Page 59 of The Lord of the Labyrinth

Eudora took her hand again. “Now you fear you might love my stubborn brother, and you worry what loving him will mean for you.”

“That’s it in a nutshell,” Kate replied, her tone soft and full of an ache that burned in her throat.

“In a nutshell.” Eudora chuckled. “You humans have such amusing sayings. Do you know the funny thing about nuts? When planted, the seed within will grow into a mighty tree—like an acorn turning into an oak.”

“I’m not sure I understand what you mean.”

Eudora’s wings fanned out as she smiled. “Love grows from something small into something infinite. You must give it time to see what grows between you.”

“It’s a little hard to do when I’m in the labyrinth and he’s doing... whatever Fae kings do.” Kate couldn’t believe she was having this conversation with Roan’s sister, let alone a Fae princess. “Besides, there’s no future to any of this. I’m just human. He sees me as a pet, a thing, and I won’t be staying.” Kate had been afraid to say those words aloud, but now they were spoken. Her mother would have said she couldn’t unring that bell.

Eudora bent down to face Kate, who still sat on the edge of the bed. Her wings fanned out, shimmering and beautiful. “You know what the Fae think of humans?”

Kate sniffled and wiped away tears with a furious hand. “What? We grow old and die and?—”

“Kate,” Eudora cut in gently. “Your mortality isn’t the fascination for us. It’s something far more valuable. Youchange. Strength comes from changing. A human woman who has lived all of her life stages and sits with weathered skin and white hair... that woman has experienced more life than I will in many ways. Change requires choices, new paths, new adventures, and lessons to be learned. The Fae cherish stories about humankind because it teaches us about things we might otherwise miss.”

“You mean, like how we have fairy stories about you guys?” Kate wiped away a stray tear that had crept down her cheek. “My mom loved fairy tales. She said they weren’t actually for children but that children were the only ones smart enough to understand them.”

Eudora smiled. “Your mother sounds like a very wise woman.”

“She was.” Kate smiled through her tears. The old pain in her chest was almost unbearably agonizing at that moment. “I miss her so much. I try so hard to act like I’m okay, as if losing her didn’t destroy everything inside me.” Kate sucked in a breath. “But it did. I thought my stepmother, Sandra, would want me, that I’d matter to her, but I... I was just in the way, taking up space.”

Eudora curled a slender arm around Kate’s trembling shoulders. “Never let anyone in your life make you feel like you’re not enough. You are Kate of the Winslows. You are perfect as you are, and what is wrong with taking up space? Think of the space your mother took up in your life. The depth and vastness of your grief demonstrates the incredible space she took up in your life. You deserve to be that for someone else. Let yourself grow inside someone else’s heart... perhaps someone like Roan.”

“You think I should stay here in your realm and fall in love with your brother and abandon my life and my home? Like it’s that easy?”

“Nothing worth having is ever easy. Sometimes, the most important journeys we make start with a single step away from all that we know.” Eudora brushed a lock of hair back from Kate’s face in a motherly way. “The question is, are you brave enough to take a journey?”

“I doubt I’ll have a choice,” Kate sighed. “I doubt I’ll solve the labyrinth, which means I’ll be stuck here forever.”

The Fae princess chuckled. “There isalwaysa choice.”

“Is this your way of telling me that I should choose to go to the ball?” Kate almost laughed. It would be like a fairy tale.

“Yes, exactly.” The princess grinned. Eudora looked her over. “But you will need a dress.”

“Fine. I’ll let you fairy-godmother me or whatever. But I want to see my brother first.”

“Fairy-godmother you? Well, I don’t exactly have the credentials for such illustrious work, but I could certainly try. The Fae chosen for such professions are rare and powerful,” Eudora said so seriously that Kate actually believed what she was saying.

“Never mind,” Kate said. “Can you take me to Caden?”

She decided to trust Eudora. Each time she looked into the other woman’s eyes, she couldn’t help but feel like it was Roan watching her.

Thank God he hadn’t seen her turn into a blubbering mess about her mother just now. Kate caught herself. No, she wouldn’t apologize for having emotions, especially about her mother. If anything, Roan might actually understand. He had lost his mother as well, and it was rather clear she had left a gaping wound in his heart.

She was certain Roan would be furious if he found out she’d reached the palace unfairly, but part of her wished that he was here now, offering comfort to her. Despite his brooding intensity, he could be wonderfully comforting when she needed it most.

She couldn’t forget how he’d held her in his arms, kissing her so sweetly after she’d survived the morgen attack, even as he healed her. It hadn’t felt selfish, hadn’t felt like he was healing her for his own needs. He’d touched her so tenderly, the concern in his eyes so deep, so real, that even that memory of it made her shiver with a need to be back in his arms.

Maybe Eudora was right. Maybe what she felt for Roan was worth taking a risk for. But was it worth leaving her entire world behind?

Eudora pulled Kate to her feet and tucked one of Kate’s arms in her own as they left the bedroom.

The Fae princess grinned impishly. “Now then, let’s see your brother. Then we will fashion you a dress worthy of a princess.”

ChapterThirteen

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