Page 135 of Blooms of Darkness

Your birth mother, Princess Fallon Dresden, was my sister. I loved her, and her husband, your father, Sebastian Rykes, was one of my closest friends. When you were born, Vivienne felt you held no power. We all feared what that would mean, and to keep any of the Court from learning you may not be able to protect yourself, we sent you away. We sent you away to Valeford for your protection, to be out of the public eye as we tried to figure out what to do.

The night of your parents’ death, Vivienne had a vision. A vision so strong that it had her riding fast and hard to Valeford herself. There has been an evil infecting our land, infecting our people. It makes sensible, strong Fae, ravenous for power and unable to contain a darker nature. They burn, and destroy, and battle our forces, and although we’ve tried to contain them, we haven’t eliminated them.

That night, it was this kind of infected Fae who had overtaken the village, and Vivienne arrived too late. Your birth mother and father, Fallon and Seb, perished in the gruesome attack when you were only six months old.

Vivienne found Elisabeth holding you to her chest in the small cottage they lived in. They saved you, and as you know, they have been watching over you your entire life.

When Vivienne put you into my arms that night, she had the vision of the prophecy.

Your mother, our beautiful Queen Roxana, could not have any children. She had lost so many babes over the years. When your parents died, we decided we’d raise and love you like our own. Hopefully, honoring Fallon and Seb in the process.

I choked on my sobs, clutching the paper to my chest. What was I reading? What had my entire life been?

I used the cheaply made blanket on the bed to wipe my face and try to finish the letter.

Illiana, you are the key to Brookmere’s survival.

Your mother asked she be buried with a journal she kept, passed down from each generation in the royal family. She needed it secret. Safe. You must go to your parents’ home and find it. I ensured her request was met. In it, she always believed you’d have everything you needed to save our lands.

Be strong, my heart. You are brave and worthy and everything Brookmere needs in a Queen. You will rule this kingdom with fairness and grace. You will make all of us proud.

Trust the prophecy and remember to never trust something is as it appears at first glance.

I will miss you with all of my heart. I loved you with even more.

May nature guide you.

Love,

Your grateful father

Tears flooded my eyes. Betrayal, anger, and grief, all swirled into an emotional cyclone racking my body. Why did they hide this from me? Did they think I would love them any less, knowing they weren’t my birth parents?

A long painful sob escaped as I shoved my head into the pillow to muffle the sound.

Kade stirred. “Lana?”

I cried even harder, clutching the letter to my chest, curled into a ball beneath the thin blanket. A Fae could only handle so much, and I was nearly at the end of my limit.

I must have misread the letter, throwing my feet over the edge of the bed, I sat up in a flash, determined to read it again, to reveal its true contents.

Kneeling before me, Kade grasped my shaking hand as my tears stained the parchment wet. “I know I am the last person you want near you right now, but what do you need? Tell me how I can help you.”

Ripping my hand from his, I tried to regain some control. “Ineedmy father back.” I stared directly into his eyes, my voice rising. I didn’t care if Storm woke up at this point. “You took him from me. You took him from me before he had a chance to tell me any of this!”

Kade stiffened but remained unwavering in his presence. He allowed some shadows to swirl around me.

My body reacted to his nearness, the hum of energy between us never ending. It wasn’t just desire. It was the undeniable need for someone to tell me everything would be okay. I didn’t want him to read the letter. This man would gain no more of my secrets, no more of me. He could sit there and wonder about the pain and anguish I endured.

I needed my parents.

I needed Elisabeth.

I needed Ian and Kalliah.Fates, I hoped they had survived the attacks.

An unwavering resolve, deep from the recesses of my being, forged after facing Andras, surfaced. A sense of purpose renewed within me.

I would get to Demarva. It was only a short distance from where we were right now. I would escape these two asshole Fae and head west to Valeford to find whatever it was my birth mother had left me. I didn’t know what good it would do, or why my father needed me to retrieve whatever was hidden, but I would do it.

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