Page 69 of The Court of Truth

Her eyebrows pinch as she settles her eyes on me. “It doesn’t make me feel anything. What happened here that night shaped us into the people we are, the people we were meant to be. The fact that we’re back here now, coming full circle, shows our strength, resilience, and purpose. I lived a life confined to a chair and I wouldn’t wish it upon my worst enemy, but it made me stronger. Now, I have the luxury of being able to walk again and I’m damn certain I’m never going to take that for granted. Ever. When I look around this meadow, all I can think about is the fact that we could have died. But we didn’t. We’re here. The three of us and the extended family that Addi has gathered around us. One that she’ll keep adding to if she carries on collecting men like battle scars, but that’s beside the point.”

“Hey!” I interject, watching the teasing smile spread across her face. “No more men. My Kryptos are more than enough,” I grumble, and she snickers.

“If you say so.”

“I do,” I insist, the panic in my chest easing as Nora works her usual magic.

I take for granted the perspective she always offers me. She’s a glass-half-full kind of girl, casting a shimmering light even in the darkest of situations. I don’t know whether she does it because she wants to gift me with her knowledge or attempt to humble me, but I’ll take it either way.

Clearing my throat, I peer at her out of the corner of my eye, but she’s watching my every move, aware of the thoughts building in my mind. “Hit me with it, Sis,” she grumbles, and I turn to her, shaking my head.

“It’s nothing bad, it’s not even related, but Janie mentioned it on the tour and with everything going on I haven’t really had time to talk to you about it.”

“About what?”

“About your wolf,” I blurt, bracing for impact.

Her sharp inhale makes me freeze, but she quickly smiles, glancing off into the distance. “That’s a side of me I’m unsure if I ever want to reveal. Not to myself, not to anyone. It feels like a connection to a woman I don’t want any part of. I want to be a fae, like Dad.” My gut twists for her as she stands, offering me a soft smile that I try to return, but I may fall short. “I’m going to head inside and take a nap,” she states before sauntering toward the house without a backward glance.

“Did I hit a nerve?” Concern floods my bones as I turn to my father, but he shakes his head.

“No, you asked her a real life question and got a real life answer. She’s finding her feet. She’s going to get lost along the way. All we can do is be there for her when she needs us.”

I will always wonder how my father stayed so calm and collected all these years. Nothing weighs him down, not truly, he simply lives for Nora and me, and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to repay him.

On another note, I need to broach the actual reason I came looking for him specifically.

“Have you got time to talk?” I ask, and he frowns at me.

“Isn’t that what we’re doing now?” he asks with a raised brow, and I shake my head.

“It’s not memory lane stuff. It’s important. Ideally inside, in the fancy office you left waiting for me,” I add, trying to keep my tone light instead of coming down hard on him. The reality is, I need answers, and this man is the only one who can give them to me.

I don’t think he’s keeping them secret on purpose, but it’s time we broke through the surface and started making some headway on taking Clementine down.

“Are you going to pry my mind open and delve inside?” he asks with a grin, standing before offering me his hand.

I place my palm against his, letting him lift me to my feet before I answer. “Not if you can answer everything freely.”

I’m joking, and I hope the lilt to my voice confirms it, but the seriousness behind the situation is real and I know he can see it.

“Whatever I can do to help, Addi girl. I’m right here.”

39

ADRIANNA

The door to my office clicks shut behind us with a thud, echoing the weight of the conversation that’s about to follow. Nothing has changed in here since we arrived at the castle. I haven’t tried to put my stamp on it, so it looks the same as it did when it was my father’s. Only now, the bold seat on the other side of the desk is mine.

I don’t want to make it feel like I’m grilling him though, so instead of heading toward the mahogany desk that sits in the center of the room, I shuffle to the left, taking a seat on the rich green sofa. My father follows suit, twisting his fingers together in his lap as he gets comfortable.

This feels weird.

The entire thing seems odd. So odd that I almost throw in the towel and forget about it, but before I can backtrack a single step, my father’s eyes land on mine with a sense of understanding burning so bright, it’s impossible for me to move an inch.

“Ask me anything, Addi. I will give you as much information as I can. I swear it. I want you to succeed, and if that means mining through memories I’ve tucked away for a long time, then so be it. It’s for the good of the kingdom, it’s what’s best for you, and who knows, it might even be a little bit beneficial for them to no longer be sealed away in here.” He taps his temple, a soft smile ghosting his lips as warmth floods my veins.

Here he is, once again, finding a light to shine on a situation that is otherwise cloaked in agony and tainted with trauma.

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