Page 18 of Maleen

I stare at my mother in shock. She could have imprisoned him or killed him, but instead she let him grow to power he had no right having, that no one did. Rage blooms like a wildfire inside of me. There had to have been more they could have done. Anything.

Words begin to spew from my mouth, but my mother has slipped into a sleep, her breaths light and face glistening with tears still streaming. I received my answers, but what do I do with them?

Jesper’s arms wrap tightly around me as he nuzzles my neck. “She did what she thought was right. No one is perfect. Come on, we should let her rest.”

I nod, unable to speak as he leads me out of the room.

Nero’s wings flutter. “At least we may be able to fix Talyn’s problem now.”

Jesper and I freeze and stare at my feathered familiar with wide eyes as I piece together his words. “The stone corrupts and heals the soul,” I whisper, my eyes wide as I stare up at my mate whose expression matches mine. “We need to go see Aemon.”

CHAPTER NINE

RAVINA'S FEELINGS ARE ALL OVER the place, and as much as I want to go comfort her, she has Jesper being an overbearing nut right now, and I have a castle to lock down. No one in or out anymore. I’m not even sure here is safe for her any longer. We may need to go somewhere else, but where?

The doors burst open and Ravina, Jesper and Nero come barging in with urgent expressions on their faces.

“I need the necklace and your father,” she states firmly.

“Pardon me? Do you want to go back a few steps and explain this thought process? You were just on the ground, weakened by it. And what does my father have to do with anything?” I rise up from behind my desk and move toward her, placing my hands on each of her shoulders. Did she hit her head when she fell? Do I need to take her back to the healers?

She waves me off. “I think I can fix Talyn, but I want to try it on your father first. My mother confirmed what we think is in that necklace.” She then goes on to explain everything her mother has told her, and I feel my own rage bubble with hers. Surely if my mother knew that much of the Queen’s plans she would have told us sooner, but this?

I prepare myself for a fight. “No.”

She places her hands on her hips and juts her chin out at me. “I can do it and you, Jesper and Kill will be there. What if your mom is right and Lord Craven did corrupt his mind?”

“And what if he didn’t, and he’s a bastard like the rest of them?” I shoot back.

She shrugs. “Then your mother gets the confirmation she needs to sentence him, and you get your wish. But if she’s right, if I’m right? Then you don’t need to lose a parent,” she pleads. “And then if it works, I know I can fix Talyn, and I don’t need to get his hopes up for nothing.” Her big sapphire eyes seem to get wider as the moment goes on.

I know she’s right, but can I live with myself for hating my father all this time if he really was just being mind-controlled? If I could have been finding a way to help him all of this time? Yet if I was right, it would break my mothers heart all over again.

A pressure on my arm pulls me from my thoughts and the female I love is staring at me with confident yet worried eyes. “I’ll be here for you every step of the way. You’re not alone anymore.”

“She’s right. You have us. I mean, you’ve always had us, but now we are here, brother, and we aren’t going anywhere,” Jesper adds, stepping up beside her, pinning her between us.

Her love and Jesper’s both reach through the bond, soothing me. “Okay,” I whisper. “But we won’t tell my mother until we are sure if it works or not. I’ll send for the tonic to wake him from the healing coma my mother placed him in.”

She squeezes my arm once and nods with a small reassuring smile on her face.

“I’ll meet you in my parents’ wing. Mother set up a room there for him.” She dips her head again and I pull the shadows around me just as Killian bursts into my office with his ever-present scowl even more pronounced than usual. My Little Dream is going to have her hands full trying to explain this plan to him.

I step out of the shadows and the healer’s head snaps up in alert before relaxing. “My Lord, is everything okay?”

“I need the tonic to awaken my father; do not alert my mother.”

Her eyes widen as she nods and rushes towards her station to begin mixing herbs and tinctures together. It’s not long before she turns and hands me a small vial filled with a soft green liquid. The weight of it feels heavy as I place it into the pocket of my tunic.

“Tilt Lord Zorn’s head back and plug his nose before slowly pouring the entire contents of that vial into his mouth. That way you can be sure he consumes all of it,” she instructs. “He will be weak when he awakens. His muscles haven’t been used in a very long time, and I would suggest having me or one of our other healers on staff visit him as soon as possible.” She eyes me like she has a million questions, but I know she won’t ask.

“Thank you. I’ll send word when you’re needed.”

She curtseys and moves back towards her station where she starts tidying up.

At my bidding, the familiar caress of the shadows embraces me to move me toward my next location. Picturing my fathers room in my head before it appears before me and I step out.

Nothing has changed since I’ve been here last. My father still lies silent and seeming miniscule in the massive bed. The dark wooden pillars and white gauzy canopy make him barely visible, cloaked from the rest of the realm. Hidden, yet still here. The contents of the vial grow heavy in my pocket with each passing moment.