Page 74 of Prisoner of the Lycan Prince

A faint smile touched Arlo’s lips. “To be honest, I wasn’t sure that was going to work. My father created the book. He was the only one capable of defying it. I took a risk that it would listen to me as his heir.” He looked at Harper on the ground. “She taught me that some risks are worth taking, no matter how shitty the odds.”

I went to Harper and knelt beside her. Then I looked around and caught Adina’s eye. “I have the potion in my head. If I tell you the ingredients, can you make it?”

She nodded, and her voice was breathless as she said, “I can try. But I’ll need my cauldron.”

I looked at Arlo.

He nodded. “I’ll get it. And anything else we need.”

Adina crossed to me and knelt on Harper’s other side. She smoothed a tendril of strawberry blond hair off Harper’s forehead. Then she lifted her gaze to mine.

“Tell me the potion, Your Highness. I’ll help you bring her back.”

Chapter

Twenty-Four

HARPER

Something smelled amazing.

I moved through my parents’ house, my nose leading me to the kitchen. The appliances gleamed, everything clean and sparkling. Mom stood at the stove with her back to me. Steam rose in lazy curls from an array of pots.

For some reason, tears stung my eyes. I pressed my lips together, my heart pumping wildly.

Mom turned and caught my gaze. “Oh, there you are, Harper! Dinner is almost ready, but I wanted to show you something first.” She wiped her hands on a towel, then crossed the kitchen and took my face in her hands. Her brow furrowed as she swiped cool thumbs under my eyes. “Are you crying?”

“No,” I said through a thick throat. “Just hungry, I think.”

She smiled, her eyes twinkling. “Well. We’ll fix that in a minute. Come on.” She slipped her hand into mine. “I can’t wait to show you this new piece I just bought.”

Hand in hand, we went to the foyer. Sunlight streamed through the windows, casting a glow over the furniture. Mom went to her curio cabinet and opened the doors. Withdrawing a small, delicate vase decorated with two scrolling handles, she faced me.

“The glassblower just delivered it today. It’s a priceless piece. One of a kind, really. But it was broken before.” Mom shrugged and gave a good-natured laugh. “Well, it’ll always be broken, I guess. You can see the repair where the handle attaches.”

I moved closer, peering at the spot she indicated. “Yeah…I see it.”

Mom sighed. “It’s still beautiful, though.” She looked at me and smiled. “The whole piece is stronger now. And the glassblower found an additional crack when he was working. So, in a way, maybe it was a good thing the handle was broken.”

My breath caught. My heart pumped faster. The sunlight grew stronger, swelling so much it obscured the furniture around us.

Mom’s smile turned impossibly gentle. “Sometimes, the broken pieces are the strongest. We can’t really fix them. But it doesn’t matter. They’re still beautiful.”

Tears ran down my cheeks. I put a trembling palm over my mouth.

My mother came to me and took my hands. The vase was gone. The foyer shimmered, the light so bright it should have stung my eyes. Mom gleamed in the center of it, her body somehow brighter than the sun.

“I’m so sorry, baby, but you can’t stay,” she said, her voice wrapping around me like a hug. She squeezed my hands. “You have a very important story to write.”

I swallowed. “Which story?”

Mom leaned forward and kissed my forehead. “Yours.”

I opened my eyes on a gasp. Einar smiled down at me, his head wreathed with light and…dust?

The battle rushed back. We were still in the warehouse. I lay in his lap, my head cradled in the crook of his elbow. Around us, a raucous cheer went up. As my eyes focused, I turned my head and caught glimpses of people hugging and celebrating. Everyone from the maze was present, their faces full of joy. My father appeared at the edge of the crowd. Tears streamed down his face. One of the centaurs trotted over to him and put an arm around Dad’s shoulders.

Myrna stood off to the side, a smile shining in her eyes. Then she squawked as Leander spun her into his arms and planted a loud kiss on her cheek. Rolfe and Goliath embraced, Goliath’s smaller form swallowed by Rolfe’s bulk. A smiling Keir caught my eye and offered a gentlemanly bow.

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