Could this be the same Wynn I met all those years ago? The one who knew Allette so well? When I returned to Kumulus, I’d sent Bell to Allette’s tower to try and find Wynn, but she hadn’t been there. According to the head of staff, the young maid had disappeared on Samhain.
If this is the same woman, that would explain why she lied.
Maybe she can tell me what happened to my mate.
There is only one way to know for sure.
I lunge, catch the servant’s hood, and tug it off.
Twenty-Four
ALLETTE
Everything happens at once.
Braith calls my name, and I respond automatically, completely forgetting about my false Nimbiss accent.
Before I can say anything more, Senan tears off my hood.
My mask slips, the tie at the back comes loose, and it falls right off. And now it’s lying on the ground between us, and if he raises his head, he’ll know the truth and?—
I shriek and throw my hands up, hiding my face. The dishes I’d been holding crash to the floor and shatter.
Senan can’t see me. Not like this.
Not after I was forced to stand in this dining room and watch him fawn over his princess. From my position in the alcove, I couldn’t hear their conversation properly, but from the way the beautiful young woman blushed, she clearly enjoyed every whispered word and stolen glance.
And who wouldn’t? To have the undivided attention of a charming, handsome prince is a dream come true.
Does he tease her the way he used to tease me? Does he love her laugh as much as he used to love mine? Does he love her more?
He must, otherwise he would’ve come back for me.
At least no one witnessed my horror when I watched Senan take the princess’s hand in his and lead her out of the dining room or the tears cascading down my cheeks as I bent over the place where he’d sat and cleared the goblet that had touched his lips.
He is a liar.
He abandoned you.
He is in love with somebody else.
Those phrases have become my mantra since I saw him in the guest room yesterday, and yet my heart still feels as if it has been shattered like these dishes all over again. For all those years I believed him dead, I never stopped loving my mate.
And love isn’t something that vanishes overnight.
“Your hair is black,” Senan whispers. He drops to his knees, keeping his head bowed as he collects my mask from between shards of broken porcelain. “I’m so sorry. I…I don’t know what came over me.” With his head still lowered, he holds up the mask. I twist away from him to replace the covering, fastening it tighter around the back of my head before tugging my hood back into place.
Only then do I manage to take a breath.
Senan stands, wiping a tattooed hand down his face, the wordLOSTinked on his knuckles. That is exactly how he looks when his eyes finally lift to mine. “I had no right to do that. Please accept my sincerest apologies. It’s just…” His gaze drops. “Your hands…”
I force my hands to my sides. “What about my hands?”
“The way you twist them. I thought…” He closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose. A mirthless chuckle escapes. “Gods…I thought you were someone else.”
The pain in his voice gives me pause. Gives me hope. “Who did you think I was?”Say my name. Tell me that you didn’t forget me. That part of you still cares.
“Someone you cannot possibly be,” he mutters, stumbling toward the balcony doors. His wings appear at his back, catching the door frame as he falls out.