A Kiss of Shadow (Court of Starlight and Darkness #2)(46)

I sighed and relaxed into him, the exhaustion taking me.





17





Sia



* * *



There was no sunlight as I woke in the comfortable bed. The dark shadows in the room were comforting, until memories of last night washed into my mind.

Lore was no longer in bed behind me, and I lay still, trying to get my head around what had happened.

I still had no idea what had happened, but there was definitely something I wasn’t remembering. I’d been dirty when I’d woken on the floor of this room. I’d had a role in that explosion, no question about it.

And yet, there had been no one else there. I’d made sure of that before I’d crossed the meadow.

I had been alone.

The witch with the deathly magic hadn’t been anywhere near me, even though Lore was convinced it was her.

“Did you sleep well?” Lore’s voice cut through my distraction, and I opened my eyes fully, spotting him by the window.

“Yes.” I must have made a noise if he’d known I was awake. “You?”

“I did.”

He was lying. I could hear it in his voice. And yet, he hadn’t left me. Not until morning. I’d woken several times in the night to find him behind me, still holding me close. This morning was the first time I’d woken without his touch.

It left me bereft.

Stupid.

I forced myself out of bed. I had no time to be mooning over him. I needed all my brain cells to work out what had happened last night.

“There’s breakfast on the table.” He gestured to a piece of furniture in front of another window. It was obvious he wouldn’t mention last night, and I was grateful for it. I’d turned to him for comfort, but in the light of day, I wished I hadn’t.

I went to the table and sat, ignoring the dark clouds outside and pouring a cup of coffee from a silver decanter. Fragrant steam rose toward my face, and I inhaled deeply.

I would figure out what had happened last night, but first I needed coffee.

Lore’s gaze burned into me as I sipped and selected a pastry from the tray.

“What’s going to happen this morning?” I asked. “Have you had any news about the explosion?”

“No. All of the fae courts will be convening at the site of the disaster in an hour. We’ll discuss it then.”

I chewed, the food tasting like dust in my mouth. “Doesn’t anyone have any theories?”

“Besides our theory about the witch with the deathly magic, no. And I’ve never seen anything like it. An explosion with no source of the blast.”

“You mean no gasoline or equipment that could have blown up?”

“Precisely.”

“What about magic?” I chewed my lip. “Would that leave a trace?”

“Yes. But I found nothing. Still, the clouds have been so low. She must be here.”

I nodded, then heaved a sigh and stood. “I’m going to get dressed. Can we go down to the site early so I can see it?”

He nodded.

I found an outfit in the armoire suited to a day of exploration. True, I was getting married this evening. But before that, I’d be hunting for answers at the site of an explosion.

It didn’t take long to pull on the green trousers, tunic, and vest. I was starting to like the clothes of the fae. They were comfortable, but attractive.

Lore waited for me by the door, and we walked in silence through the castle and out onto the grounds.

I saw the wreckage as soon as we exited the building. It took my breath away. “Oh my God.”

He nodded, silent.

The blast zone was the size of several football fields. Part of the maze had even been taken out.

My parents.

Panic lanced me. Was their statue okay?

From my vantage point at the top of the castle steps, I could see most of the middle of the maze. Though I wasn’t sure exactly where the statues were located, I was almost certain they hadn’t been damaged.

I couldn’t bear to lose those statues as well as them. The feeling was ridiculous. It was just stone, after all. But it was my only connection with them, and I didn’t want to lose it.

I couldn’t be thinking of that right now, though. I needed to focus on the problem at hand.

The explosion.

In a daze, I walked toward it. The debris was scattered far and wide, an apocalypse of broken glass and shattered plant pots. Greenery was strewn everywhere.

“There had to be so many valuable plants here,” I murmured.

“There were.” Lore stayed close by my side. “Medicines and ingredients for potions. It’s an enormous loss.”

“What a tragedy.”

“No one was hurt, though.”

“Thank God.” I stopped at the edge of the worst of the rubble, staring at the massive pile with dismay.

Had I done this?

But how?

I’d woken up dirty with no memory of the last hour, but that didn’t necessarily mean I was the culprit.

I swallowed hard and tried to remember what had happened. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t remember anything beyond passing out.

Shit.

More fae began to arrive, and I realized that my time was up. It had flown by, and I still had no answers. When Meria and Eve stopped by my side, gratitude welled within me.