Page 71 of When Wishes Bleed

What was strange was that Rose was literally sandwiched between two Nautilus brothers, yet only one of them paid her attention. The love potion should draw any male to her, but Knox... Knox seemed immune. Brecan had been watching, too.

“An Elevated witch made that potion,” he surmised.

I nodded in agreement. “But whom?”

He shrugged. “A few had tables set up along the periphery that evening, if she’s being honest about purchasing it then.”

Most of the witches in The Gallows who bothered to sell potions during our celebrations charged a mint for them. They were easy to make. Even the least gifted among us could make a basic love potion, and those attracted anyone within a fifty-foot radius. The whole party should be fawning over her; the women telling her how pretty she was and how they wished they could be her, and the men falling over one another to do favors for her. But this potion was specifically concocted for Tauren alone, and a spell that concentrated reeked of an Elevated witch.

Once the play concluded, the King and Queen stood, escorted by several guards as they took the rough steps to the soil above us. The Queen’s eyes darted to mine as she passed our row, holding them until she stepped above us. The last of her residue evaporated, but I felt the warning she’d meant to transfer. She wanted me to hurry up. She wanted me to leave her son alone…and then leave the palace.

How did the Queen of Nautilus know how the residue worked? Did my mother teach her?

Knox jogged up the steps next, then came Tauren and Rose. Her arm twisted around his like a vine. She held her shoulders back and her head high, Rose posing like the queen she wanted so desperately to one day be.

Once the royal guards surrounded their charges, we were free to leave. Sector by sector, people filed out of the amphitheater. We were the last to leave. The players busied themselves behind and on stage, disassembling the scenery and taking down the curtain. They loaded everything into hand carts and rushed away, leaving the stage barren.

For a moment, I saw the stage in a different light. Cracks running through the smooth surface, filled with weeds and crushed bits of leaves. Creeping vines covering half of it, threatening to swallow it whole. The place was forgotten.

Fate was upset. He squeezed my middle until I stood from the discomfort. “We should get back,” I said to cover up why I’d risen so abruptly.

Brecan’s eyes glowed brightly in the moonlight, like amethyst. Mira yawned and stretched her arms out wide. “I’m tired.”

“Did you stay up late last night?” I asked as we ascended onto the soil.

“I had to make a few things for you,” she replied.

“Hopefully, this will all be over with soon and you’ll be able to rest, Mira. I appreciate all you’ve done to help me.”

She inclined her head. “Don’t apologize. It’s been the best experience of my life.”

As we walked to our rooms, the cries of those who weren’t invited to remain spilled into the hallways and down the staircase. Mira unlocked her door and said goodnight. Brecan waited in the hall until I’d unlocked mine. He lingered, twisting his key in his hand. “What is it?”

“If you need anything, if Fate tells you Tauren needs you, I want you to wake me.”

I opened my mouth to agree, but he strode across the hall and put a finger to my lips.

“I know you don’t want to hear this, but I need to say it. So, please, allow me to get this off my chest.” He closed his eyes and then opened them again. “I know you have feelings for Tauren. I recognize it, because I feel the same for you. And I know that you’re trying your best to keep him safe, but I want to keep you safe. If something happened to you –” His voice shattered.

I clasped his hand for a moment, squeezing it. “I’ll wake you,” I rasped.

He pursed his lips, then asked, “Swear it?”

“I swear. If there is danger, I’ll come to you.”

He nodded, satisfied with the vow I’d made. I felt like a cockroach, scuttling away from the light that was the truth, terrified to be caught even for a second in the open honesty of a lie. The moment he went into his room, I planned to change and sneak out to see if Tauren remembered that he’d asked to see me, or if Rose’s potion was still affecting him.

I hoped it wasn’t affecting him too much.

Brecan tipped his chin toward my room. “Good night, Sable.”

“Good night.”

I slipped inside and locked the door behind me, taking a deep breath. The shoes were the first things I shed. I liked them. They were beautiful. They were also hard to walk in on grass, and my ankles throbbed.

Instead of skinny jeans and the ridiculous numbered t-shirt, I gently pulled my gown over my head and laid it at the bottom of the bed, then fished one of my dresses out of my trunk. The familiar, worn velvet settled over me like a comfortable blanket. I unclasped the necklace Tauren had given me and laid it next to the gown. My stomach growled. No wonder. I hadn’t eaten a bite since midday.

Leaving my gloves on, I slipped out my door and quickly locked it, heading downstairs. My footsteps didn’t make a sound on the cold, marble floors. Guards stood at each door leading to and from the palace, but their numbers had increased since dinner. Had Tauren told his father about the attempted poisoning?

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