Page 76 of The Lord of the Labyrinth

But Roanhadleft her trapped. Her without him was a fate just as cold and numbing as any prison. He’d had no right to send her away.

“I made my choice,” she said in the moonlight. “Ichoseto stay with you. Nothing else should matter.”

She got to her feet and walked over to her desk, setting the feather down. When her gaze lifted, she stared at her face in the mirror. Her skin was splotched with red, and her eyes were bloodshot and swollen. She was just Kate again... no longer Kate of the Winslows, no longer the love of a dark Fae king.

A breeze drifted through the room like music from a summer night when the world was new and life held every possibility.

“Is thatallyou are?”

In the reflection of the mirror was a woman clothed in starlight and silk. She stood behind Kate, glowing softly. Kate spun around, but no one was in her room except her. When she looked back in the mirror, Thalia Moondove was still there, staring back at her.

“You are more than just Kate,” the woman said. “You havealwaysbeen more. The moment you were born you had the wild within you, as all humans do. But like so many, you’ve forgotten that deep and most ancient magic that you were gifted with. It’s time that you remember.”

“The wild?” Kate asked, her body trembling. She wasn’t quite sure she understood.

“Yes. You may know it by its other name.Love. Not all magic is love, but all loveismagic.”

Kate wiped at her tears as she glared at Thalia.

“You lied to me! You said I could save him. But love couldn’t bring Roan back.”

Thalia’s summer-blue eyes were solemn. “In our realm, a great many things are possible, if one has the strength to believe in them. The question is... do you believe?”

“Do I believe in Roan?” Kate asked.

“Do you believe inyou? You must believe in yourself. We are all here waiting... hoping that you do.”

Thalia’s face faded from the mirror. Kate stared at herself for a long moment. She jumped when her bedroom door suddenly opened. Caden stepped inside, rubbing a fist at his sleepy eyes.

“Kate? Who are you talking to?”

“Go back to sleep. I was just talking to myself.” The last thing she needed was her brother hearing her talk about fairy queens. He would think she was crazy, because there was no way his memories would be left if hers hadn’t been.

“Are you going to go back?” the boy asked.

Kate’s mouth parted. “Back? Back where?”

Caden gave her a puzzled look. “To save the king.”

“You remember?” Kate was stunned. She hadn’t remembered, not until she found the feather and made the wish. Why had he left Caden’s memories but taken hers?

Because if she had remembered... the pain would be worse, and she would try to find her way back when he didn’t want her to. The only way he thought he could control her, even in death, was infuriating. He couldn’t keep doing this to her. She had a right to remember, had a right to feel every moment of joy or pain that came from loving him.

Caden stared at her in concern. “Of course I remember. You don’t?”

“I do now,” Kate admitted.

“So, are you going to go back?” he asked again.

Kate swallowed hard. Going back meant leaving Caden and her family forever. She hadn’t even considered that until she found herself staring at her little brother for perhaps the last time.

Caden’s smile quivered as he came over to her. “It’s okay, you know. It’s okay for you to leave.”

But how could she leave him? He was her brother. He needed her.

“If I left, I don’t know if I could ever come back, Caden. It might be forever.”

Something shone in her brother’s eyes. “Forever is okay as long as you’re happy, right?” he asked. “Because you were happy there, I think. You were different.”

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