Page 84 of Black Hearted
Spinning around, I found her gripping the babies’ table for support, using it like a walker as she rolled closer to me.
Her eyes roamed over me, taking in the blood dripping from my finger and the cloth pressed to my head by Aribella.
“Are you okay?” she asked, her voice weak, her expression a mix of worry and heartbreak. Her eyes were red from the tears she’d already shed. I could see the pain of overhearing what had happened to her mother reflected in her gaze.
“Yes,” I assured her quickly. “Dawn, I’m sorry. I tried not to kill her, but she—”
She nodded before I could finish, relief washing over her features. Her eyes fell to the bassinets where our children slept peacefully. “They’re safe now. You did good,” she said. There was an unmistakable sadness in her tone, and it sent a crack through my own heart. She had just lost her mother, and she was affirming my decision. How was I worthy of such an amazing princess?
I hesitated, then asked, “Dawn, she said they ended the curse. You know your mother better than anyone. Do you think she was telling the truth?”
She frowned, uncertainty clouding her expression. “I wish I could tell you she was, but I’m not sure. I’m not sure of anything about my mother anymore.”
I nodded, though the lack of clarity did little to ease my mind.“She was wearing the necklace you told me about, but it cracked, and purple mist came out of it.”
All three women gasped in unison—Dawn, Isolde, and Aribella.
“What?” I asked, glancing between them.
Dawn stepped out from behind the table, her green eyes shimmering with unshed tears. But this time, they were tears of joy. “That’s never happened before. What else could it mean but that the curse was destroyed? Can you help me get to the city hospital? I want to check on Nysa. If the curse is gone, maybe she’ll finally be healed.”
I frowned, my gaze darting to the babies. Dawn was far too weak to walk that distance, and there was no way I could allow her to roll our newborns through town. It wasn’t safe.
“How about I check on Nysa and the others?” I offered. “If she’s awake, I’ll bring her here.”
Dawn’s lips pressed into a thin line, her stubbornness flaring briefly before she glanced down at the babies and sighed. “Only if you promise to get those injuries looked at while you’re there.”
I’d nearly forgotten the state I was in—bloodied and bruised.
Leaning down, I kissed her forehead, careful not to get any blood on her. “I promise.”
Her lips curved into a small smile. Although her eyes still glistened with tears, there was a flicker of hope in her expression that made my chest tighten.
I turned to leave, but Isolde’s voice stopped me. “Aribella, will you stay with Dawn and help her back to her room? I’ll go with Zander.”
“Of course,” Aribella replied, stepping to Dawn’s side and slipping her arm around her shoulders for support.
Isolde and I stepped outside, and the moment we did, she grabbed my arm, forcing me to face her. Her blue eyes glistened with unshed tears, and her grip on my arm was firm but trembling.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
She bit her lip, hesitating before speaking. “I just wonder … if Lorelei and Zane really did break the curse … at what cost?”
Her words struck like a blade, slicing through the fragile wall I’d built to contain my grief. A wave of anguish crashed over me, and Isolde gasped, her sharp eyes catching the truth—or at least some of it—in my expression.
“I don’t know,” I said, my voice tight with emotion. “But I fear to find out.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Lorelei
The scream that tore from my throat was barely recognizable. Zane stood with his back to me, facing what I could only assume was the Tree of Transformation at the bottom of the hill.
I yelled his name, but he didn’t turn.
Sprinting as fast as I could without tripping down the steep incline, I ran to him, my wrists and ankles bleeding from the strength it took to rip free of his bindings. My heart beat a furious cadence in my chest, ramming itself against my ribs. Terror gripped me—I was too late. He’d already drunk the potion.
As I neared, I saw Zane place his hand on the tree. A moment later, he sank to his knees.
