Page 34 of Forgotten Monsters
I thought Cole would cool off and return after a reasonable amount of time, but my patience is wearing thin. Although…knowing how much shit he has to deal with cools my temper.
As the red Fae sun descends past the castle walls, Mary clicks her tongue to get my attention. “Here’s your dinner.” The Fae servant sneaks in and out of my prison as though the spell doesn’t apply to her.
“This is the fifth meal you’ve brought me today,” I answer without looking.
“You’ve barely eaten.”
“I’m not hungry.” The loud creasing of parchment echoes in the silent room as I leaf through the letters again, arranging them into chronological order.
“You’re too thin,” Mary says on a reproachful sigh. “Stop sulking and eat.”
She’s not wrong, but despite what she thinks, I haven’t fasted to spite her. My stomach is still queasy as hell, spooked by the sudden abundance of delicious and greasy proteins.
I lean into her false hypothesis. “If Cole wants to fatten me up, all he has to do is release me.” Maybe if Cole hears that I’m too stubborn to eat, he’ll deign to visit, and I can kick his ass for sequestering me in his damn magic palace.
Mary leaves without another word, and I return to my work.
A letter from Darkwood demanding the return of the unicorn horn brings a feverish heat to my neck. Gods…Allie and I are just starting to mend fences. If her mother died while we were away, she’ll blame me.
The relations between the High Council and Cole are tense as hell, and I can’t help but think he imprisoned me in his rooms on purpose, expecting me to snoop through all those papers.
But then, why wouldn’t he just say so?
About an hour later, a quiet knock on the door jerks me out of my investigation, and I peel myself from the floor, the papers I still need to read scattered across the red carpet of the office.
I inch open the door, hoping to find Cole on the other side, and my blood freezes. “Brie?”
Bright green hair waves down one side of the mermaid’s face, the other side buzzed close to the scalp. The haircut gives her an edge, her preppy days behind her. A short black cloak embroidered with silver and copper accents covers her shoulders, and a black skirt highlights her long legs.
“Fuck,” she croaks. “It’s really you.” Her face hasn’t aged a day, but she stares me up and down as though she can’t quite believe what she’s seeing.
“What are you—”
She hands me a bland, gray cloak, with sleeves and a large hood, similar to the one Jameson had me wear on my ride over here. “Put this on.”
I bite my bottom lip and consider her offering.
“Do you really want to spend the next year locked inside the castle?” she asks.
I reluctantly slip on the cloak. “No.”
“Then hurry. We have a short window to get you out.”
“We?”
She ignores my question, and I follow her down the long hallway that offers a fantastic view of the interior courtyard and the sacred Hawthorn tree. The Fae moon burns in the night sky and brightens the silver lines of Brie’s ensemble. Her tailored clothes match Cole’s to a frightening degree, and my heart just about leaps out of my chest.
Of all the people Cole could have turned to after my “death,”—besides Flynn of course—Brie makes the most sense, and yet, it hurts. Eleven years…
While my brain understands it’s a long time to remain single, my heart rebels. It thuds angrily in my throat, and I dig my heels in the ground. “Are you and Cole…”
She motions me along. “Someone had to clean up your mess.”
My eyes narrow at her peculiar choice of words. “What does that mean?”
She yanks my hood over my hair. “Don’t ask too many questions, and you will sleep better for it.” Her boots clank on the marble as she guides me to a servant’s stairwell.
Torches flicker on the walls, and the scent of dust and mildew dries my mouth as we trek deeper into the castle. Is she only freeing me because she wants me gone?
