Page 125 of When Wishes Bleed

Tauren had a brief conversation with someone and then closed the door. “Would you care to dine in here tonight?”

“Of course.”

He walked to the window and looked out, his eyes locking on the flags. He stared at them for several long moments, his hands folded behind his back. “I’m afraid I have nothing planned for us.”

“Tauren, you and I don’t need fanfare or constant entertainment. We just need one another.”

He swallowed thickly, then nodded several times, pursing his lips tightly together.

There were no words to express how sorry I was, how I wished I could have saved his father, or how I wanted so badly to ease his pain. But I wouldn’t take even an ounce of grief away from him, because I knew more than most how he needed to feel his way through and emerge from it stronger and more resilient. If I took his feelings away, he wouldn’t be Tauren.

We had to process death with emotion, and experiencing death, and mourning the loss of someone you loved, was not only inevitable for all of us, it was something that transformed us into a stronger version of ourselves. Tauren would be stronger in time, I reminded myself.

For now, I would be strong for him.

Later that evening, someone knocked on Tauren’s door to wake him for dinner. He groggily rose and stumbled to the door on leaden feet, offering a soft Thank you. I sat up on the bed as he walked back across the room and sat beside me. His eyes were heavy-lidded and dark circles ringed underneath. “Thank you for staying with me.”

Instead of telling him ‘you’re welcome,’ I took his hand in mine, brushing my thumb over the back of it. I wanted to be here with him. “I was about to come anyway,” I confessed. “Before Courier Stewart arrived, I had already decided I was going to show up uninvited.”

“I invited you. Remember?” He tried to smile. “The invitation was never rescinded.”

“So I can just waltz back in here whenever I’d like?”

“Yes, and I hope you do so often.” He watched my thumb move back and forth in lazy circles. “Your things are still in your room. I started to have them sent to you a dozen times, but never did.”

“You’ve had a lot on your mind.”

“It wasn’t that,” he admitted. “I just kept thinking if I left them there, you might come back for them. Selfishly, I wanted to see you.”

My heart cracked. “I thought about leaving you a token, spelling something so you could use it to reach me if you needed to.”

“I wish you had,” he said, his voice breaking. “How am I supposed to get through this day?”

“One minute at a time,” I answered.

He nodded and wiped a tear from his cheek. “It just might be possible with you here.”

The crack in the wall around my heart widened.

Folded neatly in my trunk was a dress I’d never seen before, but the moment I saw it, I knew Mira had made it. She either knew I’d come back here for him to mourn his father, or had spirited it here. I wasn’t sure which.

I brushed my teeth and showered quickly, towel-drying my hair before combing it and twisting it into a bun at the nape of my neck. The dress’s fabric felt like silk, but slightly thicker, with a pebbled surface. It fastened at the back of my neck, was sleeveless and fitted at the top, and flared slightly from the waist. The dress was black until it hit my knee, where it bled into the Kingdom’s signature dark teal. Lying in the trunk beneath the dress were matching teal heels and the box containing the necklace Tauren had given me.

I slid the heels on and secured the necklace, skipping the makeup still arranged on the bathroom counter, then walked back to Tauren’s room. I knocked twice and waited until he eased the door open.

He stepped out, locked his room, and slid the key into his pocket, offering me his arm. Ever the gentleman, and not because it was proper, but because he was just a good man. We met his mother, Knox, and Leah at the bottom of the staircase.

Annalina wore a simple black dress with a matching sheer veil draped over her head beneath her golden crown. Knox was dressed in a crisp black suit and Leah wore a simple black pencil dress. The couple held hands and stood closely together. The Queen handed Tauren his father’s thicker, matching crown. “Would you place it on his casket?” she asked.

Tauren nodded, accepting the golden circlet. Knox pulled away from Leah and threw an arm around Tauren’s shoulders and tugged their mother close, the three sharing a hug before taking a moment to compose themselves.

It was time for the service to begin.

Guards pulled the main doors open when the Queen gave a nod. When they parted, it looked like the entire Kingdom sat on the lawn outside. The rows of chairs situated on the grass were filled, but mourners flooded the palace lawn in every direction as far as I could see. Dressed in black, those who had been sitting stood to honor the Queen and Princes.

Lucius’s teal casket sat on a golden stand at the bottom of the stairs with a spray of roses in every color arranged on the glossy wood. I could smell Ivy’s magic mixing with their floral scent.

Tauren escorted his mother as Knox ushered Leah and me down the steps. The Queen paused at her husband’s casket, taking mine and Leah’s hands as Tauren and Knox stepped forward. Tauren placed Lucius’s crown on top of the floral spray.

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