Page 86 of Sharpen Your Claws

“Of course you could until you made the wrong move. Think of Fearworn, boy,” she spat. “He loved to create, but he didn’t treat those creations very well, did he? Tore them apart, sent them to war, and threatened to destroy us all. Nicholas would keep you close, at first, then never let you see another, perhaps trap you in a deep, dark hole where only he may find you. In the end, you will both lose everything.”

“So it doesn’t matter if there are moments when he is more like himself?” He gauged her reactions, knowing she would give away as little as she could, but there was something about her, a curiosity that couldn’t be sated and he had tempted her.

“What moments do you speak of?”

“When we’re together, sometimes his eyes return to what they once were. If what he wants is my love and I give that to him, could there be a chance at relative normalcy?”

Alvina’s warped fingers tugged at one another. “There has never been a shade obsessed over love. They have always wanted something else, but I cannot imagine it will end well for either of you, regardless.” She cocked her head, making her eyes shine in the dark. “Not what you wanted to hear, dearie?”

He didn’t entertain her with a response. He turned away.

“You must make a choice one day. Will you choose your doom, little one?” She laughed, and the earth laughed with her.

He left her in the dark to meander the halls, worrying of what was to come, and hating himself. If Nicholas couldn’t be saved, then he would continue to love William. If he could be saved, what if he didn’t love William anymore? It was a sick thought that had him leaning his weight against the wall, trying not to vomit.

Am I a bad person for wanting Nicholas’ love to last forever?he thought. He feared losing Nicholas again. He feared losing his love.

But Nicholas proved himself a threat. Would he give up his family to spare them from Nicholas’ wrath? Or would he be forced to give up Nicholas to be with his family?

Love came in many forms, and to give one up for another would be painful, lonely, and ultimately, the wrong choice. One needed both to truly live, but one way or the other, he feared having to live without both.

28

Charmaine

TheyleftSorrow’sWellbehind them. Charmaine had been relieved to learn they wouldn’t leave the way they came. She didn’t want to think of how they’d climb out of the well. Evera took them to a back entrance, where they ascended stone steps into a wide cave that opened into the dying forest. Over the decayed trees, a mountain sat isolated in the sky.

Evera pointed at the mountain. “That is where we are headed. It should be about a day’s walk. The land is weakened, but not safe. Watch where you are going. Call out anything strange.”

In Faerie, strange could mean a great deal of things. She found most of their surroundings strange, but Evera wandered ahead and she followed. She would not get lost in a place such as this. Bloodbane withered under Alvina’s foolish rule. The trees oozed rot rather than sap. Their limbs broke free, scattered about the land reeking of death. Bugs infested the fallen leaves and creatures that had unfortunately eaten the rot, leaving them as carcasses scattered through the woods.

She shifted between watching her feet and Evera’s back. She had a tension about her that worried Charmaine. Since they came to Bloodbane, Evera gnawed her lip raw. She considered pointing that out, then thought better of it. Evera didn’t need and likely didn’t want Charmaine worrying over her, though the fact remained that she did. She wasn’t sure when it happened, but her eyes strayed to Evera, admiring her beauty, wanting to talk to her, wondering what she was thinking and what would happen when this was over.

Evera caught her attention. “You look as if you have something to say. Spit it out.”

Charmaine hummed. Behind her, Henry and Arden flipped through a notebook. Arden became a walking fae encyclopedia for the mage, informing him which parts of his notes were wrong or right. At the back, William and Nicholas walked hand in hand. Her chest warmed at the sight.

“Well,” Evera encouraged.

“I was wondering about Bloodbane,” she said, shuffling closer to Evera’s side. “You mentioned you want to rule over it, so seeing it like this must pain you.”

Evera didn’t hide her irritation. She looked upon the tree with unbridled rage, directed entirely at her mother. “Bloodbane could be rid of her for what she has done. I would be happy at the prospect, but Bloodbane shouldn’t have to suffer like this.”

She ran a hand along the bark of a tree they passed, flinching as if it brought her pain.

“Once we kill that bastard, I will challenge her to rule. Sorrows Well will be angry after such a transgression. She will remain weakened. When I win, nothing like this will ever happen again,” she spoke more to the forest than Charmaine and a warm breeze passed as if to reply.

“What will happen afterward? If you’re a lord of these lands, then what?”

“I take care of it and throw as many revels as I want,” she replied proudly. “I expect you to attend one. There will be no trouble for you.”

Her cheeks warmed at the thought. “I doubt your people would want me there.”

“I would want you there. That’s all that matters.”

Her heart skipped.

“And I expect a dress. You must show me your skills. Surely you can work with materials from Faerie. You will be paid handsomely,” Evera explained.

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