Page 71 of The Fae King's Labyrinth

“How was Father?” Oran asked. “Did he appear to be trying to keep you occupied?”

I snorted. “He threw me out.”

Oran nodded as though he’d suspected as much. “So they weren’t conspiring together.”

“You sound disappointed,” Calypso observed.

My brother offered her a rueful smile. “Father committing treason would make some aspects of my life much less difficult.”

Calypso frowned as she studied him and then me. “Are all fae families this cold?”

My eyebrows rose. She had a lot of gall. “At least our parents didn’t disown us for not fulfilling their expectations.”

Calypso flinched. She lowered her face and took a step back. She tried to tug her hand away, but I refused to let go.

Why had I said that? I studied her, but she refused to meet my gaze. The throbbing in my head increased.

“Az?” Oran glared at me. “That was uncalled for.” He turned to Calypso. “My apologies for my brother. He has been known to speak without thought at times.”

“I am sorry, Callie,” I whispered. Releasing her hand, I rubbed my forehead, massaging the pain growing there. “I shouldn’t have.”

She nodded as she stepped away from me, folding her arms around herself and turning her face away.

I watched helplessly, pain pounding beneath my breastbone and a throbbing beginning in my temples. To make matters worse, the vine around my left arm throbbed, making it impossible to ignore the fact I had hurt her. Everything in me wanted to reach out and offer comfort, but how could I when I was the one who had inflicted the verbal wound in the first place?

“The issue still remains,” Oran declared, pulling me from my inner turmoil. “What do you want me to do with Mother?”

“I need to speak to her.” My thoughts were sluggish.

Oran grimaced. “Easier said than done.” He stared over his shoulder at the slightly moving spell cloud over the island. “What do you need to know?”

“How far does her betrayal go?” My chest ached strangely. “What does she want? Does she have allies? Has she attempted something like this before?” I regarded my brother. “How does the law demand I punish her?”

“Are you certain you’re up for this right now?”

I turned toward Calypso’s voice. She stood next to me, close enough that I could smell her subtle scent. I wanted to reach out and pull her close again. “It’s just pain,” I replied. “A headache. Probably from not resting enough.”

The pucker of her drawn brows barely registered before I had to close my eyes again because the light hurt. “How can I help?”

“We can do this later.” Oran’s voice moved closer. “Mother won’t be aware of the passage of time until I release the spell.”

Calypso’s cool fingers interlaced with mine. Instantly, the throbbing behind my eyes eased. “Perhaps if he rested. The past weeks have been difficult for both of us.”

“I can only imagine,” Oran replied, amusement tinging his voice. “Come. Follow me.”

I let my wife guide me as we walked back toward the palace. She expertly warned me of obstacles while somehow still keeping up a witty dialogue with my brother. Meanwhile, I struggled not to trip over my own feet.

Finally, Calypso tugged my arm, pulling me to a halt.

“Rest well,” Oran said. “I will inform Ghost where you are. No one will disturb you for an hour or two.”

The sound of a door closing signaled that he had left.

“Sit,” Calypso commanded as she pushed me backward.

My legs hit the soft edge of a bed and I collapsed onto it. Letting out a relieved sigh, I stopped fighting the exhaustion. My last memory was the feeling of Calypso tugging off my shoes.

Eighteen

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