Page 57 of Birthright

Manus did as she said, dragging Feldema, still laughing hysterically, from the room.

Doran pulled me to her side, sliding her arm around my waist for support. “Bevin, can you break Feldema’s spell?” she asked.

Bevin straightened. “I should be able to. He may be confused at first, but he’ll get all his memories back eventually.” She started gathering up her tools from the bag she’d brought in. While she placed her potions and casting tools on the table, I crawled on the bed and touched Tynan’s face. He was so perfect in his daytime slumber.

“Doran?” I could hardly get my voice to work.

“Yes, my niece?” She came to sit by me on the bed.

I looked from her to Bevin. “If he doesn’t remember making his pledge to me…or his place with me…” My heart started pounding so hard in my chest I thought it was going to explode. I placed my hand over his mark as the last of the color faded from the setting sun. I saw Doran’s face start to follow my line of thinking.

“Keena, you can’t mean…?” She stood and turned away from me.

“If he doesn’t remember the pledge or bringing me to my powers…” I still couldn’t get the rest out of my mouth.

“He will no longer be bound to you, Keena.” She turned back to me, her face as pained as mine. “He’ll will not be bound.”

The room became still. I looked back at Tynan, my heart breaking. “Bevin, don’t break the spell.” It was little more than a whisper.

“Are you sure, Keena?” Doran put her hand on my shoulder. “He won’t remember your time together or have you in his heart. You’ll not be able to try to rekindle your relationship. He may even be unkind to you, depending on the depth of the spell.”

No. I wasn’t sure. Could I live without him? Could I sleep without him wrapped around me? I didn’t think so, but I had wished and hoped for a way to release him. I had hoped it wouldn’t mean losing him altogether, but I had no other choice. “But…after I’m gone, he won’t spend centuries missing me. He may even find someone else.” I looked up at Cliona. Her face held a softness I’d never seen. “Will he find another to love?”

I had only ever seen contempt for me in her eyes, but the look she gave me now was pity. I couldn’t bear it. “Keena, he hadn’t had a relationship that I was aware of in a very long time. I wasn’t happy with his decision to bind himself to you, but he does love you.” She looked at his sleeping form and then back to me. “I hadn’t even seen him smile much in the last hundred years. I’d hate for him to lose that. To lose you.”

I stood and took her arm. “But if he found someone to love him?”

“He found you. I suppose it could happen again.”

I turned away from them. “Hogan, take Lord Tynan’s things to a guest room. Clean all his clothing so there is no trace of me on them.”

He rushed to my side. “My Llady, you cannot!” Huge tears threatened to fall from his eyes.

“Do it.” The words were harsh. I was losing my resolve fast. “Doran, will you call someone to take him to the room?”

“I’ll take him,” Cliona said.

I kept my face to the wall. “What about the last few months? What will he remember about that if not the time with me?” Hogan was rushing through the room and gathering his things. Abbey came in. She didn’t say anything. I felt her presence and dropped to the floor, too weak to stand any longer, too afraid to look back. She came to me and crawled into my lap. Bevin came to me as well.

Feldema had given me an out for Tynan, and I was holding fast to the strength to let him go. I had to let him go. Every fiber of my being was screaming—but I had to.

Cliona had to clear her throat before speaking. “I’ll tell him he was injured badly when hunting rogues. It’s happened before. We always come here if it’s bad. He’ll still be confused, but…”

“What about the rest of the Kith? If they see he’s no longer with me?”

Doran spoke. “They’ll think you’ve let him go. Like Feldema did her first.”

“So they’ll think I’m a bitch. I can live with that. I’ll have to. This is the only way out for Tynan.” I was still trying to convince myself that I had the courage to do it. What did I care if the Kith thought me fickle?

Abbey stood. “They won’t think that at all, Keena. You forget who’s the root of all the grapevines around here.” Her hands were on her tiny hips. “Don’t you worry about that. Leave it to me, wild child.” She gently kissed my forehead.

I had to keep myself from smiling. It would have hurt to smile. I saw my communication amulet on the floor. I pushed the beautiful twists of gold and silver toward Bevin, my heart breaking again.

“Bevin, take that with you. I have the determination not to try to use it to make him remember at the moment.” I looked back at the bed, at his face briefly. “But tonight, maybe tomorrow…I will lose that resolve.”

Cliona picked Tynan up, carefully, like a child. Her strength amazed me as she cradled him. I stood and touched my lips to his cheek, my tears flowing freely. I felt sick. “Go.”

She turned and strode to the door.