Page 3 of Curse of Darkness
“Is it urgent? Is it a matter of life and death?”
Another hesitation. “He won’t speak to me. He won’t speak to any of us. He just says he needs to talk to you.”
“Then take care of it,” I snap.
“I think you’ll want to see him too.”
I don’t want to seeanyone. Can I not have just one more day of peace?
It’s a selfish thought. I’m the queen of Evernight now and we’re at war with my mother’s kingdom. I can’t let Thiago down. I can’t let his people down.
You don’t have the luxury of grief.
But the intrusion feels like a knife dragging through the ragged remains of my chest.
“Will you be all right?”
Amaya looks at me, and I seehiseyes in her heart-shaped face. “I’ll stay here,” she says, “and play with Grimsby.”
I know the grimalkin watches over her from the shadows, but he’s been scarce since the ordeal at Black Keep. He lied to me. He said he couldn’t see past that moment in time when I would hold my daughter in my arms but heknewthat one of us would fall. He knew the Horned One would be unleashed upon the world, and only the sacrifice of a powerful fae could destroy the bindings that trapped the Horned One within his prison world.
I’d expected it to be me.
But Grimm had admitted he saw my husband fall.
The grimalkin’s bound to Amaya as her familiar. I can’t stop him from appearing when I’m not around. Indeed, as much as I want to wring his furry little neck, there’s a part of me that knows he’s the best companion she could ever have—he would give his life to save her, and grimalkin are powerful foes.
Nothing can enter this room and hurt her without going through Grimm.
“I’ll be back,” I promise, “and we’ll finish the story later.”
The second I open the door, it’s like being splashed in the face with a bucket of ice water. Our rooms are my refuge, but out here it feels like the whole world is rushing at me, and right now, I don’t have the heart to deal with it.
“Who is it?”
Its only when Finn flinches that I realize how sharp my voice is.
“It’s your stepbrother.” Finn blows out a breath. “I never thought I’d say this, but I think you need to talk to him. He’s in the audience chamber. Eris is standing guard.”
Edain.
I was wrong. I do still have a heart.
Because it plummets toward my feet.
“You let himinsidethe castle?” I take off toward the audience chamber at a run. I’ve told them how dangerous he is. He’s both my mother’s lover and her assassin.
“Eris won’t let him out of her sight!” Finn yells behind me.
As dangerous as Eris is, I don’t truly know the extent of Edain’s powers.
Or what he wants.
The only reason he could be here is if my mother has heard of Thiago’s death and wants to destroy what is left of Evernight. Isn’t it?
* * *
I burstthrough the audience chamber doors, slamming them open so hard they crash against the walls.
