Page 102 of When Wishes Bleed

“Daughter of Fate, you are bound to the soil, and there will remain until I no longer draw breath,” she said.

No, they did this to my mother. Not me.

Not me!

Soil in my mouth.

It crushes me.

They buried me…

I can’t breathe.

The sound of splintering wood woke me. Brecan fell into my room just as I sat up, desperate for air. I clutched my chest and crawled to the edge of my bed. Strands of saliva fell from my mouth as I retched. Brecan grabbed a nearby garbage can and positioned it under me, scooping my hair away from my face and holding it back.

“Talk to me, Sable.”

But I couldn’t. The taste of earth still coated my tongue.

I coughed, and clumps of dark soil erupted from my mouth.

“What’s happening?” he breathed.

I gagged and coughed until nothing else came out. “I’m okay,” I finally croaked.

He ran to the bathroom to retrieve a damp cloth as Mira cautiously entered the room. “What happened to your door?” she asked as Brecan returned.

“I broke it down to get inside,” he answered. He handed me the towel, but my hands were shaking so violently, I couldn’t get them to work.

Brecan took the towel from me and cleaned my face. “Why were you vomiting dirt?” he asked gently as he wiped beneath my eyes.

“I dreamed I was her. Cyril.”

Mira clapped her hands over her mouth. “Buried alive?”

I nodded.

Brecan looked at the pile of earth in the trash can and back at me. “How?”

“I don’t know.” I took a moment to draw in as much air as I could, settling myself.

“Your mother did this,” Brecan growled. “She or that devil, the Son of Night.”

“What time is it?”

“An hour before the tea party,” Mira answered shakily. “You need to get ready, Sable. I’m so sorry you don’t have more time to compose yourself.” Mira shifted her weight on her feet, worrying her hands.

“I need a shower. I need to rinse the dirt out of my mouth, and…” I raised a strand of damp hair. “It’s even in my hair.”

Mira gave us a worried look before helping me off the bed and into the washroom.

23

The tea party took place in a small sitting room with walls the color of blushing primroses. A round table sat in the center of the room, topped with a white cloth and surrounded by elegant, matching chairs with long, silk ribbons tied around the backs. Tauren was seated at the far side, and a guard stood in each corner of the room. The soldiers were so still, they nearly faded into the décor. If they’d been wearing pink, they would have.

Rose sat to the left of the Prince in a rather revealing, dusty pink day dress. Leah sat to his right, and Knox sat beside her. Estelle sat next to Knox, and the only empty seat put me between Estelle and Rose – almost as far away from Tauren as possible, I noted.

Well played, Rose.

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