A Curse of Shadows

The rumble in his chest makes me smile wider, especially when he says, “If it didn’t have to do with Elodee, then I would cancel it.”

“Are you bringing her here?” I ask with unmasked excitement, remembering that he didn’t answer me earlier. “And what about Grayson? Is he okay?”

His hands hold me close. “There’s much more I need to share with you privately, but right now, all I can say is that Elodee is coming here. We’re going to give her a sleeping concoction and bring her back today. She’ll wake in your room and after the two of us have spoken, you’ll get to be the one to tell her everything else. As for Grayson, he’s just fine. I healed him and he’s helping bring Elodee back.”

The elation that fills me from those words has me feeling as if I could jump from the roof and fly. “She’s coming here now? Like, right now?” I grab his suit coat again and kiss him, just not as thoroughly as a few moments ago. “Thank you, Asher. For that, and for Grayson. You have no idea what this means to me.”

He smiles in return, but the gesture doesn’t quite light up his face like I expect. “Anything for you, Issie.”

I thought Grayson was the only one to call me that, but I don’t hate the nickname coming from Asher as well.

“There’s more to discuss,” he adds. “But I really do need to go. I’ll meet you in your room in an hour.”

His lips press against the top of my head as he holds me close for only a brief second before he’s bounding back up the stairs again.

I stand there, leaning against the wall and grinning like a fool. Three days ago, I thought I’d died or was stuck in some twisted dream. Now, I may have no clue what’s going to happen next, but I do know that I’m no longer afraid of what’s to come.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

ASHER

Something deep inside is unraveling. I know Isla is going to be the end of me—a sweet, intoxicating demise, but a demise nonetheless. Our kiss on the stairwell made me briefly forget who and what I’m supposed to be, a lapse that even now sends ripples through the steadfast façade I maintain as king. She’s once again, and very quickly, become my core, my singular focus, and while I’m consumed with gratitude that she’s back, I’m equally haunted by the constraints of my responsibilities.

The words Grayson uttered have ignited a slow-burning fury within me. I thought I had considered every possibility—her leaving of her own volition, or worse, her being taken from me—but none made sense. There were no demands made, no enemies claiming victory, and an unsettling silence on her whereabouts.

Part of me had reluctantly accepted the possibility that she had simply chosen to walk away without reason. But now, the prospect that she might have been forcibly cursed to Earth changes everything. If this proves to be the case, nothing will stop me from uncovering the truth and exacting a bitter vengeance.

I take a deep breath, trying to calm my heart before stepping into this meeting with my advisory council. I was hoping to avoid this, but that’s part of the job as king. I can’t ignore everything for days on end without the council being forced to check where my head is at. That is their job, after all.

Pushing open the doors to the meeting room on the fourth floor, I’m greeted with the faces of four of my five council members. Malimorte has already departed for Earth with Grayson. Though no one in this room is aware of that fact.

I should be able to tell them, but I’m not going to. Nobody else needs to know what we’re up to until I have more answers. I won’t risk Isla’s life by sharing too much information.

“Your Majesty,” Arthur says, the eldest of my advisory team, having even served under my father. He rises first as I close the doors behind me and bows, casting his dark eyes downward briefly. “Thank you for meeting with us today with all you have going on.”

They might have requested the meeting, and I could have denied, but that’s not the kind of ruler I’ve chosen to be. While I don’t intend on telling them more than they need to know to feel at peace with the arrival of my mate, they still deserve my presence until I learn otherwise.

“Of course,” I say, taking my seat at the head of the table. “I apologize for not sending word sooner.”

Henree, sitting on my left, clears his throat. “Yes, Your Majesty. We were surprised Malimorte didn’t report anything to us and that he was unable to join us now.”

“He has an urgent family matter that I’ve encouraged him to deal with,” I explain, something Mali and I already discussed in private as his cover for being gone. As my primary advisor, it’s not often he’s missing from my side for these things like this.

“I see, Sire.” Henree adjusts the silver bowtie at his neck as his golden eyes glance across the table. “Isaac, will you get us started, then?”

Isaac, the second oldest member of my council, meets my stare. His dark-hazel eyes narrow ever so slightly before he begins to speak. “The people have voiced concerns about the rumors they’ve heard of Ms. Blackwood being here to reject you. How should we respond to this, my king?”

My blood boils on the inside from the reminder that I almost lost her a second time and what I was forced to do to prevent that. Still, I keep my expression controlled and I flatten my palms over my thighs beneath the table. “Princess Isla, as she should now be called, is not here for a rejection. We’re unsure at this time what happened to her before as her memories are not what they should be, but she is here to stay for now.”

“And that is information we’re allowed to share, Your Majesty?” Archie, the recorder and history expert of the group, asks. He peeks up at me, his salt-and-pepper hair falling across his gaze.

“Yes,” I say tersely. “The people have nothing to worry about where Isla is concerned. She’s adjusting and we will update when there’s something more to share.”

“Will she be the next queen, Sire?” Arthur asks next, a valid question, but unfortunately, one I can’t answer yet.

“This is my pack, my land, my people,” I say with authority. “I have given my life to them, doing everything needed to keep them well cared for, protected, and everything in between. If anyone wants to know anything more before we’re ready to share, perhaps remind them of the many centuries I have spent proving my loyalty and ask for their patience in return.”

“Yes, my king,” Arthur replies, but he doesn’t meet my steady gaze, letting me know my answer isn’t enough for them.