Savage Beauty(48)

That’s what he thinks, I inwardly scoffed. That was the first thing I did when I took her as my own, in case Aura caught her somehow, although I was wary enough not to share that little tidbit. Ember could retrieve the rose and return it to me. It was the perfect plan. She was small and nimble, fast as lightning. She could slip into the garden and back out before anyone even knew she was there. And if the toxin sprayed her, she might get sick, but she wouldn’t die.

I gasped. Maybe I could do the same with Phillip! If it worked, it would stop the toxin from further poisoning his body. “Can I bind my life with Phillip’s?” I asked hurriedly.

“A human cannot be bound to a fae,” Malex said pointedly. But the message was loud and clear. If Phillip became fae, it would be possible to bind our life forces and save him. Assuming that killing my sister didn’t remove the toxin from his body. Maybe we needed a plan B, though...

“I hope you have a backup plan, Luna,” Malex added, seeming to read my thoughts. “If the toxin harms your familiar, she might fail you. I would get it for you,” Malex said, “but I can’t.”

“Why can’t you?”

“I can’t cross into Virosa. When you sprinkled the binding dust to hold Aura in the palace yard, that dust bound all fae from crossing it.”

“But I’m fae and I can cross it,” I quickly argued.

He grinned and continued, “Except for the one who did the binding. You’re the only fae who can get into the yard and into the palace now.”

Damn it.

Magic always demanded too steep a price.

I looked at Phillip. He seemed fine now, but I knew what darkness was spreading through his body.

“It’s almost dawn, and I need to go,” Malex said abruptly. “Phillip seems to be feeling fine, so don’t worry about him when you sleep. Hopefully, I’ll see you three tonight at the cave,” he said, petting Ember on the head. She rewarded him with an angry hiss and stalked into my bedroom.

We would definitely be there. Ember would retrieve the rose and meet us back at the house. Even if she got sick from doing so, she’d bring it back. She wouldn’t let me down. Not now, when we were so close to being free.

Once Malex strode out the door, Phillip and I stared at each other, silent words tumbling in the air between us.

“I need to get cleaned up,” I finally said. As I started toward the bedroom to get a change of clothes, my feet stalled when I noticed Phillip looking at me in the strangest way. “Are you okay? Did you and Malex get along?”

Did he tell him about his blood? I wondered.

“It was fine. We talked about you, mostly.”

My face heated. “I’m not sure I want to know what you were saying.”

He just grinned and my heart broke. It confirmed the resolve in my heart that I didn’t want to live a single day without seeing his smile. Fighting the thick knot in my throat, I told him, “I’ll be right back.” Walking stiffly to my room, I grabbed a dress and underclothes and went outside to wash up.



The sun was about to lodge itself between the eastern mountains. I’d scrubbed the blood from my hair, skin, and clothes, and was walking back to the house when I saw Pieces perched on the sill. “What do you want?” I asked crossly. “Aura will be awake any moment, and she already has a better spy than you’ll ever be.”

Pieces squawked and then took to the air, dropping a single petal from her beak before flying toward Virosa.

“I need a whole rose, not part of one, you blasted bird!”

I hated Aura.

She thought this was funny.

I hated to ask my familiar, because more than likely, she would be sickened from the toxin, but it was the only way. “Ember?” My heart dropped as she came to me. “I need a favor, but please know I would never ask you if I didn’t need it so badly.”

A tear fell from my eye when she rubbed her face in my palm, ready to do whatever I asked without hesitation. “I need you to bring me one of Aura’s roses.” I picked her up and held her to my chest. She knew that if there was any other way to accomplish this task, I wouldn’t send her. There was an unavoidable chance Aura would see her and capture her. I couldn’t go, Malex couldn’t retrieve it, and Phillip was sick; although I wouldn’t risk Aura getting her hands on Phillip, even if he was perfectly well.

Of all of us, Ember had the best chance of getting in and out of the garden without Aura knowing. Now, if I could only find a way to keep Pieces busy...

I called for a fox, stroking Ember’s fur. The fox came and laid down beside me. “Keep the bird of Virosa, the dove they call Peace, busy for a time.”

He nodded and leapt away.

This could work.

Phillip saw me petting my familiar and took her from my arms. “Are you okay?” he asked. “You seem out of sorts.”

“I’m tired,” I said. It wasn’t a lie. The sun was almost up and I was tired. Tired of fighting so hard, tired of sacrificing, tired of feeling hopeless and helpless.

More than that, I was terrified that when I woke up, Phillip would already be dead.

He helped me to the bedroom and darkness fell over my vision. I could feel his lips on mine. “Goodbye, Luna,” I thought he said.

Inwardly, I clawed for him, screaming for him not to leave me yet.