Page 26 of When Wishes Bleed

I pinched my lower lip, unsure of what to say.

“Is he why you won’t hand-fast to me?” he asked bluntly.

I crossed my arms over my chest. “No. He’s not.”

Brecan made a noise to indicate he didn’t believe me, then turned on his heel and left the room, letting the door snap closed behind him.

8

The note was simple, written in Tauren’s hand. It instructed me to look under my pillow. There, I found another box. This one was larger than the one he sent to my house. I untied the black silken ribbon and lifted the lid to find a necklace nestled inside.

The word necklace didn’t do it justice. This was a silver and black work of art. Two knocks came at my door before Mira pushed her way in, her arms full of gowns. She gasped as she peered around at the décor and then looked at my hands. “What is that?” she asked, her eyes lighting up. “Please tell me it’s jewelry.”

“It’s jewelry,” I deadpanned.

Mira squealed as she rushed toward me, throwing the gowns on the bed and grabbing the box from my hands. “It’s exquisite.”

A few of the gowns slid to the floor. I gathered them while she held the onyx gems up to the light.

It really was exquisite. And far too much. “Of course, I can’t accept it.”

Her mouth fell open. “You most certainly can. You are one of the invitees, a potential wife of Prince Tauren.”

“I can’t marry him.”

“He doesn’t know that yet, does he?”

I wasn’t sure how to answer. I thought I’d made it clear that my acceptance of his invitation would be purely for the purpose of helping him determine who wanted him dead. But this necklace was too much. A gift like this was ridiculous.

“He probably gave one to every invitee,” I hedged. Mira was too transfixed by the facets cut into the stone to push the issue further.

Fate had been oddly quiet. I called out for him in my mind. Guide me to the one who’s trying to hurt Tauren so I can go back home, please.

I felt hollow. Fate, it seemed, wasn’t ready to reveal the culprit. Perhaps they weren’t in the palace… How long would I have to stay here?

“You can’t refuse the Prince’s gift,” Mira said with finality, shoving the necklace toward me. “That necklace was meant to be yours.”

It is pretty… I looped it around my forearm while she prattled on, hanging the dresses on a rack set up in the corner and chattering about how amazing the palace was.

Mira wondered if her sisters had seen her on the telecast as we arrived, or if they might later tonight. “Bay is going to let them watch nonstop while we’re here! He has high hopes that your presence and participation will show the sectors how vital witches are to the Kingdom; that we are more than just conjurers and potion makers.”

“How am I supposed to convince the people in the sectors that witches are good for it, when I don’t even fit in among them? I’m afraid his faith in me might be misplaced.” My grandmother’s words had taken root in me, and I wanted to pluck them and leave them in the sun to wilt.

“What do you mean you don’t fit in?” she asked, her hand stilling on a garment. “You’re the one we all look up to.”

I shook my head. “That’s absurd. The Circle hates me.”

“Ela does, though I’m not sure why…” she trailed off. I knew she was thinking about our bloodline and how easily Ela had come to hate my mother, and by extension, me. “The others don’t hate you, they just don’t understand your magic. And things we don’t understand are scary. Right?”

“Sometimes,” I admitted.

“I look up to you, and I’m not the only one, just so you know,” she admitted. “Because I’m different, too. That’s why Bay sent me to help you.”

My brows kissed. “You’re different in what way?”

She smiled and ticked her head toward the selection of gowns. “How do you think I made all of these for you so fast?”

“Wait – you made them? For me?”

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