Page 128 of Kingdom of Briars and Roses

Except that Rydian had told me he was my weapon now.

“Where are the Obsidians?” I asked, needing to change the subject.

He shook his head, pacing now, his movements restless. “Dead, thank the Fates. The guards—” He swallowed hard, his voice dropping to a whisper. “The guards were barely alive when we found them. If more had come, if they’d reached the castle…”

My heart raced, the danger too close for comfort. Had they come for me? Did she know I was here? “But they didn’t, right? Everyone here is safe.”

“Not safe enough.” He stopped pacing and turned to me, his eyes pleading now, desperate. “Aurelia, your magic… You could help. You could stop this from happening again.”

I shook my head, heart pounding. “Callan, I told you, I don’t have that kind of power.”

“Yes, you do,” he insisted, stepping closer, reaching out as if to convince me through touch. “You don’t need to do anything grand—just… help us keep the castle safe. Maybe at the party. Use it to keep things running smoothly, make sure no Obsidians can get close. Just once.”

I shook my head, pulling back from him. “I can’t.”

“You’re lying.” His voice dropped, and the sadness that had clung to him began to twist into something darker, something more dangerous. “I know about what you did to that donation center. And I know about the prophecy.”

My heart stopped.

“I know that the Fates chose you to stop Heliconia,” he said, his voice hardening with every word. “I know how powerful you are. You’re the key to all of this. The Chosen One.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The words tumbled out of me, too fast, too defensive.

But Callan’s eyes narrowed, the drunken sorrow fading entirely, replaced by cold fury. “You’ve been hiding it from me.From all of us.” He took another step forward, his towering presence suddenly suffocating. “All this time, pretending you’re just a princess with some simple fae gifts. But it’s not true, is it? You’ve been keeping your real magic a secret.”

I backed away, my pulse hammering in my ears. “I haven’t?—”

“Stop lying!” he roared, his voice echoing through the room as he grabbed my shoulder, his grip bruising. “You think I’m a fool? My father told me everything. He knew from the start, but I defended you. I forced this marriage, believing we could work together. But now I see… you were lying to me all along.”

My skin prickled with fear as he squeezed my shoulder, his face mere inches from mine, twisted with rage. He reached up and brushed my hair back, exposing my throat. He pressed his fingertips to my tattoo, squeezing.

“You kept this from me,” he accused. “Me.After everything I’ve done to protect you, to get us this far, and you—” He stopped himself, his voice trembling with frustration. “Do you even understand what’s at stake? Do you even care?”

“Let go of me.”

I yanked myself out of his grip, but he shot out his hand and wrapped it around my forearm, tightening to the point of pain. When I winced, his eyes darkened, his voice dropping to a low, venomous whisper.

“You’re supposed to be the one who’s going to save us all.” He snorted. “Except you’re too much of a coward to use your power. You’d rather let Obsidians tear this place apart than admit what you really are.”

I yanked on my arm, but he held fast. Fear and anger churned inside me, urging me to show him exactly what I really was. “I’m not the coward.”

I felt the surge of power before I could stop it. My magic, dark and wild, lashed out like a storm, slamming into Callanwith enough force to send him crashing into the far wall. He grunted in pain, his body slumping to the ground, glass shattering around him.

For a moment, he didn’t move, his breath ragged as he lay there, stunned.

Then, slowly, he pushed himself up, his eyes gleaming. “Your magic is dark.”

I stood frozen, my chest heaving, the remnants of my power crackling in the air between us. “You’re mistaken.”

“Am I? And what will you do to convince me of that, Princess?” His mouth twisted. “Will you make me forget again? Wipe my memory so I can’t spill your secrets?”

I stared at him, recovering belatedly to shake my head. “Of course not. I don’t know what you’re?—”

“Save it.” He climbed to his feet, wiping blood from his lip. His eyes were colder now, darker. “Do your people know you have darkness inside you? Or did you wipe their memory too?”

“Of course not,” I hissed. “And I didn’t wipe yours.”

“There’s no use pretending anymore, Aurelia. It won’t help you now.”

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