Page 43 of Secrets of Ruin

She told him about the loss of her sister, Mina, and he revealed he was the oldest of three siblings. A lycan had killed his youngest brother over a hundred years ago, and they bonded over their shared grief.

By the time she had enough mushrooms to create her potion, she already liked him more than she had the day before. Plus, he didn’t mind getting his hands dirty as much as she’d first assumed, even if he had worn gloves the whole time.

When they returned to her home, she brewed the potion and sprinkled it around her garden while he made lunch. It had been such a fun day, and by the end of it, while she wasn’t attracted to him, she’d grown to like him.

After he left, she didn’t see him again for a couple of weeks. When she did, she’d run into him at the marketplace run by witches and warlocks. They had dinner that night, caught up, and shared some laughs.

When they parted, they agreed to meet again the next week. After that, they saw each other about once a week for the next couple of months until things started changing, and they started seeing each other daily.

She found herself not caring about his too-perfect demeanor and was excited to be in his company. Yes, he was a little too charming, perfect, and refined, but she started to like that more.

And then, before she knew it, she woke up one day and realized she’d fallen in love. It wasn’t the wild tumble she experienced with Brokk but a gradual descent into something she’d always seen as beautiful.

There was no way that love was because of a potion or spell. It couldn’t have been fake. It was real!

But now that doubt had hooked its claws into her, she couldn’t shake it. Her head spun as guilt and self-hatred battered her. These doubts were one more betrayal to Fabian, but he was stronger than her, and she had refused him at first.

He was arrogant. He never liked hearing the word no and always had an air of superiority around him that irked me even after we fell in love. He also made me plenty of drinks, many of which were when I wasn’t watching.

She couldn’t deny those things because they were all the truth.

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

Resting her hand against the wall, Kaylia stopped walking as her head bowed, and she inhaled a tremulous breath. “If it was a love spell, his death would have broken it.”

She sensed Sahira and Lexi behind her, but neither spoke.

“The same would be true if it were a potion,” Kaylia continued.

“That’s true,” Sahira finally said.

“And he’s dead.”

Again, neither of them said anything.

“His brother came to my door. He told me about Fabian’s death, and I never saw him again. And if he was alive, there would have been sightings of him in the realms. They’re vast and numerous, but someone would have seen him.”

Even as she insisted on this, she knew it was foolish to be so certain. The realms were numerous, and it would be easy for someone to become lost in them.

Plus, it wasn’t as if everyone in all the realms knew about their relationship. There were even plenty of witches and warlocks who they didn’t associate with and who wouldn’t have cared who was fucking or marrying who.

If Fabian was alive, he could be anywhere, and no one would know or care about the relationship he once shared with her.

“But why would he hide?” she muttered. “Why would he fake his death?”

Again, Lexi and Sahira said nothing as they let Kaylia sort through her thoughts and emotions. She shouldn’t question her love for Fabian; she was wrong to do so, and that knowledge squeezed her chest until she could barely breathe.

A gentle hand on her arm turned her attention to Lexi. Her friend’s face swam as Kaylia’s vision blurred. She realized it was because she had tears in her eyes.

“It’s okay. We’ll figure it all out together, but you have to breathe,” Lexi soothed.

Until Lexi said this, Kaylia hadn’t realized she’d stopped breathing. She inhaled a tremulous breath while struggling to keep her emotions under control.

When she felt a little better, she lifted her gaze to Sahira, who stood beside Lexi. Concern etched Sahira’s features as she bit nervously on her lip.

“I shouldn’t have said anything,” Sahira whispered. “I was wrong to do so.”

“No. You were right to voice your concerns.”