Page 26 of A Touch of Iron
Alec ran his fingers over the ruby, his jaw tightening in the process. “Keep it safe, Vi. This is old magic. Very dangerous. Come on, let’s get out of here.”
* * *
I woke with a start,flinging my body upright and gasping for air. My nightgown was drenched in sweat and my eyes darted wildly around the room, searching for threats in the darkness. I was no longer in the small cottage hidden away among the mountains of Air Village, but in my chambers at the castle of the Unseelie King.
Tears streamed down my face as Calypso’s death replayed in my mind on a continuous loop. I let out a strangled scream and clutched my head. The pain was visceral and alive, a growling, seething thing. But beyond the guilt I felt from being responsible for Calypso’s death was stark betrayal.
As ridiculous as it seemed now, I’d thought Creed and I were friends. I thought he was Aurora’s friend. Oh, how wrong I was.
Alec was right about how a trial wasn’t for the faint of heart. I’d gotten so close to Calypso; she became more than a mentor, a friend during my time away. Losing her that way felt as if someone had reached into my chest and ripped out my heart.
Did she know what her fate would be? Did she have an inkling that her life would end? She deserved better. She deserved better than me.
The door to my chambers creaked open and Alec slid inside, his gaze wary as he slowly approached my bed. “You’re finally awake,” he whispered. “It’s been two days.”
I scrambled to my knees and crawled across the bed toward him, my legs tangling in the sheets. “Tell me there’s a way to revive her! She’s not really dead, is she?” I said in a panic. I knew I sounded crazy, but I didn’t care.
Alec exhaled quietly. “I’m sorry, Vi. She’s … she’s gone.”
I slumped forward and fresh tears rained down my cheeks. “No …” I murmured. “She can’t be.”
“Your suffering was death,” Alec inserted, his frustration matching my own. “Calypso took it on for you. If the trial had occurred in the human realm, she might have survived. But this is one of the downfalls of going through a trial in the Fae realm.”
I shook my head rapidly, refusing to believe his words. “No … no, no, no!”
He approached the bed and gently held my shoulders. “Listen to me, Violet. She did not die in vain. You will avenge her death. I promise you.”
I collapsed in his arms, no longer able to hold myself upright. Alec whispered against my hair and held me far longer than propriety dictated, but I was tired. My strength waned with each passing second. He rubbed my back in soothing circles until my sobs faded into stuttering hiccups.
“You must be strong, Vi,” he whispered. “Your fight is just beginning. You will have your own family name now and free your mother, but that freedom comes at a cost.”
I pulled away and wiped my snot and tear-streaked face. “How is my mother?” That should have been my first question upon waking. Especially since it was the reason I agreed to the trial in the first place.
He brushed my hair back and away from my face. “She’s doing fine. You have nothing to worry about.”
I nodded. “Thank you, Alec.”
“It’s not me you should be thanking,” he offered hesitantly. “Ansel is the one keeping her safe.”
I scoffed and looked away. My anger towards his brother was still fresh, as if his betrayal had occurred only yesterday. “She wouldn’t be in this situation if it wasn’t for him!” I said vehemently.
“You don’t know why he did what he did, Vi,” he chided gently. “Maybe you should wait until you speak with him before deciding you hate him.”
“Whatever,” I grumbled. “But we have another problem to deal with first.”
Alec furrowed his brows. “What is it?”
I hesitated. As a fire elemental, there was a sizable chance Alec knew Creed. “Did you know Creed? Like, have your paths ever crossed?”
Alec tilted his head and scrutinized me for a long moment before shaking his head. “No, I never saw or heard of him before your trial.”
“He’s going to be a problem.”
Alec frowned. “What do you mean? Because of the necklace?”
“We werefriends, Alec, and then he turned on me at the last minute. Maybe it was his plan all along, but I’m positive he’s going to come for the necklace sooner or later.”
Alec nodded. “I don’t understand the purpose for what he did. What could he gain? Was he helping the King?”
