Page 15 of War of Her Heart

His mother was my mother’s younger sister, who wasn’t betrothed to a future Sovereign like my mother because there were no suitable matches during her courting age. She instead married a male from the Ice Realm of higher station, and they lived in the Ice Realm castle.

My cousin, Fenrys, was set to be on the council in their realm when a position came available. He was kind, fair, and protective of the weaker fae in their realm, always finding ways to help them and ensure their needs were being heard. Exactly what Violet needed.

He came to spend a few months with us, and I pushed him to get to know Violet. He knew of my intentions, but I never told Violet. I stayed away from her, trying to push my feelings away while she got to know Fenrys.

The only time I saw her was at our weekly family dinners, but I had the servants add a seat between the two of us for Fenrys to sit in so I could do my best to ignore her.

One day, after Fenrys had been at the castle for about a month, I was walking back from the training area when I heard her laugh. Before I realized what I was doing, I followed her laugh to find her and Fenrys sitting closely under a tree deep in conversation.

Our tree. The one she used to climb in while I stood below praying to the gods that she wouldn’t fall.

Jealousy overcame me, and I realized in that moment that I wouldn’t be able to let her go so easily. She was mine before she even knew it.

I sent Fenrys home that night, and I know I hurt him because he hadn’t spoken to me since then. He had fallen for her just like I did.

I tried to continue to avoid her until about a week later when she barged into my room to confront me about the way I had been acting.

That was one of the things I loved about her. She had fire in her that I’d never seen in another female in our realm. I didn’t know if it is because she had spent most of her life in the castle with me, where she was able to be more outspoken than typically allowed or if it had to do with her being pretty much raised by her nursemaid, Astrid, who had a personality too big for her small size. No one dared to say anything to Astrid about her behavior. I think everyone had always been a little afraid of her.

It was in the middle of the night when she came into my room, and she already had her nightgown on. It was almost sheer, and you could see the outline of her breasts.

I couldn’t stop myself at that moment, and I hadn’t been able to since.

This proved my worry to be true. I couldn’t live without her.

I reached an unfamiliar hall, but her scent was getting stronger with every step I took. I hadn’t been to this hall before, given my room was on the opposite end of the castle, and this hall seemed like it had nothing but more bedrooms.

I reached a door, and I could hear her heart beating—no, more like racing—on the other side. I had to explain and calm her down before something happened.

I placed my hand on her door and put a ward around her room, something I learned quite early in my studies. It’s usually used to protect conversations from unwanted listeners, but using it now may be the most necessary time I’d ever need it.

I raised my hand to knock, but I knew she wouldn’t let me in, so instead, I transferred.

6

Chapter 6

Violet

After almost dying and then being entranced by death himself, I had forgotten about my life. About Calum.

“Go away. I don’t want to see you,” I said as I pushed past him, trying to get to the bathroom. To get away from him.

But he didn’t listen. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me towards him, and nothing could hold me back.

Before I could even comprehend what I was doing, I slapped him. I slapped my Sovereign—which would be punishable by death—but more importantly I slapped the person I loved the most.

I felt so betrayed by him.

“You lied,” I said as I fought back the tears.

“Violet, I—”

“No. I am going to talk, and for once, you’re going to listen to me,” I said, cutting him off. “I knew from the beginning that you’d have to marry someone else. I knew you didn’t have a choice, and it was your duty. We could have just spent the years we had together knowing that it would come to an end. But YOU said you wouldn’t marry someone else. YOU said you would find a way out of this. You didn’t have to say any of that to me, but you were adamant that it would be me and you in the end. You said it so much that you actually had me believing that it was true. And until the moment you left, you promised me that you would come back to me. But then I saw you today with her. You lied.”

“Who brought you here?” he asked, completely ignoring everything I just said.

“Who do you think? Your mother. The one who would love nothing more than to see me hurt.”

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