Page 77 of Secrets & Curses of Fate

Brim looked at me oddly.?

“Mikel found his mate?”?

“Yes, and soon after, he started getting the lilies. I am terrified that someone is going to take him.”

Brim began pacing in front of his fireplace. He was talking to himself as if I could follow his train of thought. He wasn’t making any sense to me. Brim stilled and looked at me.?

“We need to know of every god that has found their mate. They are the targets, so that is how we intercept these bastards.” Brim looked at me. “I will visit the gods and see if there are any who have mates that have not been taken.”?

“What if it isn’t just about mates?” I asked. “What would be the other deciding factor?”?

“I have no clue.”?

Great, so we knew nothing. I sighed heavily and hung my head. I could not concentrate today. All I could think about was kissing Haden and going to see him. I needed to focus because there was a major issue happening here, and I felt like it was bigger than any of us realized. The Goddess of Nature had been right; there was something evil lurking in the air of Elloryon.

It felt suffocating and angry. But what could make an entire realm feel so dark and dreadful? Whoever was doing this was powerful—very powerful. Did they know I had a mate? Would I start getting lilies too??

“What’s on your mind, Della?” Brim was next to me when I looked up.?

“Did Mikel tell you what happened to my mate?” I asked.?

Brim frowned and nodded.?

“Do you know why the heavens would make such a mistake?”?

“The heavens do not make mistakes. They must have had their reasons for mating you to someone you did not love. There must have been a reason you loved his brother instead.”?

I scoffed.?

“A reason? They made me perfect for the wrong man and then took him from me. For what, punishment? I have always followed the laws, and they turned their backs on me.”

“But they gave him back to you.” He smiled.?

My anger disappeared instantly.

“How did you know that?” I narrowed my eyes at him.?I hadn’t even told Mikel Haden’s name, so he couldn’t find anything out. I stared at Brim for a long moment.?

His guilt doubled in his eyes, and he frowned as he sat in his chair.

“I have a confession,” he said as he started rocking. “I had visions of you and Haden before it ever happened. I saw you fall in love, and I knew he was not your mate.” Brim watched the array of emotions cross my face before smiling softly.?

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I said angrily.?“You could have warned me.”

Brim swallowed hard as he turned his gaze from me.

“He asked me not to.” Brim frowned. "And who am I to ruin such a love?"?

I stilled.?

“Who told you not to?”?

“Haden,” Brim sighed.

“Haden knows you? How?”

“It’s not often that a fae gets the magic of visions. News of it travels quickly, and I caught wind of it when I heard his name from a friend. So, I went to visit him and his lovely family. It was about a year before you met him.”?

I sank down in the other chair, staring at Brim.?What the fuck was happening?

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