Page 40 of Accidentally Ever After
“So all I need to do is find my way back there,” I reasoned. “If our connection is as strong as we believe, I’ll be drawn to it even without understanding why.”
It was a tenuous plan at best, relying on feelings and instincts rather than concrete strategy. But it was all we had.
“I have faith in you, Blake,” Caelen said, bringing my hands to his lips. “And in what we share. But my father has stacked the odds heavily against us.”
“When has that stopped us?” I asked, trying to lighten the mood. “We’ve been defying expectations since day one.”
A small smile touched his lips, though his eyes remained troubled. “Indeed we have.”
We spent the remaining time before the ritual wrapped in each other’s arms in our chambers, saying everything that needed to be said while we still could. I memorized the feel of his wings around me, the sound of his voice, the unique scent of him like thunderstorms and wild honey.
“Remember,” he murmured against my hair, “the convergence created a bridge between us. Follow that feeling, even if you don’t understand it. It will lead you back to me.”
“I will,” I promised. “No matter what it takes.”
When Lady Ellaria came to escort us to the ritual chamber, I felt a strange sense of calm. Whatever happened in the next twenty-four hours, I knew with bone-deep certainty that I would find my way back to Caelen. I had to.
The ritual chamber was deep beneath the palace—a circular room with walls of black obsidian that seemed to absorb light rather than reflect it. In the center stood a raised platform inscribed with runes that glowed with blue-white light. King Orion waited there, along with several council members and a fairy I didn’t recognize, dressed in formal robes with silver markings.
“The Unbinder,” Caelen explained quietly. “She will perform the ritual.”
“Consort Morgan,” the king greeted me with false warmth. “Are you prepared for the trial?”
“It’s not a trial,” I corrected, meeting his gaze steadily. “It’s a formality. I’ll be back.”
His smile didn’t reach his eyes. “We shall see.”
The Unbinder gestured for me to step onto the platform. Before I did, I turned to Caelen one last time.
“I love you,” I said firmly, loudly enough for everyone to hear. “Remember that when I’m gone. And know that I’m coming back.”
“I love you too,” he replied, his wings extending slightly despite the formal setting. “I will be waiting.”
With that, I stepped onto the platform. The runes beneath my feet flared brighter, their light crawling up my legs like living things. The Unbinder began to chant in a language I didn’t understand, her hands weaving complex patterns in the air.
The last thing I saw before the light engulfed me completely was Caelen’s face—determined, loving, and afraid all at once. Then everything went white, and I knew no more.
Chapter 10
I woke with a start, sunlight streaming through the windows of my apartment. For a moment, I lay disoriented, trying to shake off the remnants of an unusually vivid dream. Something about fairies and… a wedding?
Must have been that fantasy novel I was reading, I thought, stretching as I got out of bed.
It was Saturday morning, and according to my phone, it was exactly two months since I’d catered that fancy wedding at Glimmerglade Estate—the one with all the weird rich people who’d insisted on that fantasy fairy theme. It had been my biggest job yet, and thankfully, it had gone off without a hitch.
I shuffled to the kitchen to make coffee, trying to shake off a strange feeling of dissonance, as if something wasn’t quite right. My apartment looked the same as always—small but comfortable, decorated with mismatched furniture I’d collected over the years. My catering calendars and invoices were stacked on the counter where I’d left them. Everything was normal.
So why did I feel so… off?
As the coffee brewed, I checked my phone messages. Several clients asking about availability, a text from my friend Sarah asking if I wanted to meet for lunch, and an email reminder that my rent was due next week.
Ordinary life. So why did it suddenly feel so foreign?
I took my coffee to the window, looking out at the familiar view of the city. The morning was clear and bright, promisinggood weather. On impulse, I decided to accept Sarah’s lunch invitation. Maybe some human interaction would shake off this weird mood.
Human interaction? As opposed to what?I wondered, frowning at my own strange thought.
Throughout the morning, the feeling of wrongness persisted. I kept expecting to see something that wasn’t there, reaching for objects that should be to my right but were actually to my left. When I showered, I turned too quickly and nearly fell, as if my body was compensating for extra weight on my back that didn’t exist.
