What Lurks Between the Fates (Of Flesh & Bone, #3)(88)
“What do you want from us?” I asked, glancing to where Fallon looked as if she might be sick. I had no doubt she already knew of Mab’s plans, but I would do anything within my power to see her safely protected from harm.
She wasn’t helpless, but she was far too sweet to be broken. Far too kind to suffer the worst of Mab.
“I only have the energy to invest my time into one of you. You will determine which of you remains here with me,” Mab said, waving a hand as if it was inconsequential.
I glanced toward Fallon hopefully, knowing that if it was the opportunity to free her from Mab, then we would take it.
“Will the one who does not stay go free?” I asked, feeling the catch in Mab’s conditions. Something didn’t add up, and I could only picture the dungeon calling my name all over again.
“Of course not,” Mab said with a cruel laugh. “Etan is in need of a wife, and he is owed one for the loyalty he has shown me during my brother’s reign as king. Whoever does not remain with me shall be betrothed to him and return to the Summer Court with him after the Solstice.”
My ears rang, the sound of water rushing through them as I tried to understand her words. “I have a mate,” I said, turning a cautious glance toward Etan. He shifted, as if the idea of taking another man’s mate made him uncomfortable as well.
“It is adorable that you think I care about such trivialities. Political marriages happen all the time. Caldris will learn to share you and remember his place,” Mab said, dismissing the thought of it being an issue.
I gave her a small smile. “I somehow doubt that,” I said with a scoff, thinking of all the people Caldris would kill to reach me when he found out. But I couldn’t leave Fallon to that fate. Turning my head, I found her face twisted with sadness.
“It’s okay, Estrella,” she said, her eyes filling with water. I knew she would make the sacrifice, that she would give herself to save me from the agony of being taken from Caldris.
I shook my head, pursing my lips to fight back the sting of tears. I couldn’t do it. Couldn’t condemn her to a marriage to a man she didn’t love. That had always been my destiny. I had been prepared to survive it—when she hadn’t.
“Whoever displays the magic I wish to see first will stay here with me,” Mab said, interrupting the moment.
“And if neither of us do?” I asked, prepared to simply refuse to make the choice. If I didn’t summon my magic…
“Then I’ll marry the other one of you off to one of my other allies. Perhaps a far crueler one than Etan. I have done you a kindness in selecting him. He is not a cruel man and will not be a cruel husband. He is distant but will see that your needs are met. I would tolerate nothing less for my daughter,” Mab said, turning to Fallon with a knowing stare. “Even if she does not obey me.”
Mab knew without a doubt that Fallon would be the one she sent to this marriage, that I would remain behind. She knew and was willing to sacrifice her own daughter to force my hand.
Fallon stepped forward, standing between Mab and me as she took my hands in hers. She ran her thumb over the circle on the back of my hand, stroking the Fae mark there delicately, as if she could summon my bond to the surface. Her palm touched the white teardrop of our blood vow, sending a rush of magic through my hand.
“It’s okay,” she said, her hand trailing up the white marks on my forearm. A trail of warmth followed, as if our connection and bond could bring forth the magic I’d suppressed.
I shook my head again. “I can’t,” I protested.
“You can,” she said, touching her forehead to mine. She leaned forward, her eyes spearing mine as my lip trembled. “It is you. It’s the most terrifying part of you, but it’s also the most beautiful. All you have to do is let it out.”
“It’s not that simple,” I said, resisting the urge to look at Mab.
Fallon took my hand, turning me away from her and guiding me out of the throne room. I was vaguely aware of Mab and Etan following behind us, of the fact that Mab allowed us to make our way outside the palace of Tar Mesa.
“She cannot use you for evil if you do not allow it. Knowledge is power, but do you really think anything she does is stronger than you?” Fallon asked, her voice a low murmur. “You have lived in fear of what you are. You have suffered the pain of suppressing yourself to protect the world. When will you learn that you are not our destruction, Estrella? You are our savior.”
My knees buckled beneath me as we stepped outside, the moons shining high in the sky above us. Fallon stepped back with a nod, releasing my hands as I turned my stare down at them.
“I’m not strong enough for this.”
“Then lean on the people who love you. Take what you need from us,” she said, raising a hand. The golden thread I recognized as our bond thrummed between us, glowing steadily as I opened my eyes to that part of me once again.
I nodded, letting my eyes drift closed as I drew a deep breath in. Air filled my lungs, the scent of the night sky becoming part of me as I tried to sink into that hollow—into the place of rage where I’d gone when the boy had died in Blackwater.
It didn’t feel cold this time. Instead, I was filled with the warmth of Fallon’s words and the promises I hoped she had the opportunity to keep. I sank into it, gasping as the warmth surrounded me, and threw my eyes open to stare up at the sky. The golden threads hung from the moon, dangling from the stars as I looked up at them. I turned my head to the side as I studied them, looking up at the moons and remembering the prophecy of the two moons that had been whispered in my ear.