Page 46 of Callista and the Elf

I interrupted by whispering, “She doesn’t want to fight you. It’s not worth it, not here.”

He caught my eyes in his emerald gaze. “You are worth it to me,” he ground out.

Every emotion I’d ever possessed rushed through my chest in a flurry of uncontrolled chaos. I was worth something to him. But what? Did he care about me? And if so, as what? Another subject to protect? A sister? A friend? Something… more?

Acantha’s jaw dropped. “When you made that announcement at dinner, I worried that she had manipulated your emotionsand decisions. I followed you here, and now I see that I should have been much, much more afraid.”

That wild grin from earlier crept back on his face. He turned from me to Acantha. “You should not let your fears dictate your actions, Aunt.”

He used my words. If my emotions had been chaotic before, they were unfettered anarchy now. Hequotedme to instruct his aunt in kindness. And the glint in his eye told me he knew exactly what he had done.

He spread his arms to his sides and the flames blinked away. “But as a gesture of goodwill for both of you,” he said, “I will drop my magic first and we will all leave together.”

She dipped her head, and he guided me out with a hand between my shoulders. As we walked closer to his aunt, he kept his body between hers and mine. When we passed the last tendrils of smoky pink magic, he paused.

The tunnel had grown wide enough that two people could easily fit abreast, but he pulled me behind his aunt while blocking me from her with his body like a shield. Acantha stopped and turned to see what he was doing. With both of us facing him, he raised a hand to the stony, root-bound wall.

An instant later, a wall of magic fire burned from the floor to the ceiling of the tunnel, completely blocking anyone from entering the rose cavern.

He glanced at me but then focused his attention on his aunt. “Nobody is to enter the rose cavern without my explicit permission.”

Her chin twitched in a tiny nod. “I’ll set a guard.”

His eyes narrowed. “Set two.”

Chapter 18: Aedan

Acantha insisted on accompanying us until we reached Callista’s room. After the door closed, she turned to me. “We need to have a meeting to discuss this.”

“Wedon’tneedanything, Aunt.” I barely managed to keep my voice calm. “I am the king, and I will not tolerate your insubordination like that ever again.” I stepped closer to her and lowered my voice. A little menace wouldn’t hurt. “Nobody defies me the way you just did. The only reason you are still alive is because of our history together.” Well, that and the fact that Callista made me want to give people second chances.

But Acantha did not need to know that. She stood her ground, staring at me with beady eyes. I loomed over her. “Despite all the help you’ve given me, if anyone besides the fae had seen what you did, I would have had to strike you down as an example.”

Finally she took a step back and raised her hands placatingly. “You’re right, Aedan. I should have approached the situationdifferently. But I am genuinely worried about you. I know you don’t believe me, but I am asking you—begging you—to tell Mylo and Fagan how you feel. If we all find it troubling, would you consider the possibility of having been manipulated?”

I stepped backward as well. I could just incarcerate her and she would be out of my way, but… Callista’s words came to my mind.Give others a little grace.

I sighed. “Fine. Bring them to my room.”

She dropped into a curtsy that was deeper than normal for her and then glided down the corridor.

Once she was completely out of sight, I retreated to my room. I needed to remove all the evidence of my trauma-marked change of heart during the last two days, but before I started, Callista knocked.

I rushed to open the door and bowed. “I’m sorry for my aunt. She is—” I lost my train of thought when I saw Callista holding my dagger. Did she want to use it on my aunt? For attacking her? But that seemed out of character for the half-fae in front of me.

I recollected my thoughts. “She is prone to worry, but I’ve never seen her overreact so badly before.” I glanced at the knife. “Do… you want to punish her?”

Callista’s eyes widened. “No!” She shook her head. “The things you think! I thought you might want this back so the people in your meeting don’t notice it missing and ask about it.”

My lips twisted into a smile—I should have guessed she wanted something like that. I reached for it, but then stopped. A new idea grew in my mind, and I liked the way it felt.

Instead of taking the blade, I wrapped my hands over hers while they were still on the hilt. “I would like you to keep this. As a symbol of my determination to be a better person.”

My voice caught, and I swallowed. Apparently a determination to be kind made one subject to more emotions. Or perhaps it was being the recipient of her kindness, as Fagan had said.

I squeezed her hands carefully. “I want to be more kind and to understand people better. I don’t want my own fears and prejudices to determine my actions. I want to give people second chances.”

I slid one of my hands off hers and onto the blade, turning it, so that I held the blade in one upturned palm and her hand—around the hilt—in my other upturned palm. “This blade was forged with flames from my grandfather, King Dustan, and ground with magic from my grandmother, Queen Ember. It has always been a symbol of power and precision to me, but I want to give it to you as a sign that I will not let power overrule benevolence.”

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