Page 89 of Secrets & Curses of Fate

Mikel was pacing around like a crazy man. I watched him as he looked up at me and then away again. I opened my mouth to say something but shut it when Pia walked in and saw him losing his mind.

“For the love of the stars, will you calm down?” she sighed. “All you are doing is working yourself up.”

“Someone sent Remiah an entire bouquet of red lilies.” He stared at her.

“Yes, we know, but you are about to combust.” She looked at me as if asking for backup.

I wasn’t sure what to say. He had every right to lose his shit, but Pia was right; he was working himself up more.

“She thinks I sent them, and I didn’t have the heart to tell her that only a sick fuck would do that.” Mikel sighed heavily and began pacing around. “Why an entire bouquet?” He looked at me.

“I have no idea, Mikel.”

“It’s not good,” he said confidently. “Maybe someone is going to take us as soon as I tell her she is my mate and claim her.”

I looked up at him.

“That’s why you haven’t marked her yet?”

That made sense. I was wondering why he hadn’t. I was still trying to get both sides of Haden on the same page before I told him. Well, and the knowledge that I had changed fate was making me worried that I would be punished if I claimed him. Gods, and the void was keeping shit from me.

“Yes.”

“Maybe you should talk to Avesh and see if he knows anything special about red lilies?”

Mikel stared at me, and I saw a flicker of relief in his eyes that I had any sort of suggestion. I should have asked him while I was there, but the thought didn’t cross my mind.

“Thank you; that’s a great idea.” Mikel came over and gave me a hug. I hugged him back, feeling like a piece of shit because I couldn’t tell him that Brim had seen Remiah dead. Maybe her fate would change if Mikel could figure out who this was. “I will go now.”

“Alright. I hope he can help.”

Mikel gave me a sad smile before disappearing. I looked at Pia, and she frowned.

“This is really fucking bad, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

I didn’t know how to help Remiah or Mikel. Who would want to kill her? She was so kind, and I had never seen her be treated as poorly as Haden. Why kill Remiah when they were taking the other mates? I closed my eyes tightly. And why was I standing in the Crimson Kingdom with her?

I willed the heavens to tell me how to save her. Mikel needed to mark her so that she wouldn’t die; that was the only answer Icould come up with, but he was too scared. There was no way I could convince him that he would actually be saving her.

Haden will be destroyed when this happens. How am I supposed to make him feel better when the only family he knows leaves him for good? Images of Haden’s funeral in his past life and watching his family grieve started taking over my mind. I needed to get out of here. I could feel my anger and grief taking over my already shitty mood.

“I’ll be back.”

I used my magic to go see Haden. He was about the only thing that would make my day better. When my star mist disappeared, I was standing on the pathway of his village again.

Confused, I turned around, and my rage doubled at what I saw. Kira, whose presence instantly pissed me off, and a group of men were surrounding Haden. He was looking at the ground as they spoke, not able to meet their eyes. Dark clouds rolled in at my already bad mood. They couldn’t see me, but I wouldn’t stand by and let them be cruel to Haden.

“The town freak has come out of his shitty home,” the ugliest one of the bunch laughed. My chest tightened at the sight. I moved toward him, my heart breaking at how he just took their cruel words.

“Haden, don’t take shit from them. Fight back,” I demanded. He looked up and noticed me for the first time, but he instantly looked back down.?

He still didn’t say anything. His damn parents had destroyed any worth he might have had for himself.

“Haden, you are so much better than them. This ugly one, for example, is sleeping with his father’s fiancé. And this blonde one with the crooked nose, his family is stealing money from other noble families; they are broke. And her… I can’t even tell you how many men she is crawling into bed with to get social status. All because no one wants to marry her.”

When I looked back at Haden, he was watching me as I circled around the group.

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