A Kiss of Shadow (Court of Starlight and Darkness #2)(54)

My head spun as I put it together. “We thought the clouds foretold the arrival of the witch. But perhaps they followed her, storing her magic so we wouldn’t suspect her.”

It made as much sense as anything. It was rare magic, but not unheard of.

But could she really have done that? Could I have been so enamored of her, so lost in my own desires, that I hadn’t noticed she was playing a game with me?

She’d attacked the greenhouse and the maze, two of the most important places at High Court Palace. The two most important, in fact. The greenhouse with its potion ingredients and the maze with its ancient magic. “She was striking at our arsenal and the symbolic source of our power.”

“That’s what the other fae believe.”

“Do you?”

Dain dragged a hand through his hair, his brow creased and his eyes dark. “I don’t want to. But her magic is unmistakable. She was the cause of both explosions.”

Had she really tricked me like this? Had I been so caught up in her that I hadn’t seen it coming?

Yes.

She’d been hiding things all along, asking me to trust her while lying through her teeth.

“I have to go see her.”

“It’s possible none of this is her fault,” Dain said.

I drew in a ragged breath. He was right. But the more I thought about it, the less likely it became. I was a fool.

I stood. “She’s in the prison?”

He nodded. “The high security cell.”

Of course. If she truly was the witch with the deathly magic, then her power was outrageously strong. The clouds themselves had been horrific. If they really contained her magic, and she’d claimed it once more, she wasn’t who I thought she was.

My heart thundered as I made my way to the prison. I passed several fae on the way, and though I could feel their pitying stares, I didn’t give a damn. I could only think of Sia.

The guards at the entry to the prison stepped in front of the door, barring my path.

“I will tear you limb from limb if you don’t allow me to pass.” My voice was so cold that I saw their hearts freeze.

They stepped aside.

I pushed through the door and descended the stairs to the prison. The high security cell was at the back. As I walked toward it, I heard Meria and Eve’s voices.

I turned to find them each staring back at me out of identical cell doors.

“She didn’t mean to do it,” Meria said.

“She had no idea,” Eve added. “It’s not her fault.”

“You’re good friends.” I shook my head. “And you may rot in here because of it.”

“You bastard,” Meria hissed.

“Most definitely.”

A bastard for having lost control again. I’d been sucked in by my desire for Sia, and the result was in front of me. More destruction because I’d lost control.

This was all my fault.

When I reached her cell door, her face appeared in the small window. Shadows hung heavy under her eyes, and I saw fear in their green depths. The sight of it made a beast rise inside me. I wanted to tear the door off its hinges and take her away from this horrible place.

The sight of her in distress, in prison, made me want to vomit.

Weak.

I was so damned weak to be falling for her ploy. She’d played me, but it was my fault for falling for it. I’d known better, and I’d still succumbed.

I stopped in front of the door and drew in a deep breath. The scent and feel of her magic washed over me. Just like Dain had said, it had changed. And it matched the signature at the bomb sites perfectly. A hole opened up in my soul, cavernous and deep.

“You’re an excellent actress,” I said.

“I’m not!” She gripped the bars in the window. “Please, believe me, Lore. I had no idea what was going to happen.”

I shook my head, still disgusted with myself. “You asked me to trust you, and though I had my doubts, I did.”

“That has nothing to do with this!”

I’d known she was hiding something, but I’d wanted her so much that I’d ignored my misgivings. She’d clouded my mind, and that was my fault. My weakness.

“What about your ears? All along, you lied about them. Do you deny it?”

“I—” She swallowed hard. “I had to, I didn’t…” She looked at me, a pleading expression on her face. “Please believe me.”

I wasn’t surprised to hear her admit it. Nothing about her could surprise me now. “I was a fool to have ever believed you.”

“You weren’t! I never misled you about this.”

“Of course you did. Your ears are proof of that.” For centuries, I’d kept control of myself and my kingdom. As soon as she’d arrived, it had all started to unravel. I’d agreed to a partnership with her, and it had all somehow gone so wrong.

“Your magic feels exactly like the magic that was all over the greenhouse. You can’t deny it.”

She shook her head. “I can’t, but I didn’t mean to do it.”

“You didn’t mean to?” I laughed bitterly. “A worthless excuse. And I’m the one who brought you here, because I’m a fool.” I was angrier with myself than with her, and that was what burned the most. “I wanted to believe you. I wanted you. And that was my mistake.”