Page 28 of #Resort Love
Though Sybil being with Ambrose ate away at me, his dismissal came at an opportune time. After my visit with Queen Cassia, I left a signal requesting a meeting with the rebels. The information I learned yesterday was too significant to ignore. A meeting with them was imperative and could not wait, even if all I wanted was to find Sybil and separate her from Ambrose’s scheming. All I could do now was hope that my warnings were sufficient to keep her safe from his poisoned, honeyed words.
When I reached the door to my room, I paused, my hand tightly gripping the handle. Ambrose’s spies were still watching me, hiding in corners and dark spaces. Ever since last night, I had felt more eyes on me than usual. It made me wonder if Ambrose knew what I had learned after my visit with the queen. Stepping into my room, I let the door shut softly behind me, my shoulders relaxing from the heavy weight of their watchful eyes. With a wave of my hand, the lights flickered on. My eyes narrowed on a missive lying on my desk, marked with the symbol of a phoenix in flight—the answer to my request.
Swallowing, I stared at the missive, pushing down the dread that had been consuming me since last night. My visit with the queen left me unsettled and restless about Sybil’s safety. When I confronted her, Queen Cassia didn’t deny that Sybil was her descendant. Instead, she let out a disappointed sigh and slowly made her way back to her velvet chaise. She stared blankly at a lamp in the corner of her cell before straightening herself and finally meeting my gaze, tapping a delicate finger against her temple. A signal for me to use our bond.
Closing my eyes, I cleared my mind, finding the invisible string tethering my soul to hers. I breathed in deeply, opening myself to the magic as a memory formed, though it was blurry at first. When the memory cleared, I realized it was one from long ago.
Turning the corner, the hall was dark, but I could see the light from the room at the end. My breath grew tight as I—in Queen Cassia’s body—entered the room. The figure of a male with long, pale blond hair emerged. His cool sky-blue eyes were distant as three other males surrounded him, pleading for him to change his mind. Exhaling, he closed his tired eyes and lifted a hand to silence them. Opening his eyes again, he looked to me as I lingered silently in the doorway. His eyes softened and a gentle smile spread across his face. I stretched out my hands toward him, returning that smile, though my heart swelled with a deep sadness.
“Sister,” Dryden said, rushing to me and taking my hands into his.“I must do this. Please understand that I must do this,” he pleaded, his voice cracking on the last word.“I can’t leave her behind. She is my mate and to leave this world without her would shatter me. Please, please try to understand.”
My heart squeezed so tight I could hardly breathe.“I understand, brother,” I said, his face blurring through the tears that threatened to fall.“Stay here with your mate, watch over the humans with her, and protect them. I will take your place and rule in your stead until you are able to return.”
The vision faltered, morphing into another memory.
My hands clenched tightly around a low oak branch as I watched a beautiful woman with flowing black hair walk into a courtyard filled with wild and colorful flowers to a crying child. Picking up the small child, the woman smiled softly, gently cooing to calm him.
“My love,” Dryden called out, his voice filled with such tenderness.
The woman looked back to the doors as Dryden entered the courtyard,her smile spreading across her face. Hugging her child closer to her chest, Dryden gave her a tender kiss before hugging her and the child from behind.
The memory faded and I swallowed back my shock. My heart raced as the queen held my wild gaze.
“Sybil isn’t your descendant…She’s Dryden’s,”I said through our bond, my stomach twisting, bile threatening to rise in my throat.
“Yes, that’s correct. I had hoped this secret would be kept as such,”Queen Cassia said, looking back at the lamp. “However, it seems as though fate has other plans.”
A curse left me, and the queen clucked her tongue in disapproval, giving me a reprimanding glare. Those same sky-blue eyes, the same as Dryden—and Sybil’s father—were bright. In different circumstances, I would have laughed, giving her a soft kiss on the cheek while she swatted me away.
“Has he figured it out yet?”she asked hesitantly. Worry filled those kind eyes, making her face seem hollow and pale.
“No, not yet,”I sighed. “Aster changed the information on Sybil’s tests before giving them to Ambrose.”
“Smart girl,”Queen Cassia chuckled quietly. “So, what shall you do next?”
Shaking off the memory of last night, I focused back on the missive on my desk. There were no words, just the symbol of a phoenix. A request received and accepted. I ran a hand down my face, tipping my head against my door. Other than showing me those memories, Queen Cassia didn’t confirm anything else. She left most of my questions unanswered, refusing to even listen to them, only asking what my next move would be. But I stood there, unable to say a word.
I wasn’t sure what I was going to do. Sybil wasn’t supposedto be here. She was supposed to be living her life with the other humans, oblivious to what she was and what she could do. More than anything, I wanted to ask the queen for advice like I did as a boy, but I knew she would just give me that motherly smile of hers before telling me how I needed to make my own decisions—my own path. So, for now, all I could do was meet with the rebels and make a plan.
Pushing off the door, I went to the closet, changing into plain clothing so I could blend in with those who lived in the city. Pulling my hair back, I slipped into a coat and drew the hood up to hide my hair and face. With my hair concealed, I could easily roam around unnoticed, at least until I got close enough to people for them to see my eyes.
Leaving through the hidden passage, I made my way into the city, weaving through the crowded streets. Observing the buildings around me, I looked for signs placed by my informant. I passed a stone tavern and caught a glimpse of something from the corner of my eye. Looking across the street to a shop, I found a small paper with a phoenix drawn in red nailed to the side. Slipping through the busy street, I ripped the paper from the wall, shoving it into my coat as I glanced at the crowd behind me.
The fae rushing through the streets and walkways disregarded me as they passed by, without a care in the world, unaware of who I was or what I was doing. Glancing to the tops of the buildings, I watched for any spies in the area before slipping into the alley, following the paper trail left by the informant as my only guide.
Coming to the end of an alley, a door to a tavern with a small phoenix carved in the upper right corner slammed open as a cook came out for a smoke break. He nodded to me, and Islipped in through the door that opened to the kitchens before making my way to the bar up front. The tavern was small and discreet, only known by those who had been told of its location, but the worn tables and chairs gave the place a homey and welcoming feel.
I searched through the crowd, my eyes narrowing when they landed on the large male sitting near a window, watching the crowd pass by. I knocked on the bar, and the barkeep made his way to me. I set down some coins, sliding them over, and asked for two beers.
While I waited, I observed the fae in the tavern, my jaw clenching when I noticed that every single one of them wore a pin of a phoenix in flames. Although they made themselves look busy, they were here to watch me, to make sure I didn’t do anything unsavory, like bringing uninvited guests. I fought the urge to roll my eyes, and lost.
The barkeep slid the pints of beer to me, and my gaze cut to his. His eyes widened, recognition blooming across his face before he jerked his chin to the male near the window. Grabbing the pints, I walked to his table, scowling at the overcoat he wore to hide his body and face. He wasn’t the one I was supposed to meet today, and he certainly wasn’t supposed to be in the city.
I sat opposite of him, passing one of the pints over to him, and looked out the window toward a patisserie across the street. Inhaling sharply, I watched as Ambrose took Sybil’s hand, her face turning pink from a soft blush.
“She’s new,” the male said coolly, his eyes never leaving Sybil. My hand tightened around my drink at the darkened tone of his voice. I watched his crimson eyes narrow in the reflection of the window when Sybil smiled sweetly at Ambrose. I snarled, looking away.
“Ambrose and I brought her here a few days ago,” I grumbled, shifting my focus to the foam of my beer, watching it slowly dissolve. I couldn’t bear to watch her givehimher smiles.
