Page 104 of A Sun Scorched Bloom

Eudora stopped him. "The sacrifice will not be made today. I will break the spell in exchange for your word. You will sacrifice what is demanded of you. You will know when it is time."

"And she will live?" Gray’s voice crackled like thunder in the distance.

Eudora’s eyes flashed silver, and Lea once again saw a flicker of a young, beautiful woman standing in front of her, so quick that she questioned if she’d seen it at all. "I have seen the future. She lives, but only if you make the right choices. If you willingly sacrifice that which means the most to you."

"Lea’s life is what matters most to me," Gray spat.

"Is it?" Eudora said, her eyes full of mischief.

Don’t trust her, Gray,Lea whispered through their bond

We have no choice, Little Flower.

Eudora’s lips curved up the smallest bit, as if knowing exactly what they were saying to each other. "If you make the sacrifice demanded of you, your mate lives. Fail to make the correct choice, and the spell will change. Your father and brother will become untouchable, and you and your mate will be vulnerable. Neither of you will survive."

Gray studied Eudora, his hand subconsciously tracing the hilt of his sword as he weighed her words. "How will I know what the gods demand as a sacrifice?"

Eudora’s eyes glazed over, her posture stiffening. She was having a vision.

Lea stepped around Gray, coming to stand at his side. She grabbed his hand in both of hers as they waited for the vision to finish.

Eudora shook her head slightly, her eyes focusing once again. "You will know. I have seen it."

"And if I agree, the curse will be broken immediately?"

"You can kill your brother and father tonight," Eudora said, despite knowing that traveling that distance in such little time was impossible.

"Then I agree to your terms." Gray pulled his dagger from his belt, preparing to draw blood to bind his oath, but Eudora snatched the dagger away.

"Do not waste precious blood, Commander," she taunted. "A war is coming, you know."

With those words, a rush of magic blew through the room, parchment flying and bottles crashing to the ground. The candles flickered and Eudora’s black and gray hair blew about her face. The mate bond twitched in her chest, pulling uncomfortably tight before calming along with the room. Unbothered, Eudora sauntered to a locked cabinet, opening the door and pulling a small burgundy vial with a wooden stopper from the shelf. She carefully ladled some of the potion she’d been working on into the container before corking it and dipping the top in melted black wax. Eudora handed the vial to Gray. "Your friend Emma will be needing this. She’ll know what to do with it."

"Have you seen the king’s death?" Lea questioned. She knew with certainty the witch would never tell her something that would reveal so much, but something inside her needed to ask anyway.

"I have seen death." Eudora met Lea’s eyes. If Lea had believed Eudora had a heart, she would have thought she saw pity in her eyes. "You should go. Time is running out." Lifting her chin, Eudora morphed into a beautiful blue heron and flew through the open window and out across the sea.

Chapter 68

Lea

Afterpackingtheirthingsand a sleepless night, they left at first light, riding directly from Calir to Bearswillow with as few stops as possible. King Tanad had been kind enough to lend them extra horses, as well as sending a few soldiers along as a sign of good faith. Among them was the same man who had gathered the moonflowers for Lea, and to her absolute delight, he showed up ready to leave with an extra satchel full to the top with vines from the clearing.

Janelle had argued when Tanad offered them the additional horses, saying that she needed to ride with Erik "for safety purposes." It had been complete bullshit, but it had made Lea smile. They’d spent enough time on horses over the past few weeks to be able to ride by themselves, especially since Erik had spent hours one day training them in combat while riding bareback. Add in a comfortable saddle and a broken horse, and Lea was certain Janelle would be absolutely fine.

Emma had spent the entire night before they left in the library and looked absolutely exhausted the next morning. She’d given Bartholomew a tearful hug goodbye with a kiss on the cheek and a sincere thank you when he’d walked her to the stables with several bags full of books. Emma had been quite tightlipped about what she’d been spending all of her time researching in the library, but it seemed to be helping her process her gift. It was comforting to see the light flickering in her eyes again, and anything that could bring a smile back to Emma's face, Lea was in support of.

The dead told Emma once again that Lea had an aura about her, one that frightened the demons and would keep them away. And they’d been right. They’d traveled through the Wicked Wood without a single incident, the forest completely silent as if Lea was the predator and every monster inside it hid for their own survival.

Gray and Lea had spent a lot of time on their journey discussing everything that had happened while Gray was gone, and Lea wasn’t surprised when her mate turned rigid and surrounded them with shadows when she’d told him about her deal with Eudora.

He hadn’t been aware of the cage Eudora had spoken of back at the castle in Auropera. As Lea had described it, his eyes had lost all their color, shadows completely consuming the green of his irises. As far as Gray knew, the cage did not exist. His father had shown him the darkest sides of himself, had flaunted his most evil deeds right under his nose his entire life, and Lea could tell that the idea that there was something potentially worse that he hadn’t known about, even through his years of spying, made him anxious. But it couldn’t concern him any more than Lea worried about the "sacrifice" Gray had promised to Eudora.

At least she knew her task. Find whatever was locked away in the cage in the castle, and bring it back. Gray’s sacrifice could beanything. Well, anything but her life, and his, she guessed, since they were connected. Lea’s chest warmed as she thought about when they’d sealed the mate bond, had tied their lives together. He couldn't die without her following him beyond the veil, and Eudora had given her word that Lea would live.

Despite being on different horses, Lea and Gray stayed so close to one another that the outside of their legs touched as they rode. Their time apart had been too much, and even though they’d both busied themselves with important matters that had done a fair job of distracting them, Lea never wanted to be away from him again, and she could feel through the bond that Gray felt the same way.

Every chance that Gray found, he ran a finger across Lea’s cheek or played with her hair. Any time they were off their horses, eating a meal or resting, Gray lifted her and sat her in his lap, wrapping her in a protective cocoon of shadows. It was as if any physical distance was too great. He had to be touching her, and Lea felt the same.

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