Page 97 of A Trial of Fate

“You have to tell me everything later.”

“Deal.” Shaw held out his hand, and Neera shook it before giving me a tight squeeze and venturing outside.

Talon slid a smaller glass of wine over to Shaw while we all sat around the kitchen island together. They were happy to sit with me, knowing I couldn’t leave my dish unattended. I had to turn it every so often to make sure the edges of the pasta and cheese didn’t burn to a crisp.

“So,” Shaw said, “you were with the two High Fae all night? How did that go? And… what were you doing exactly?”

I bit my lip and took another long sip from my glass. “How did you know?”

“We all knew that part, Sky,” Rhea answered. “You smell like them. Daxton… in particular. Is something going on between you two?” I blushed and finished half of my tall glass. “All right. What’s going on?” Rhea pushed.

“I healed him last night.”

Talon shifted, and his interest immediately piqued. “Youhealedhim?” This earned a firm elbow from his mate.

“Yes.” I went to the oven to turn my pasta dish and returned to my three very confused friends on the edge of their seats, waiting for my answer. “Do you remember how Dax said that the queen’s power was the only magic that could combat the wilt?” They all nodded. “And the part where he said the fae have been sacrificing and trying to battle against it this whole time?”

“Yes,” all three said in unison. I knew we didn’t have much time, so I was just going to have to get to the main points.

“Queen Minaeve.” I even tensed a little when I spoke her name. Gods, it was going to be hard when I had to see her again. “It’s hard to describe, but she drained Daxton’s magic. The fae queen siphoned his life’s energy and took it for herself. That is the sacrifice Daxton was talking about. All royal High Fae offer her their own power so she can combat and contain the wilt.”

They were silently mulling over the information I had just shared. I allowed them some time to process all of this, casually drinking more of my very large glass of wine.

“You were able to heal him?” Shaw asked.

“Yeah, it put me in a shifter’s sleep… but I was able to help.”

“If healing him put you into a shifter’s sleep, Sky, that must have taken a fuck-ton of energy from you,” Talon added as he pulled Rhea closer to him.

He was worried or possibly feeling Rhea’s concern through their mate bond.

“He was suffering. After what he did to rescue me, I-I don’t see a problem with what I did.”

“She’s got this under control, Talon.” Rhea patted her mate’s arm to ease his nerves. “So…Dax.”

Dang it, I cursed inside my head. Rhea had caught onto that one.

“I invited them both to eat with us tonight.” All three of them gave me a surprised look before turning to each other.

Shaw emptied his glass of wine, sliding it over to Talon for a refill. “You trust them, don’t you?”

I took another sip and nodded. “Yes… Yes, I do. I mean, you worked with Daxton to help me get through the trauma of my capture, Shaw.”

“I did,” was all he said to my comment.

“It makes sense.” Rhea fidgeted with her glass as Talon pushed back her auburn hair, placing a kiss lightly on her cheek. “Ican see what Skylar is doing.”

“Then helpmeunderstand, my love.”

Rhea sipped her drink and looked at me with her crystal-clear blue stare. A giant weight lifted off my shoulders at the understanding that shone in her eyes. She had accepted my decision to go with them. She understood they were not our enemies. That I was going to the Inner Kingdom for our pack, for all of Valdor.

Thank the gods for you, Rhea.

“We are not at war with each other. They came here to ask for help because they could no longer fight the wilt on their own. We have all seen what this death magic is doing to our home. If we don’t do anything, our world will die, and there is no hope for any kind of future. Sky is volunteering to go… And I know she will win. She will unlock the Heart, and she will set us all free, once and for all. We are upset because she has to leave, but our anger does not need to be placed with the High Fae.”

Shaw raised his brow with a sense of clarity. “Wow, Rhea. I have to admit I’m impressed.”

“You can’t always be the enlightened one of the group, Shaw,” Rhea snapped, taking another long sip.

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