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It felt even worse than stabbing the Prince in thechest.
The door creaked open and footsteps sounded on the floor. “Bree? Thank the forest. Taveon and I have been looking for you everywhere. He’s called an entire search party, thinking you’d left the castle. He said you two had afight...”
Tears were streaming down her face now. The sound of Rafe’s kind, familiar voice had made all her bottled up emotions break like a dam inside of her, and now they were pouring out of her painfuleyes.
“Bree, what’s wrong?” He was by her side in an instant, the mattress squealing as he joined her on the bed. “What did he say to you to make you so upset? He said you had a fight, but he didn’t tell me it was this bad. Do I need to go throw him around a bit? He might be my oldest friend, but I won’t hesitate to put him in his place if he’s done you a greatwrong.”
“Oh, Rafe.” She sobbed around her words. “It’s not Taveon. It’sme.”
“What do you mean?” His hand found her back, rubbing her skin as her sobs shook herbody.
“I’m the one who did wrong, Rafe. I’m the terrible person. Not Taveon. Not thistime.”
“Bree.” Rafe’s voice was gentle, but she could hear the edge to it. “Tell me what’s wrong. I cannot do anything to help you unless you tellme.”
Sniffling, she finally tore her gaze from the floor to meet his silver eyes. “I told Dagen about Taveon’swings.”
All the blood drained from Rafe’s face, and the hand on her back ceased any movement. “Please tell me I have heard youwrong.”
Bree shook her head so hard that strands of her hair slapped across her face. “I told him. I told Dagen about hiswings.”
Rafe jumped up from the bed and jammed his hands into his hair. “You told Dagen that Taveon’s wings aresilver?”
“No.” Bree sniffled. “I just told him they weren’tred.”
Rafe’s entire body seemed to sigh in relief. A strange reaction, considering what she’d just told him. “So, you told Dagen that they weren’tred.”
“Yeah, not like his father’s wings. He figured it out, Rafe. He knows that Taveon is not Midas’s son, and he’s going to use that information somehow. To find Midas’s bastards, I’m guessing. To put one of them on the throneinstead.”
“Why, Bree? Why did you tellhim?”
Bree sighed and dropped her head into her hands. “I don’t know. Taveon made me so mad. He told me that humans are horrible creatures that deserve everything they get. And he told me that we’d never, ever be friends. I just...lost it. I got so mad that I had to do something, and Dagen promised me freedom if I could find out something to help him keep the throne away from Taveon. And then we had that fight. I just lost my head and went straight to Dagen’s room. I shouldn’t have done it. I’m so sorry. I know I’ve ruined everything for youboth.”
Rafe’s lips pressed together, and he gave a solemn nod. “I am not angry at you, Bree. But I am not happy either. Lord Dagen promised you the freedom you want. Are you going to takeit?”
Bree met Rafe’s pained eyes. He was hurt, she knew, because she’d turned her back on Taveon. And now nothing would ever be the same between them. How could it be? Taveon would now be challenged, all because of her. The truth he’d been hiding all these years would suddenly be known to the entire realm. And it was a terrible truth, one she imagined he’d carried around with him all thistime.
“I imagine that Taveon never wants to see me again,” she whispered. “Or, at least, he won’t once he finds out what I’vedone.”
Rafe flinched and glanced away. “So, you will take your freedom then? You want to leaveUnderworld?”
She knew he wanted her to say no. And, in truth, she wished she could. But she didn’t know how she could stay now. Not after everything that had happened. Their moments spent together had always been on borrowed time. Rafe had known that and so had Bree. And now, her time to go had come earlier than she’dthought.
It would hurt to leave Rafe, but it would hurt so much more tostay.
“I think I have to go home,Rafe.”
His jaw rippled, and he stood. Tears filled her eyes when he wouldn’t even look at her face. “I will leave you to get prepared for your journey home then. Feel free to take any clothing you like. I know you have been fond of some of those dresses. They are yours if you would like to havethem.”
And then, with that, he wasgone.
