Page 44 of Deliverance

“You can’t.” All of the fight leaves his body. “The only way to break a bond is to kill one of the bonded.”

That must be why Alaric became so frenzied when Rex mentioned dissolving our bond—the king was threatening my life. Like the uneducated human I am, I was completely clueless, assuming he was discussing something like the divorces we have back in the human realm. An icy chill moves through my veins, draining all my hopes of living a new life here with Alaric. How can such a perfect, beautiful place be run by someone so cruel?

“King Rex wants to kill me?” Voice small and tentative, I know my emotions are seeping into my words, but I can’t seem to break from my low mood.

Hearing the pain in my voice Blaise pushes away from the wall and turns to face me, sitting in the doorway with a frown. “He won’t. It would risk killing Alaric too, and he won’t chance that.” His promise doesn’t reassure me like I’m sure he thinks it will, not after the way the two of them fought earlier. Clearing his throat, Blaise flashes me a smile, but it doesn’t quite hit the mark. “Plus, he thinks you can help us.”

Something twinges in my mind, and I remember how the meeting ended and the reason for the sudden change in the king’s attitude towards me—butterflies. Blaise told the king I summoned them, making him realise I was worth more to him alive.

“The comment about the butterflies… What was that about, and why did Alaric look so resigned that it was brought up?”

Blaise sighs, rubbing a hand over his beard. “I will have to tell you a little about our history for you to understand. When the goddess of sunlight created the Seelie, she imbued her light and love into them, their beauty reflecting the good in their souls. The moon god was jealous of her creation so he made his own fae—the Unseelie. When he made them, they were filled with his jealousy, but mostly, the two courts lived in peace. Eventually, though, the jealousy and envy in their hearts rotted their souls, and they became twisted and evil. They attacked the SeelieCourt, and a war started between the two of them. Humans were dragged into the conflict, and many were slaughtered. The gods were horrified by the destruction, and they cursed the Unseelie to punish them and keep them apart from the Seelie and helpless humans.”

I am completely engrossed in his story. Of course, I have never heard anything like this, but if their gods do exist, then it makes sense. The Unseelie were cursed bysomeone, so why couldn’t that be their gods? Who am I to say what does and does not exist?

“The Unseelie have their curse, and we have a promise,” he continues, his eyes gleaming with something as he focuses on me. “A promise that a being of great power will come to us and will wipe out the Unseelie for good. We would no longer have to worry about them attacking us or the human realm, or fear their curse breaking. This being was promised to arrive surrounded in butterflies and light, and that plants would grow towards her like she was sun personified.”

Looking at me expectantly, he waits for… something. Wait, is he expecting me to confirm what he’s saying? Why would I know anything about someone surrounded by butterflies?

I raise my brows and look at him like he’s crazy. “Butterflies like me. You can’t honestly think that’s me, right?” Blaise has always seemed sensible and not the type to believe nonsense, but there is no chance that I am this powerful being he spoke of.

He simply shrugs away my scoff. “It’s a legend, and stories change over time as they are retold, but essentially, yes. I think you can help us, which is why I feel awful that I mentioned it.”

Walking over to the doorway, I pause at the threshold when I see the guards tense, their hands going to their weapons in case I decide to try and leave. Having no such intentions, I take a half step back. All I wanted was to get closer to someone I trust, and surprisingly, that person right now is Blaise.

“Why do you feel awful?” I ask quietly, even though I’m aware that the guards are probably listening anyway. “And why did Alaric look so annoyed that you mentioned it?”

“If you really are the promised one, then the king will never let you go, not until every last Unseelie is wiped out.” Pinching the bridge of his nose, Blaise looks torn. “Alaric knows this and was trying to protect you from him for as long as possible. However, I could see where the king was going, and I knew I had to say something to give you more time.”

Now that I know the king threatened my life, I can understand why Blaise revealed the information about the butterflies. I still don’t believe I am this person they have been waiting for, but even if it’s not true, Blaise is right, it gives me more time. The king won’t kill me if he thinks I might be of use to him.

If I stay here, I could wipe out a whole race, and if I don’t, I will be taken to the Unseelie Court and their curse will be broken, freeing them from the forest and putting my people in danger. It is an impossible situation, and I have no idea what is going to happen next.

My fingers play with the bottom of my skirt, needing something to do. My anxiety is not particularly subtle, so I am not surprised that Blaise is watching me with a worried frown.

“You saved my life in the forest, and for that, I promise to protect you. I will do everything I can to help you. You have my word.”

He’s going to make me cry if he keeps talking like that, and if I start, I am worried I might never stop, my fragile heart one act of kindness away from shattering. Things are too serious, and I need to change the subject quickly. Clearing my throat, I give him my best look of mock horror. “Please don’t tell me you’re in love with me too!” The effect is somewhat ineffectivethanks to the quiver in my voice, but it has the desired outcome nonetheless.

Blaise lets out a full belly laugh, falling back on his heels in his shock. While much of his humour is at my expense, I can’t help but smile as I watch him, warmth filling my chest and briefly chasing away the melancholy that took up residence when I was separated from Alaric.

Some of his usual cheeky spark has appeared in his eyes as he flashes me a grin. “Don’t worry, Iris, I may like you, but there’s no need to worry about unwanted advances from me.” He gets to his feet, still shaking his head with amusement at the idea he might be in love with me. His expression shifts and his posture changes, his shoulders drooping in resignation. I already know what he’s about to say, I can just sense it coming. He’s leaving. It was going to happen sooner or later, since he couldn’t stay with me all the time.

“I have to leave now, but I will be back soon,” he promises with a false smile, gesturing towards the comfortable couch and bookshelf. “Stay here, rest, and we will figure this all out.”

I appreciate his attempts to make it sound like this is only a minor issue that will be worked out easily, even if we both know otherwise. He doesn’t want to go, and honestly, I don’t want him to, but I am not going to let my insecurities and fear stop him from doing what’s needed. My lips tug up into a small, understanding smile, and I nod in the hopes it eases his guilt.

“Okay, make sure you see the healer,” I tell him, nodding towards his mostly healed injury. “Stay safe.”

His body becomes still, and his eyes widen. He looks… surprised that I care enough to want him to be safe. Is it because of who we are, and he never expected a human to care for him? Maybe he never expected anyoneother than Alaric to care for him. Blaise always gives off the impression that nothing ever gets to him, but I think that is a shield to hide his true feelings.

His eyes soften, the tension in his face easing as he looks over me fondly. “You too, Iris,” he replies genuinely with a smile. Without another word, he turns and walks away, not looking back as he strides from the caverns. He is almost out of sight now, but his chuckle echoes back to me as he leaves, and I know exactly what he’s thinking about, putting a smile back on my own face.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Ihave been staring up at the ceiling for so long now that I swear I can see patterns in the stone. The more I look, the more I feel like I am losing my grip on reality. Maybe this is what the king wanted, for me to go mad from being separated from his son, giving him an excuse to keep me locked away for my own safety. The lanterns are turned down low, giving off only a slight orange glow to light my little cave. It is cosy in here, but knowing that I am unable to leave takes away the comfort factor. A gilded cage is still a cage.

Sleep evades me, and the light doesn’t help as I usually require a pure black room to rest in, yet I am reluctant to turn off the lamp and throw myself into darkness. Without windows, I am unable to tell what time of day it is, and I’m completely disoriented. Not knowing the time of day also makes time pass strangely. It feels as though I have been down here for days and days. However, after watching the guards and their shift patterns, I think I have worked out their rotation, and if my math is correct, it is the middle of the night, and I have only been here a day. The weight of the castle feels like it’s pressing downon me, which only adds to the claustrophobic feeling of being trapped.

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