindle. I’m not sure what Aoife did, but the warmth I feel from Kaden is lessened and I’m weighted down with grief.
Fenrir jerks his head toward the palace. “We have a special place reserved for you.”
My eyes narrow as my heart breaks. “Where?”
“The dungeon.”