Chapter 40
Caeo
Ilie in bed, staring at the ceiling. At least there’s light now.
I have no idea how long I spent in the suffocating darkness; there’s nothing but my empty stomach and sticky, withering tongue to track the passage of time.
My blind fumbling discovered someone had left me a small cup of water, and I thankfully found it without spilling much.
It was a struggle to pace myself—I could’ve devoured it all in seconds.
As it is, I’ve long since sipped the last drops.
A grim acceptance has settled within me, like a boulder crushing my spleen. I don’t see a way out, short of offing myself. But I don’t want to die. I want to live. To see Ellie’s face again, hear her laugh, and hold her in my arms.
I can make it through one heart-stomping, soul-crushing, horror of a day if it means there’s still hope to reunite with her, can’t I? I just have to leave my body somehow.
My wedding must be drawing near. Mother returned recently with servants to dress me, bringing lanterns so they could see.
She willbent me the instant the door unsealed, to be silent and not resist. I complied fully, not even lifting my limbs while the servants struggled to change my clothes.
She eventually revised her command, compelling me to dress myself, furs and all.
Once I finished, I collapsed back onto the bed, and she ordered me not to move until someone came to retrieve me.
Probably so I don’t burn the place down, since they left the lanterns.
Or she couldn’t be bothered to seal the door again; I can’t tell if she did since I can’t move my head.
But going by how long it took me to move the last time she told me not to, it won’t be long now.
You can do this. Just pretend you’re somewhere else. Anywhere else.
As if that was that easy.
My stomach churns. Not from hunger, but dread. If it weren’t empty, I’d probably throw up all over myself. Except I can’t move, so I’d just drown in my own vomit.
Visions plague me, battering every corner of my mind.
What my mother will force me to do to Owena.
Taking control of my body. Yanking it around like a puppet on strings.
No choice, no way to defend myself. Flesh against flesh, no way to stop.
Twisting what’s supposed to be an act of love into a violation.
Just like she did to my father, but now it’s me. Her own son. And all I can do is wait for it to happen.
My eyes burn, too dried out for tears.
Every beat of my heart slams against my ribs as my mind flails, desperate to escape.
I can’t keep the thoughts away. They strike relentlessly, a barrage that never ceases, shattering against my skin—rigid, immovable.
I want to scream, but I can’t get enough air.
A sharp pain carves through me like a knife.
An angry voice rumbles at the edge of my senses, but it slips by, a raindrop next to the hurricane raging within. There’s a thud, and then a shift in the light.
Reid’s face in front of mine.
At least it looks like Reid, if Reid were fae.
Am I hallucinating now?
“Caeo?” His voice is rushed—panicked—but definitely his. He shakes my shoulder.
“We need to hurry,” a woman’s voice says from the door.
“Reid?” I squint, focusing on him through the dots in my vision. “You’re fae, too?” What are the odds?
“It’s a glamour. Come on, we need to go.” He pulls my arm, and apparently my body can finally move.
Until someone comes to retrieve me. Ha. Suck on that, Mother.
The world spins, succumbing to darkness as I get to my feet and fall straight to the floor.
“Caeo? What’s wrong?” Reid catches me, helping me back up.
“He’s weak. He won’t have eaten anything for two days.” The fae woman, with umber skin and reddish-brown hair, stands at the door. She peeks into the hallway, the unconscious body of a guard at her feet.
“Any water?” I ask, my mouth sticking.
“Not on me, no.” Reid moves his face in front of mine. “We’re getting you out of here.”
“I’ve never been so happy to see you. I could kiss you right now.”
“Please don’t.”
“We need to go,” the fae woman warns again.
Reid steps toward her, tugging my arm. My head’s dizzy with questions, but they can wait until after we’ve gotten the fuck out of here. All except one.
“Is Ellie alright?”
Reid freezes, then slowly turns back to me.
“You remember?”
“It was a curse,” I explain, then swallow, trying to moisten the cracks in my tongue. My stomach’s pushing up my throat. “From my mother. Someone… broke it for me. Please tell me she’s alright.”
His face tightens, lips pressing together, and what remains of my insides twists into a knot.
“She’s here, Caeo, but she still doesn’t remember you.”
“She’s here?” Everything fades away as my heart breaks free, leaping and pulling my feet along with it. “Then we need to get Owena! She can break the curse!”
“Who?”
“You want us to kidnap the Ystyrian princess?” the woman asks, her voice sharp.
Reid groans as he rubs his brow. “Ancients’ shriveled acorns.”
My steps falter. That was weird, even for Reid.
Not important. “I’m sure she’ll come willingly.” Energy fires through me as I rush to the door.
“Caeo, wait!”
But I can’t.
Ellie’s here, and all that stands between us is getting out of here with Owena. I stumble down the hall, blood pounding in my veins, leaving Reid and his fae friend no choice but to follow.
* * *
Despite my surge of energy, I’m gasping for air and on the verge of passing out by the time we reach Owena’s room.
So I don’t feel emasculated at all when Reid’s friend, who he called Aerona, takes out the two fae guarding the door as I lean against a nearby wall, trying not to be swallowed by dizziness.
My vision blurs as I stumble to Owena’s door, just as the last guard thuds against the floor.
Reid grabs my arm, steadying me. “Are you alright?”
“Nope, definitely not. But I will be once we get out of here.” My throat constricts. That’s ominous. Unfortunately, there’s no time to figure out what part of that was a lie, so I swallow the jagged lump as I poke my head into Owena’s room.
She’s right in front of me, waiting.
The horrors my mind conceived in the darkness flash before me, more substantial than ever now that they include Owena’s actual attire.
It’s barely a dress, with only some strips of fabric hanging from her waist in a vaguely skirt-like fashion.
Otherwise, the pinkish-peach and pale-green ensemble leaves absolutely nothing to the imagination.
She must be freezing. In fact, I know she is, because I can see how hard her nipples are.
My pulse hammers in my skull. I can’t fucking breathe.
“Oh, fuck.”
I crumble to the ground.
“Not quite the reaction a bride hopes for from her betrothed,” Owena says.
“Caeo!” Reid kneels beside me, hoisting me to my feet. “Shit. What’s wrong with you?”
“He’s had a rough week,” Owena offers. “Who are you?”
I manage to lift my head. We’ve used up a lot of time coming here. I need to pull it together before anyone comes looking for me. “That’s Reid.” I cough. “He’s my friend. He brought Ellie. You have to come and break her curse.”
Owena’s face softens. She turns away, moving closer to the fireplace. “I’d like to help, but—”
Aerona steps into the room. “We don’t have time for this. Is she coming or not?”
I’m trembling, despite the fireplace warming my skin as I grab Owena’s hand. “Please. I’ll find some way to make it up to you, but I need your help.”
Her dark eyes meet mine, and something flickers in those inky wells. That wistfulness I’ve glimpsed before, and something else. She lets out a slow breath, then nods, her lips pressed tight.
“Alright. I’ll go.”
“Thank you.” Relief washes over me that it didn’t take much persuasion, and I throw my arms around her in a hug.
Owena startles back. Then it hits me that she’s practically naked and I fling myself off her.
“Here, wear this.” My hands shake as I pull my ridiculous fur coat off and wrap her up in it. It’s far too big, but at least she’ll be warmer. And clothed.
Now we just need to get out of here. My nerves claw under my skin, screeching to break free.
Aerona leads us back the way we came, the hallways unnervingly empty, before directing us down the staircase to the throne room.
On the landing, she pops open a door that I never noticed before—its edges blend smoothly into the surrounding wood.
A narrower set of stairs descends into a section of the castle I hadn’t realized existed.
“Servants’ passage,” she whispers. “If we meet anyone, they’ll likely turn and run. We shouldn’t have to give chase.”
Reid helps me down the stairs after the first time I stumble, with Owena taking slow, cautious steps ahead of us. My pulse thunders with the scrapes of our feet against wood—are we going fast enough? Will my mother catch up? What’ll happen if she does?
We bottom out in a dark hallway, its dirt walls lit by the faint glow of wisps flickering overhead. We pass several archways leading into small rooms, and the mouthwatering scent of cooked meats mocks us from one—a kitchen. Owena and I pause as my stomach cries out, begging for food.
“Sorry, Cay, we have to hurry.”
Reid and Aerona yank us forward, forcing us to continue. It’s a struggle to lift my feet. All the energy I had is gone, completely depleted. Owena’s slightly better; she probably had access to water, at least.
We stumble along, and at one point, a servant pokes his head into the hall before skittering away toward the throne room. My blood rushes in a panic, but my feet can’t keep up.
And then we’re outside, hit by the brisk evening air.
We burst into a grove of towering pines, their heavy shadows swallowing us whole.
A group of fae surrounds us, but based on Aerona and Reid’s reactions, they must be friendly.
Aerona says something to them, but the words blur together.
Darkness creeps in at the edges of my vision.
One of the fae picks Owena up in his arms and carries her away. I stumble after her, colliding with Reid. Someone grabs my arm and pulls it behind their neck, and with a whoosh, I’m off my feet and hanging over their shoulders.
I bounce and sway uncomfortably with their steps, but I’ve gone completely limp at this point. I drift off, unable to keep myself awake any longer.
But I’m free.