Too late. The woman was already twisting toward us. Before I could call out a second time, she evanesced. I waited for her to appear closer, but she never did.
“She’s gone.” Odd. Almost as odd as my brother covered in dirt as he parted the tall grass to peer through. It was official. He had lost his mind.
When he confirmed she was indeed gone, Rían shot to his feet, his eyes unfocused and hazy. “You need to move Keelynn to the cottage before she wakes. Especially if the Queen is to come to the castle. If she’s in the castle, there’s no telling what will happen.”
I couldn’t send Keelynn away. I needed her here so I could spend every waking moment convincing her to fall in love with me. Was that selfish? Yes. But I’d never claimed to be selfless.
“She’s not going anywhere.” If Keelynn decided to leave me, I wouldn’t stop her. At least, I’d try not to. She wouldn’t want to leave though…would she?
Rían’s brows inched toward the hair falling across his forehead. “And when you tell her what’s happened while she was gone?”
“She will forgive me.”
“You sure about that?”
No. That was the problem. But I would tell her the truth of this hellish year and let her decide for herself. And if she still chose me, I would spend the rest of my days proving that I was worthy of her forgiveness. Of her love.
Not the rest of my days…
The rest ofhers.
Keelynn was still human. Still had a finite number of days to draw breath before crossing over to the afterlife for the rest of eternity.
An eternity I would have to spend without her.
Love may be strong enough to break a curse, but love was a curse its own right.
Especially when it ended.
By the time we reached the castle, I was more than ready for a drink and a nap. However, those plans fell by the wayside when we found a group of Danú crowding the courtyard. Oscar stood at the entrance to the castle, trying unsuccessfully to convince them to return on Friday.
“What do they want now?” I muttered.
“They’re your beloved people,” Rían said with a smirk. “Why don’t you ask?”
Seeing no way to avoid the situation, I used what little magic I had left to evanesce next to Oscar. The poor man looked so relieved, I thought he’d burst into tears. When Rían appeared next to me, the murmuring stopped.
“To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?” I asked, directing my question toward one of the pooka at the front of the horde. His black hair had been plaited into tiny braids that reached past his bare, bronzed shoulders.
“We want to know how you’re plannin’ on stopping the blight,” he replied, golden eyes narrowed.
If he wanted to live to see the next sunrise, he’d want to get rid of that snarky tone. I didn’t answer to this man or any of the others. I was their ruler, their sovereign. They answered to me. Still, I knew better than to return disrespect with more disrespect.
“The blight is coming from the Black Forest. My brother and I will be reaching out to the Queen for assistance.”
“And if she refuses?” a feminine voice shouted from near the back.
If she refuses, we may be shite out of luck.
“I am certain your Queen has her people’s best interests at heart,” Rían said, saving me from having to respond.
Good thing one of us could still lie.
The plan seemed to appease the mob for now. At this stage, easing their panic was the best we could hope for. As the crowd began to turn away, a collective gasp lifted from the rear. Those gathered parted, allowing Ruairi through their ranks.
Only Ruairi wasn’t alone.
In his arms, he held a woman wearing a blood-drenched gown, whose limp arms and legs swayed with each step. Golden curls peeked from beneath the hood of a gray cloak.