Page 32 of War of Her Heart

I stopped walking. It took her a moment, but Bronwen stopped a few paces ahead of me and turned around smiling.

I shook my head. “That’s impossible. You two look nothing alike.”

“Maybe we look exactly alike,” she took a step closer and whispered, “but you’re only seeing one version of us.”

I looked at her confused before it clicked. The reason they were able to speak through their minds without being mates. “You’re not fae, are you?”

Bronwen looked at the ground and then looked back up at me, slightly opening her mouth before looking away again. It’s like she wanted to tell me something but was afraid to. I’m not sure if she was afraid of how I would react or if she was afraid that she would say something she wasn’t supposed to. “I will tell you everything I can one day, but not yet. Some of it isn’t for me to tell.”

I wanted to know. I wanted to know everything that she was holding back, but I didn’t want to overstep. I thought about Calum’s warning about the fae of the Night Realm. I liked Bronwen, and I didn’t want her to change on me.

“One day, but I will be gone in a few months,” I said as I thought about returning home. I wanted my life with Calumback, but I knew I would miss my freedom here. And more importantly, I’d miss my friendship with Bronwen.

She studied me for a moment. “Do you think we can’t be friends once you return home?” she asked.

“I’d like to.”

Bronwen smiled before she looped her arm in mine as we continued walking down the street.

“So where are we going now?” I asked as I looked around trying to figure out what store we may have missed earlier.

“Do you remember that bar Adar went to while we went dress shopping?”

“Yes . . .” I said reluctantly.

“Get ready, Violet. I’m taking you to your first bar.”

14

Chapter 14

Violet

I had only gotten drunk once in my life, and I hadn’t had wine since. It was only a few years into mine and Calum’s relationship.

Calum’s parents had gone on an anniversary trip to Sartova, a small town on the north end of the Mountain Realm. Calum’s father gifted Celine a home in Sartova in the early years of their marriage. Since Celine was native to the Ice Realm and had to leave her home for an arranged marriage, he wanted her to have a place where she felt comfortable. Sartova was the perfect place for that because it sits on the top of a mountain that was always covered in snow and looks out into the Ice Realm.

Celine never deserved him.

Since Calum’s parents and my father were gone, Calum thought it would be a good time to let me try wine. He knew myfather wouldn’t approve because of my heart, but he wanted me to experience it. It was a good time—until it wasn’t. We both got drunk, trashed the dining room, and passed out in the sitting room.

An unexpected storm ruined Calum’s parents’ anniversary trip so they came home early . . . and found us in the sitting room.

Having to sit and listen to our parents yell at us while nursing a throbbing headache from a hangover was enough for me to never want to drink again.

To make it even worse, my father brought it up for weeks after the incident saying it was too dangerous with my heart condition and that I had to be more careful—which was exactly why I tried it when he wasn’t home.

Be careful. The words I had always had to live my life by.

I’m glad I had put a pill in my pocket before we left the castle today. I didn’t know we would be out so late, but I knew better than to go somewhere without a pill. Just in case.

I took the pill as we walked towards the door at the bar. I tried to be as inconspicuous as possible because I didn’t want to hear any comment about it from Bronwen.

Going to a bar with Bronwen seemed like a bad idea from the start, but it got even worse when we walked in and I realized it wasn’t just a night out for the two of us.

Sebastian and Adar were standing at the bar top.

“Bronwen,” I said as I stopped at the door. Sebastian was staring at me, like he sensed it the second I walked through the door, and based on our last encounter, there was no way this would end well.

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