I couldn’t even wrap my head around the last few minutes. How the hell could I come up with a feckin’ plan?
“Rían?”
My eyes began to sting, and my vision blurred. “What am I going to do?” When Aveen found out, she would be devastated. We’d just found our way back to each other and now this?
Tadhg’s teeth scraped his bottom lip, his gaze flashing to the darkened hallway before returning to where I stood. “You tell Aveen the truth.”
The woman I loved is back from the dead. Oh! Did I mention that she thinks we’re still together?
How the hell was I supposed to tell her that? I needed time to figure this out. Some peace and quiet and clarity.
I found Leesha in the kitchens chatting with a pale-faced Eava. When the witch saw me, her black eyes widened. I didn’t know what to say, so I said nothing. Instead, I caught Leesha’s hand and evanesced with her up to my room.
Giggling, she started unlacing the top of her dress. “Couldn’t even let me have cake first, eh? I suppose we’ll just have to eat an extra slice after.”
“Leesha. Leave your clothes on.”
Her hands fell to her sides, but her smirk remained. “Oh? This is to be quick, is it? I suppose it is your birthday, so…” She lifted her skirts, exposing long legs, milky skin, and a pair of blue lace undergarments that barely covered her arse.
“Pull those back down.” I dragged her skirt back where it belonged. I couldn’t have her flashing me her knickers every chance she got.
Concern glinted in her eyes. “What’s wrong, my love?”
My face burned as I twisted away.Everything. Everything was wrong.
“Rían? Aren’t you going to look at me?” The floorboards creaked when she stepped closer.
How could I look at her when my brain couldn’t process any of this?
“I can’t do this.” I rushed for the door, clinging to the cold knob like a lifeline. Before I could escape into the hallway, someone knocked.
And then I heard Aveen call my name.
19
AVEEN
Keelynn closedthe drawer of silver cutlery and opened the cabinet below to find it full of crystal goblets and hand-embroidered serviettes. “Who would’ve thought Ruairi had such fine taste?” she said, moving on to the next.
I appreciated her attempt to distract me but couldn’t focus on the fine home Ruairi owned or his impressive collection of fancy silver candlesticks. Not when Rían was meeting with that evil witch. According to the ticking grandfather clock on the wall near the fireplace, the Queen should’ve been at the castle by now.
What if this was a trap? What if she attacked and stole all their hearts?
Voicing my fears would only throw Keelynn into a tailspin as well, so I swallowed them down where they rotted like poison in my gut.
Keelynn peered out of the parlor and into the hallway toward the mahogany staircase. “I wonder what’s upstairs?”
“Bedrooms, I imagine.” Was this the sort of blinding fear Rían had lived with over the last year? I never should have been so hard on him. Perhaps we would have been better off getting on a boat and sailing away from this place. Tomorrow. We could all leave tomorrow.
“Come on.” Keelynn poked my arm. “Aren’t you the least bit curious?”
Perhaps the movement would do me good. It wasn’t as if I could save any of them if the Queen decided to steal their hearts. Having magic I could barely wield made me about as useful as a spoon at a steak dinner.
Keelynn grabbed one of the silver candlesticks, and together we crept up the stairs. The tiny flame shuddered and turned to smoke.
Keelynn cursed.
I called heat to my palm the way Rían had shown me, letting the flame dance on my fingers before relighting the wick.