Page 103 of Fate Calls the Elf Queen

She hurried across the hallway and into the room. The smell of Hel’s civar drifted in from the balcony. The two of them stood side by side with their backs to her. For some reason she smiled. She stepped through the balcony doorway, and they turned at the same time.

“Feeling better?” Thane asked, but he looked sad.

“I am.” She smiled bigger. “I’m sorry I scared you but it’s alright. I’m alright. I’m not going to turn.” She wanted to go to him and hug him again, reassure him with her body pressed against his but she stayed still. “Thank you, Hel. Really. You saved me.”

He simply bobbed his head and turned back to look out over the castle grounds.

Thane stepped closer, took her hands, and led her back inside the room. The pain and confusion on Thane’s face made her stomach drop. “What’s wrong?” she asked. Had something else happened. Was this only temporary?

“Laya.” His chin quivered but his voice came out strong, unwavering, “I’ve always done what’s best for you.”

“I know,” she said, searching his face for a sign of where this was going.

“You’re not safe here anymore.”

“So, we can go somewhere else for a while.”

He nodded solemnly. “Yes, you can.”

“Just me?” Slowly it dawned on her. Oh gods, no. Desperation rose up in her throat. This couldn’t be what she thought—he wouldn’t. “Thane,” she breathed on the verge of tears.

“If I stay here, the demon prince will think you’re here too. He won’t expect us to part. But you can go with Hel and finish your training.”

“Don’t do this.” Layala’s throat ached with raw emotion.

“You need to go.” He tore his hands away. “I want you to go.”

Tears silently slipped down her cheeks. The rushing of her blood pounded in her ears, drowning out everything. “You don’t mean that.”

His silence said more than words.

“Thane, I want to be with you. I want you. I remember some things. We can go together.”

“This isn’t about that anymore. It’s about you staying alive. I know what it felt like to watch you die over and over. I can’t do it again.” He raked his hands through his hair. “I can’t. Every time you die it’s because of me. It’s like the All Mother is punishing me for taking you from him. You must leave.”

“That’s not true. We always have a choice.”

“Whether it is or not, you can’t stay.”

“But I love you.”

“You have to go. Hel will keep you safe and help you become who you’re supposed to be.” A single tear ran down his cheek. “Leave Castle Dredwich. Leave Palenor.”

“Thane.”

“It’s over between us, Layala.” His face hardened. “Don’t make this harder than it already is.”

“This isn’t what you want,” Layala said, chest aching. Her heart felt like it might crack. She glanced toward the balcony doors left wide open for Hel to hear. “He’s manipulating you, clouding your judgment. Can’t you see that?”

“The only one who clouds my judgment isyou.”

Those words were a hot knife to the heart. On shaky legs, Layala backed away. It was true. All the pain and suffering Thane had been through, every self-sacrificing questionable judgment was because of his drive to save her, to protect her. She was his downfall.

She didn’t remember leaving the office or walking to the corridor to get to her bedroom. Packing her bag felt like someone else, like she was a ghost watching herself move slowly around the room. Until she broke down and sobbed into the silk covers on the bed she’d never sleep in again. She pulled her lily engagement ring off and left it on the pillow.

Chapter32

HEL

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