Page 68 of To Wake a Kingdom

“Magic,” I finished for him, and he nodded, giving me such a long look that it felt like he was trying to capture a glimpse of my soul.

“Yes, exactly. Better than magic. I—” He shook his head and then kissed me on the nose. “I’ll see you inside.”

As I watched him walk away, he cast a glance over his shoulder, the smile on his face like sunshine reflecting off a crystal-clear pond.

When he disappeared around the corner, I rubbed my face. I had to tell him it was time to leave. When he came back from the stables, I would. No more excuses.

Inside, I found Kianna waiting in my room.

“Hi there.” She was bouncing up and down in anticipation.

“What?” I asked, pulling off my coat.

“How was your night?” She clasped her hands in front of her, and I gave her a quizzical look.

“It was wonderful. Thank you for helping him.”

“I’m happy for you, Your Highness.” There was something so raw in her voice that I frowned.

“Is everything okay?”

“It’s so wonderful you and the commander have found each other against all the odds. That he came here, and now you can break the cu—” Fear sparked in her expression before she looked at the ground, not meeting my eyes.

“What did you say?”

Hands clenched in the green folds of her dress, she didn’t raise her head, wings twitching in obvious agitation.

“Kianna.” My voice sharpened to a dangerous edge. “What…did you say?”

Finally, she looked up at me, indecision wobbling in her eyes. “Nothing?”

I marched closer. “What aren’t you telling me?”

She hedged again, looking around the room as if someone would help her.

My hands balled into fists. “Kianna, what were you going to say? Tell. Me.”

Now her hands flew up, clasping under her chin. “The curse,” she whispered, eyes wide as sunflowers.

“What about it?”

“I’ve known all along how to break it.” She winced, her shoulders drawing up to her ears.

My entire body went numb. My neck grew hot and my fingers tingled, blood stilling in my veins. I said nothing. I couldn’t speak as I waited for her to continue with whatever valid reason she had for keeping this from me. But she was frozen, and the yawning silence stripped away the little patience I had. “How?!”

Kianna’s bottom lip quivered, and a strangled breath wheezed out of her throat. “True love’s kiss. You can break it with true love’s kiss.”

A fist punched me in the chest as every molecule of air was sucked from the room. I couldn’t breathe.

True love’s kiss.

It was so simple. The ending to every fairy tale I’d ever been told.

“You’ve been lying to me all this time?” My words weren’t an accusation. They were the pained whisper of utter betrayal. She’d been deceiving me. Letting me run around like a fucking idiot, picking herbs and making potions, when she’d known this all along.

She nodded, eyes filling with tears. “I’m so sorry.”

“How could you do this to me? Why? Why didn’t you tell me?!”

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