Page 41 of Black Hearted
Right. As far as they knew, I was still the enemy. “In that case, I appreciate your discretion.”
“Hmm,” was all she said, giving me a look that seemed to mean I’d better be worthy of her trust.
As I stood before her large oak desk, her gaze dropped from my face and settled on Isolde’s dagger and the faestones from Dawn’s and Aribella’s daggers.
“Please tell me you did not kill the princesses for these,” she said, her voice shaky.
I frowned. “What? No. The princesses are now my sisters-in-law. I would never.”
At that, her wide-eyed gaze snapped back up to meet mine. “So it’s true, then? Mates?”
I nodded. “Dawn married my brother Zander first. Then Aribella married Stryker, and Isolde has just wed my brother Adrien.”
The queen looked genuinely mystified. “So they’re all safe and … married in your world?”
I nodded again. “They are. Though my realm is also under the curse, and they worry about you here.”
She looked down at her hands, silent for a long time before finally meeting my gaze again.
“Are you telling me that my daughter Lorelei is your … mate?”
I swallowed hard. “I think so, yes.”
I’d waited so long for my mate—my wife. Father used to tell usstories of what it was like to meet your mate, to kiss them for the first time. I longed for those magical feelings, and I thought that, in a way, I had already felt them a little myself. But in the dream, when I had met Lorelei, the pull that she had on me felt too distant because the memories were hazy. I was also realistic enough to know that things needed to unfold somewhat naturally.
I had no idea how Lorelei felt about us being mates or if she even believed it. She’d only read about the concept in Isolde’s letter to her. At some point, each of my brothers and their wives had denied their mate bonds existed before finally embracing the truth.
I’d had more time than Lorelei to learn about and accept the idea of mates, so the last thing I wanted to do was pressure her. That would only push her away. If she needed time, I would give it to her, no matter how hard it might be for me.
“And what’s all this?” Queen Gloriana gestured to the items on her desk.
“Part of what I need to bring to Lorelei to help her end the curse.”
The queen perked up at that. “So you have a plan to end the curse?”
“One that doesn’t involve my heart, yes. But first, I need to save Lorelei from Queen Liliana.”
I then told her about the dreams Lorelei had visited me in and where she thought she was: the Turtle Mountains.
“The Turtle Mountains,” the queen mused, standing suddenly.
I nodded. “She said she was east of them somewhere. I’d like to leave immediately to look for her, but Nellie just confessed to me that she doesn’t actually have an aunt here. Apparently, she only told me that to get me to bring her here with me.”
The queen appeared deep in thought, as if working through a hundred different scenarios in her mind.
“Could Nellie stay here while I go look for Lorelei?” I asked. “I’ve left her what little coin I have—”
“Yes, of course she can,” she said, waving me off. “Thalion will stay back and look after the children. I have three other daughters besides Lorelei. You and I, along with my royal soldiers, will leave at first light. I must go now and prepare.”
She gestured to her desk and the items the guards had taken from me. “You can have this back.”
I noticed her hand was shaking, and her eyes welling with tears. Reaching out, I gently grasped her fingers.
“Queen Gloriana, I vow to bring your daughter to safety.”
I met her gaze, and she seemed to relax a little.
“Please, call me Glori. There’s no need to be so formal. Not if what you are telling me about you and my daughter is true.”
