Page 89 of Callista and the Elf

His voice deepened even more. “Will you keep it? Please? So that you know you helped me choose a better life. I will not go back, Callista. I will not be the same monster you first met, even if I never see you again. Even if I keep this form until I die.”

A tear leaked out of his great, green eye. It rolled down his cheek and tore at my heart. I raised a hand to his face, and he laid his chin on the ground so I could reach him. His head was far too big to hug, but I rested my hand against his hot temple and brushed a quick kiss on his cheek.

“Of course,” I whispered. “I will cherish it.”

He straightened up and cradled my back with one warm claw. “I will watch you as you leave. You will reach your brother safely, but I do not want to upset him with my presence.”

I nodded. This good-bye had to end because I was on the cusp of refusing to leave. “You’re not a monster, Aedan. Remember that, no matter what you look like or how angry you get. I’ve seen your heart, and it is beautiful. And I would love to see you again, as soon as I can.”

“You are a firehawk, Callista. Embrace your boldness, and do not fear your weakness. If the curse ever breaks, I will findyou.” His words bolstered my heart, as if he poured power into it deliberately. And maybe he did—except I hadn’t seen any magic leave him.

It didn’t matter. I buckled the dagger around my waist, touched his hand one last time, and ran through the line of trees.

I kept running, afraid that if I looked back I would lose that burst of confidence that had filled me with hope and strength as Aedan spoke. If his curse never broke,Iwould find a way back someday. Even if—like Jolter said—it took a thousand years. I was half-fae. Motab told me fae lived 10,000 years, so I should have at least half that many.

I saw Alastor before he saw me. He leaned against a large stone and focused on the pages of a book. Scattered around him were signs of a camp—a bedroll, food, an expired fire, and several more books.

The magic boundary kept me thirty feet away from him, so I just watched silently. He’d grown a beard and his hair was several months longer than last time I’d seen him. Dark rings marked the skin under his eyes—signs of far too little sleep. All the evidence in front of me said that Guyan had been right—my brother had been trying to free me ever since I’d seen him last.

My heart squeezed for my brother. It must have been awful to feel responsible for what he probably considered my complete misery. But I hadn’t been miserable, no matter what Aedan had said last night. My hand drifted to the dagger hilt. Aedan had known that Alastor needed me when I had refused to acknowledge it.

I turned around, thinking I should tell him now, but… he had vanished. “You were right,” I whispered, in case he’d hidden himself with magic and was still close enough to hear. “He does need me.”

I imagined I felt a warm, grateful sensation at my words, but Alastor distracted me. He ran a hand through his hair and growled at the book. “Come on, Fotab, surely you wrote something helpful—”

He flipped through pages, muttering under his breath. How long would it take him to actually look up?

A large branch snapped behind me, and I bit back a laugh. It seemed Aedan thought my brother needed a hint too.

Alastor’s head jerked up at the cracking branch. He stared at me, as if not really seeing me, rubbed his eyes, and then stared again. He set the book down and stood up slowly. “Callista? Are you real?”

I nodded as my throat tightened around emotion.

He extended a hand, resting it on the magic wall between us. “What’s my favorite treat?”

“Trick question,” I whispered. “You like bread more than any dessert.”

A smile slowly crawled across his face as his voice turned hoarse. “Guyan did it, then? It’s faster than I expected. Is he here with you?”

I shook my head. “Guyan only told us that you were here. Aedan, the drekkan you argued with, brought me back.”

Disbelief shadowed Alastor’s eyes. “Thedrekkanbrought you back? Did you know he is the king? That there’s a curse on him? That hekilledMotab? Callista, I’ve been so worried for you.”

My heart pinched as I knew Aedan heard everything Alastor said. “I know. Alastor, I know all of that. Aedan, the drekkan, the king… there’s so much more to the story than you could have possibly heard, but yes, he was the one who brought me back. Guyan only ever made me nervous.”

A blue magic flowed out of Alastor’s hand and dissolved the barrier it touched, creating a hole that slowly grew. “Guyan was a creep, no doubt about that. But… I just don’t know how to believe that the drekkan that nearly killed both of us brought you back. What made him change his mind?”

I pressed my palm up against Alastor’s while the hole grew bigger. “Guyan told us that you were here. Aedan would have brought me months ago if he’d known you could break the barrier enough to get me out.”

And I never would have known how much I’d grow to love him. Perhaps it was better that I had so much time with him. But Alastor wasn’t ready to hear that. “What were you reading?”

He rolled his eyes. “Everything I could find from Fotab related to elf bonds. Guyan told me he’d get you, but I doubted he’d succeed. I’ve been trying to find out if there was a way to break the mistek bond.” He tipped his head. “Howdidyou handle that?”

“I told you, he brought me here. It would have been pointless if we were still bound together.”

Alastor’s eyes widened. “Sohebroke the mistek bond?Andbrought you here?”

I nodded.

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