Page 42 of A Curse of Breath and Blood

It had taken me a long time to accept that.

“Still.” He buried his face into my abdomen.

I cupped my hands around his face, forcing him to meet my gaze. “You saved me in so many ways, Caiden. You were my escape. My refuge in a storm I couldn’t see a way out of. Every night, I replayed the memories of us over and over in my mind. You were a light when I was surrounded by darkness.”

“Aelia… I… I don’t know what to say.” His eyes softened. I had cracked some invisible barrier guarding him.

For hours, we lay in bed, holding one another. I tried to imagine my life if we had run away and been married in secret,despite knowing it did not do me any good to dwell on what could’ve been. Still, it hurt my heart to think about leaving him.

Caiden and I were like a rock cracked in two. Over time, the elements had worn away at each of us so that we could never go back together again.

16AELIA

“Are you nervous?”Amolie asked as she braided my hair, intertwining the strands with a diadem.

I blew out a long breath. “No, this is just another job.”

She fastened the braid with a pin, holding the others between her teeth while she wove the hair. “Well, that’s one way to look at it.”

I bit my lip.

“What?” Amolie asked.

“Baylis used to braid my hair before royal events.” I pushed down a sob.

A memory rose to the surface of my mind.Elyria—Baylis sat before me in our dressing room, which smelled like fresh flowers. Her round face smiled back at me from the mirror as I braided cherry blossoms into her hair. Her two black shepherd dogs lay at her feet.

“My first ball. I’m so excited.”Her sun-kissed cheeks seemed to radiate joy.

“No one will be able to take their eyes off you,”I said, placing a bloom.

“There’s only one boy’s eyes I want to catch.”

“Oh? Whose?”

“Peter Avilard.”Her eyes fluttered.“He’s so handsome; his father is the Master of Coin.”

“Peter Avilard is a good match for you.”

“Do you think so?”She turned to face me. Her gray eyes full of hope.

“I do. He’s from a respectable family. He seems to have a good head on his shoulders.”

“Could you plant a seed with our mother and father?”

“Of course,”I said as I put the final blossom into place.

“Aelia?” Amolie said, waving a hand in front of my face.

“Sorry, what were you saying?” I shook the bitter sting of regret off. I hadn’t mentioned Peter to my parents. I knew what the answer would be.

“Oh, nothing. You need to be careful tonight—you know how Wild Courts are. There will be a lot of temptation for you to use.”

“I know. I’ll be fine. But thank you for worrying about me, Amolie. If you didn’t, no one else would.”

She clicked her tongue. “You’re not as hard to love as you think, Aelia.”

I applied a thick layer of kohl to my eyes and reddened my lips. The sylph loved to dress up.

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