Page 4 of Beltane

“Tell Lex I’m sorry. Tell Ivy…Tell them all. I’m just so”—Poppy sucked in a ragged breath—“so sorry.”

I scrambled to reach for them, to stop her from disappearing or maybe attach myself to wherever they ended up. Just as I brushed a fine yellow curl, they vanished, leaving me shocked and standing in the hallway.

The chaos outside erupted, the dark spirals banging harder on the glass, the king’s torment now furious for how long I’d been denying him. I ran into my room, only to see him still standing outside, his tendrils of majestic power stifling the magic in my plants. They tried to overpower him, to wrap around his arms and legs, but no matter what they did, he broke them to pieces.

“Little Thistle,”he hissed, his voice seeming to boom from every direction all at once.“I will break through these walls, and when I do, Iwillhave you.”

“No,” I snarled, desperate for a way to escape. I’d been hiding here for months, certain staying away from my beloveds would protect them. He could get inside my mind, manipulate my memories, and make me do things I didn’t remember. But in doing so, I’d put my family at risk.

Who the bloody hell knew where Poppy had taken Edward? And if I stayed, the king might hurt my grandparents or the staff. Was there no place safe?

I had to get out. I had to get to Carter as soon as I could.

He was still in London. I’d just talked to him less than an hour ago, so when I pressed call on my phone, he picked up after the second ring.

“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice coming out in a rushed panic.

“The king is here,” I whispered as I raced through the palace, running down to my grandmother’s rooms. But she, too, had been transfixed.

“Come to me, Little Thistle.”The king’s voice bounced off the walls in a threatening display of horror.

“Poppy, too,” I said to Carter, ignoring the king’s exacting demands. “She took Edward. She has Lizzie.”

“I’m coming to you,” Carter said.

“No,” I cut in. “No, stay there. He’s done something to my family. He has to be stopped.”

“Miri,” Carter said, exasperated. “We have to get back to Ivy and Lex. We’re stronger together.”

Tears streamed down my face as scalding shame reverberated through my body. I’d been vulnerable; I still was. Going to them would put them at risk, but what other choice did I have? I couldn’t stay here. Any second, the king would break through the walls and grab me. Then what?

“Okay,” I said to Carter. “Okay. Meet me at the airport.”

“I have a private charter,” he said. “It can take us home to DC.”

“Are you trying to run, Little Thistle?” Alberich made an indignant tsking sound with his teeth, as if to suggest that was the most idiotic idea I’d come up with. “Where will you go? Back to them? What will they do with you now?”

“Carter,” I said, trying to block out the sound of the king’s voice. “I love you. Be careful.”

“I love you,” he told me. “See you soon.”

I hung up and closed my eyes, searching for the plants or whatever trees had decided to help me. My power was weak, but they were surely there, growing and seeking out the source of my terror.

“Help me,”I called to them.“Help me.”

“Oh, come now,” Alberich said as I ran through the palace, my heart pumping and my legs nearly unable to carry me. “Don’t you remember how much fun we had?”

No. No, don’t think about it. Don’t focus on it. Just get to Carter. Get to the airport.

I burst through the entrance and out into the evening air, certain Alberich’s tendrils would wrap around me and yank me into oblivion. I froze, my knees locking into place when I finally met his gaze a hundred yards ahead. Dark and intimidating, his threatening aura held the weight of the terrible things he could do to me. But rather than seek me out, he tilted his head to the side and smirked.

“Are you planning to run back to them?” he said, and even though he was so far away, I heard the words as if he were right next to me. “Are you going to try to escape me? How adorable.”

Fight him. You are stronger than this.

But I didn’t feel like it. I’d been separated from my spouses for months, telling myself it would protect them, that I was the weak link. And here was the proof. He held me in his terrible clutches, and I could barely access my gifts. Even if I could fend him off, how would I get away? Everyone around me, my family and the staff, they were under his spell…transfixed into some kind of dream state.

“What do you want, Alberich?” I said, standing tall, forcing myself to maintain a sense of confidence I didn’t feel.

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