Page 75 of Broken Hearted
There’s no way I was going to be able to play along for very much longer. Because I knew next time Elisana would expect me to take her in my arms and kiss her passionately, and I wouldn’t be able to, even to save myself.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Isolde
Islept fitfully that night, tossing and turning beside my little sister as she snoozed peacefully. Whatever tincture they had given her for the pain had worked very well and I was grateful. But my mind was a jumbled mess.
Would this Rowena woman come? Would she agree to help us? Was my mate sleeping next to Elisana right now?
By the time the morning light bled through the cracked open curtains I’d barely gotten a few hours’ rest. After checking on Sera and leaving her in the capable hands of her nurse, I went down to have breakfast.
Dawn was already there with a full plate of sausages, boiled eggs, and some delicious, glazed pastry with fruit filling.
“Someone’s hungry,” I teased.
Dawn grinned. “This is my second plate.”
I shook my head. “Do we know how many you are carrying? Because no offense, but that belly is too big for one.”
She laughed. “The midwife used a stethoscope last night to hear the heartbeats …”
She let that word linger in the air. Heartbeats. Plural.
“And?” I sat before her in rapt attention.
She lowered her voice. “At least three.”
My jaw unhinged. “You poor woman.”
Dawn’s bright chuckle filled the room and she just beamed at me. “Oh, Isolde, I’ve missed you and that dark sense of humor.” She leaned forward and hugged me, holding me for longer than normal.
Best friends know when something is wrong, and without words she was telling me she knew how much leaving Adrien must have distressed me.
“It will be okay,” she whispered before releasing me.
I nodded, thankful for her comfort. “You have to name one of them after me, their future favorite aunt,” I teased.
She smiled softly. “A royal having all girls is common in Faerie, but here they have all boys, so …”
Oh. That was interesting. A direct opposite. I knew we sometimes referred to Ethereum as the mirror world, but I didn’t think the differences between realms would extend to something like this.
“Well—”
There was a knock at the open door to the dining hall. I turned to see Zander standing there. “Rowena is here.”
My eyebrows lifted. That was faster than I’d thought. Zane sent his men for her just last night. At best, I didn’t expect them to be back until later in the day, but I was glad to be wrong.
Dawn went to stand, and Zander moved across the room to stopher. “My love, please, if you care about the health of my heart, stay in here while the blood witch is present.”
Dawn frowned, looking annoyed, but I thought it was really sweet.
“Are you going to stay with me?” She put a hand on her hip in defiance.
He nodded. “Sure. If you want me to.”
She looked surprised at that, but then Zane stepped up behind his brother and Zander turned to him. “Can you handle the witch with Isolde alone?” he asked.
Zane nodded confidently.
