Page 41 of War of Her Heart

So now I was slowly replacing every object in the castle until the object was destroyed.

We should take Violet dress shopping with us.

Anytime someone said her name, my shadows brought the conversation to the front of my mind. I wanted to know anything and everything that happened with her.Why would we do that?Nathara asked Celine.

I wanted to know why they would want to take her with them. Celine had to know about Calum and Violet’s relationship, so why would she want Violet anywhere near Nathara?

Well, I don’t see her ever leaving the castle, so it might be good for you to get to know her. She could become one of your ladies in waiting. She should have to earn her stay now that she is no longer a faeling. We don’t want her to think she can do as she pleases.

I knew Celine was a snake. She brought Violet here when there seemed to be no reason to do so, and now she was pushing to have Nathara around her. It was like she wanted Nathara to learn of Violet and Calum’s relationship. Like she wanted Violet to get hurt.

If only she knew the fire she was playing with. If she knew what Violet was to me, she would never put her in harm’s way.

But if she even tried to hurt her, I would become her worst nightmare.

I had to warn Violet of what I had overheard. She needed to be prepared before she was forced into the lion’s den.

I transferred to her room before I even thought about what I was doing. She was in the middle of taking a sip of water when I appeared in front of her.

Every bit of water in her mouth ended up on my face. I definitely should’ve used the door.

The shock on her face immediately turned into fear after she realized she had spit all over me.

The last thing I wanted was for her to be afraid of me, and yet I kept doing things that scared her over and over again: threatening her with my shadows in the hall, killing a fae rightin front of her, forcing the truth out of her about Calum and then reacting the way I did. And now transferring unannounced, unwelcomed, into her room. Well, the last thing may have shocked her more than anything. I think she feared more about how I would react.

“I-I’m so sorry,” she said as she waited for my reaction.

“No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come into your room like that,” I said as I wiped my hand over my face.

She looked at me, still scared, but also confused by my apology.

“We need to talk about last night.”

“Look, I know you are upset because you want Nathara out of the Night Realm, and I seem to be standing in the way of that but please don’t tell her of our relationship.”

Dread settled in my chest at what she said. Did she really think I acted the way I did because of . . . Nathara?

Was she truly that blinded by her pills that she couldn’t see the way I looked at her? The way I was unable to do anything but look at her when she was in the same room as me?

I knew I had to tell her something to help her understand why I was so bothered by her confession. I had to keep part of the truth hidden because I didn’t want to tell her we were mates. I didn’t want her to feel like shehadto be with me. I wanted her to want me the way I wanted her.

“I was upset because I know what your future entails if you keep a relationship with Calum once he is married.”

“I don’t understand,” she said with a confused look on her face.

“How much do you know about me?” I asked.

“What do you mean?” she asked nervously.

“I know you like learning things. That’s why you were in my library. You spend your time reading, so what all have you readabout me?” I was trying to approach this in the best way I could, by playing into her interests.

“Considering your reaction to what I said about your shadows, I don’t know if my information is correct.”

“Well, tell me what you know, and I’ll correct you if you’re wrong.”

She looked at me for a moment with apprehension on her face before she crossed her arms and began, “You became the Sovereign of the Night Realm when you were still a faeling, making you the youngest Sovereign in the history of Alentara. You were born with the gift of wielding force fields, which every Night Realm Sovereign has, but you also have other gifts.”

“Do you know all of my other gifts?” I knew I should get to the point, but I knew the quicker we made it to why I was here, the quicker I would have to leave her. And I also wanted to see how she acted when she talked about my powers, to learn whether she was truly terrified of me and what I could do. I’d gotten mixed signals from her every time I’d been around her.

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