“They’d sacrifice me,” I finish. “That’s what Jules and I already sort of guessed, too.” Except the part about how the sacrifice could save the creatures poisoned by the vines. What would Jules do if he knew that? That I could possibly save his mom?
He marginally unstiffens. “Good. I’m glad he’s on top of things.”
“Hey, so am I. I even helped get the book.”
“I know you are. And I’m not surprised.”
“That I’m helpful?”
“That, and you’re settling into this life so swiftly.” Space diminishes between us as he drapes an arm around my shoulders. “Isn’t it amazing how, after a decade in the Common Realm, you felt so out of place? Yet, a handful of days here, and you’re already running around with your long-lost love, stealing books from bound witches?”
“It is strange how easily I fit in.” I rest my cheek against his shoulder. “I’m still nervous about a lot of things to come. Like, remembering everything about my past. And I can’t even get my head wrapped around this whole princess thing and the concept that I could become queen one day.”
“Give it some time. I’m sure you’ll get there.”
“I’m sure I will, too.” But I can’t help thinking about the faceless cubs in that moment. And Jules’ mom. And how I may possess the power to save other creatures from the same demise.
Chapter 28
After Jules returns, him, Legend, Rune, and I gather our bags then head out to meet Liberty and Kylan at the perimeter of the field where the whispering dream daisies flourish. There, I’ll hop into the silver-trimmed sleigh with Legend and glide away to sleepy land again.
A handful of Jules’ most trusted guards are journeying with us and will be living at the house in the city. Shade is staying in the kingdom to continue his job with Slate. And by job, I mean torturing him until he splinters into fragments and the truth leaks out of the wounded cracks.
As we set out onto the path, hiking up the hilly roads near where the faceless shadow cubs hide, mine and Legend’s conversation plays on repeat in my mind. How I can save the shadow cursed wolves, heal the poison that stole their faces away, and how Jules’ mom would no longer be on bedrest. She could be free.
“A flower for your thoughts.” Jules plucks a lavender rose from a nearby bush and offers it to me.
My lips strain to smile as he tucks the rose behind my ear. The thorny stem encases my earlobe, conforming with my skin.
“I was just thinking about my little gift,” I admit. “And what exactly it could do.”
Jules evaluates the spacious fields and small homes around us, then slips an arm around my back. “I was thinking that we could start testing it while we’re in your dreams.” His breath tickles my ear. “See if we can find out all the things you can do without risking the wrong creature seeing us. I can also try to get my hands on some ancient books that might contain some more information.”
What happens when he discovers what Legend knows? Jules may care for me, but if losing me means saving other wolves in our pack, would he make that sacrifice? I wish I knew. Truthfully, even though I’m remembering Jules, there’s a ways to go before I can comprehend how his brain works.
“What’s troubling you, Lake?” Jules whispers. “I can tell it’s something.”
“It’s nothing. I just …” What was once a house rises in the distance over the hills. Now it’s only a pile of burnt rubble. I feel a tug on my brain, memories fighting to surface. “What is that place?”
Rigidness ravels in his muscles. “That was your parents’ house.”
“Who burnt it down?” I whisper.
An exhale eases from his lips as he holds me. “The werewolves who attacked them.”
“I can almost remember … but I can’t.” Rushed breaths flee from my lips as images fester, stirring, scorching, blinding me with harsh fragments that rip at my brain. But I can’t make sense of the chaos, can’t interpret what my mind wants me to see, to feel, to remember.
Vomit bubbles in my throat, and I hunch over, dry heaving. Then a lightening of warmth strokes my heavy chest as Jules places a hand on my back and uses his healing gift on me.
“Breathe, Lake. Breathe through the pain.” He strokes my back, fingers brushing up and down my spine. “I know it’s hard, but the pain will pass.”
He speaks as if he understands. Perhaps he does. Perhaps he felt this agony when he started to lose his mom.
When he lost me.
My brain spasms as I inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale. Gradually, the pain fades enough for me to straighten and move forward with him.
Jules remains close to my side, watching me carefully. “I’m sorry you’re going through this. I wish there was an easier way for you to remember.”
“Me, too. I wish I could just remember everything all at once and get it over with.” I rest my head on his shoulder, suddenly too exhausted to hold my head up.
“It’s better that your memories come back slowly. Too much too soon could make you sick.”
Perhaps. That doesn’t mean the clock isn’t ticking.
“Have you talked to Philip at all?”
He shakes his head, resting his cheek against the top of my head. “Not yet. I want to give you some time to remember.”
“And what if …? What if I can’t remember that part of my past?”
“Then we’ll find another way to solve your parents’ murders.” His response is so automatic, so easy, putting my needs first.
That’s how he always seems to me. I just wish I knew for sure.
Wish I could get over my issues and wholly open up to him.
The ride back through the field isn’t the same experience as when I entered. For starters, Jules has fewer guards with him, and Liberty and Kylan are with us. The biggest difference is when the whispering dream daisies’ petals bloom up to shower sleepy glitter into the air. This time, sleepy slumber doesn’t overcome me. Instead, the glitter simply blankets my body and whispers soothing magic into my senses. Knowing my alertness won’t go unnoticed, I pretend to sleep. Even when the sleigh glides to a stop, I keep my eyelids shut.
“I know you’re awake,” Jules whispers in my ear as he scoops me up into my arms. “But I think it’s a good idea that you pretend to stay asleep until we reach my house. That way, we don’t have to answer questions.”
I nod once, then get comfortable in his arms as he carries me somewhere. Light chatter builds amongst the wolves and the buzzing of the city hums in the background.
“The thorns are spreading,” Liberty notes. “Have you seen that they’re reaching the edge of the vampire territory?”
“I noticed that when I went home,” Legend replies. He had once told me that the magic of the whispering dream daisies doesn’t put him to sleep for very long, only working as the glitter falls. I wonder if he realizes I’m fake sleeping. “The Eternals are starting to get worried. They want to start searching for whoever polluted the lands and find a cure.”
Jules gently strokes the small of my back. “Do they have any ideas of what could cure the vine?”
“No, they’re as clueless as every other creature out there,” Legend answers. “But if they start searching for a cure, more than likely, innocent creatures will die … You know how the Eternals work.”
“Kill anything and everything until you find an answer, right?” Kylan’s bitter tone startles me.
Clearly, he has issues with the Eternals, but why? He’s not a vampire, so he doesn’t have to obey them like Legend does.
“You seem to know the Eternals well,” Legend comments. “Have you met one before?”
“A few, actually.” Kylan doesn’t embellish, and Legend doesn’t press.
“The poison is starting to affect more creatures,” Liberty says fiercely. “Did you hear about the group of wolf cubs from the Shadow Thornwall pack who were thrown into the vines? The cubs were in there for a long time, too, so the effects of the poison were twice as bad. The wolves are just sh
adows now, unable to move … like Mom. I hate that Father keeps her locked in that room, as if not seeing her makes it all better.”
Tears burn underneath my eyelids. Their mom is just an unmoving shadow? Their father has her locked up?
“Who threw the wolves into the vines?” Jules asks quietly, his grip on me securing.
“From what I heard, other wolves.”
“Why would any creature do that?” The voice is unrecognizable, undoubtedly one of the guards.
“Because cruelty exists everywhere,” Kylan mumbles rigidly.
“Perhaps.” Jules settles into brief silence. “Or perhaps there’s a bigger reason why the vines are spreading.”
“You think a creature is tossing creatures into the vines to make the poisonous plant spread?” Liberty bristles with shock.
“I’m not sure. But there must be a reason the vines are spreading. Just like there must be a reason they exist at all.”
“Just like there must be a reason nothing can get rid of them.”
“No, there has to be a way to get rid of them,” Rune insists. “Every evil has an Achilles’ heel, even some unheard, poisonous plant.”
Jules’ heart speeds up, thudding against my cheek.
“Nothing is unheard of,” Legend offers his two realm coins. “Some creature out there has to know what the vines are and where they came from.”
“Well, if they do, then they’re not talking.”
“But, if we found them, we might find the cure, and maybe one for the illness, too,” Liberty says. “Can you imagine that, Jules? Freeing our kingdom from the pain those vines cause nearly every moon cycle?”
My breath lodges in my throat. Guilt. So much guilt crushing me.
“Is that how often the vines poison a member of your pack?” Legend wonders edgily.
“Yes,” Liberty replies solemnly. “And the rate has been increasing. Either because of accidental fall-ins or because the vines suddenly have a growth spurt and wipe out any wolf in the vicinity.”
The more they speak of the damage of the poisonous vines, the more my chest pressurizes. I swear to all the wolves that my heart is trying to escape the guilt of knowing I could possibly put an end to all the tragedies.
“Did anyone double-check that we brought enough supplies for a few weeks here?” Jules changes the subject, as if sensing the desperation in my soul.
As the conversation drifts elsewhere, my mind remains on those vines. Those damn vines drinking the life from the lands and the creatures.
And how I might be the cure to it all.
Chapter 29
Even though Jules tried to change the direction of the conversation, the wolves began talking about the vines again when we passed by a few faceless, shadow vampires creeping in the gloom of alleyways.
By the time we arrive at the house, I’m wishing I had fallen asleep in the sleigh so I didn’t have to endure listening to their conversation. Many times, I almost declared that I might be the answer, the cure. But my lips remained zipped as fear grasped my throat, daring me to speak then never breathe again.
“I know what you’re thinking, and you need to stop it,” Jules says the moment he sets my feet on the floor. “We don’t even know if you’re the cure.”
“Maybe.” Guilt strangles me tighter as I open my eyes and take in the blacks and silvers of the room, the velvet furniture, the metallic chandeliers, and the walls of bookshelves. “We’re in a library?” Not what I was expecting.
“The one at my house.” He stuffs his hands into his pockets, watching me intently. “I thought we could look through some books and see what we could find out about your gift.”
I could tell him, right here, about what Legend revealed. All I have to do is open my mouth. But my jaw remains hinged, locked, dead bolted.
“I think we should keep most of our conversation to a minimum until we meet in your dreams. There we can speak openly,” he continues, his worried gaze burrowing into mine. “And talk about what you just overheard.”
I turn my back to him, hiding my shame. “I already know what I overheard.”
He moves up behind me, his solid chest aligning with my back. “Yes, but I want to make sure you fully understand what it all means.”
“I do. I more than understand.”
“Lake, we don’t even know if you are a nature energy wolf. And even if you were, you can’t be the only one of your kind.” His lips lightly nip at the back of my neck. “We’ll figure this out.”
So gentle and patient. I should probably just tell him. Why can’t I utter the words?
“Even if I wasn’t the only one, what would we do?” I tilt my head back to look at him. “Track down another innocent nature energy wolf and sacrifice them instead?”
“No.” But I can see the brief consideration in his eyes. He glances at the bookshelves and murmurs, “There has to be another way to eliminate those vines without feeding it another innocent creature’s life.”
“You think there’s an answer in one of these books?”
“Maybe.” He strolls up to a ladder propped against a bookshelf. “My mom loved collecting ancient books on all sorts of magical topics. It might take some time to go through them, but we have to try.”
Some time to go through them? Try at least a decade. But we should at least try. Try to find another way besides throwing my life to those vines.
Still, I worry how much time is left before the guilt eats away at me completely. Once it does, I know what I’ll do. I never knew that about myself, that I was the kind of person—wolf—who would sacrifice herself to save others. And not just others, but creatures I once hated. Makes me wonder what other parts of my soul are undiscovered. Will I ever find out?
“Why do you think those wolves would throw those wolf cubs into the vines?” I ask as I read a page in a thick, leather bound book that’s open on my lap.
We’ve spent hours hunting through books, only to come up with a few sentences on the abilities of a nature energy wolf. Apparently, with some learning, I can control some types of plants and trees. What I can do with that control, however, remains a mystery. Only time will tell.
He crosses the room with a stack of books in his arms. “It could be because of what Kylan said and just an act of cruelty.” He drops the books onto a table then takes a seat beside me. “Or it could be that whoever started the vines is putting them to use and using them as a tool for punishment.”
“So, does that mean that you think your father was right? That another wolf pack planted the vines?”
“It could be. Or it could be a particular wolf who did it.”
“You think it’s a werewolf for sure?”
He drapes his lean arm along the back of the chair behind me, and the sweetest kiss of moonlight and violets whirls around me. “I don’t want to think poorly of my kind, but considering wolf cubs are getting thrown into the vines by other wolves, it makes sense that a wolf is behind it.”
“What would be the motives behind something like that?”
“Power over the creatures. The need to inflict torture. Causing pointless chaos. It’s really hard to say.”
His father pops into my mind. From the stories I’ve heard, he more than qualifies as a suspect.
Jules plays with my hair, raveling a strand around his finger. “I’m beginning to wonder that, too … if my father might be the wolf behind the vines.”
Guilt rushes to my face. “Did I say that aloud?”
“No. I read it all over your expression.” His fingers drift to the back of my neck, skillfully massaging. “What I don’t understand is, if he’s behind the vines, then why has he been traveling from pack to pack, searching for a wolf who did it?”
“Perhaps he’s not really searching.”
“Then where does he go when he leaves the kingdom for weeks on end?”
That is the magical question, isn’t it?
“Maybe he’s not the only wolf behind the vines,” I suggest. “Maybe he had
help making them grow.”
He considers this with a frown. “Perhaps.”
I close the book and set it aside. “So, what does that mean if he is?”
“It means we need to keep this conversation a secret … and your gift.” His low tone sends a shiver across my skin. “Because, if my father and other wolves are behind the vines, then no wolf is trustworthy. And we’ll need more than half of my pack to overthrow my father if he’s working with other packs.”
“But, if you can’t trust any wolves, then how do you get more help?”
“Go outside the wolf species.”
“Would they help you? From what Legend says, other species don’t frequently get involved with each other.”
“If they knew my father was behind the vines, I know they would help us.”
I understand he wants to overthrow his father—and I think he should—but in the end, the vines are going to have to be weeded out, whether his father is kicked out of his position as king or not. And the more I learn about the nature energy wolf, the more I realize I’m the answer.
I can kill the vines.
Chapter 30
When nightfall arrives, Jules and I abandoned the library and head to bed.
“Which room am I staying in?” I ask as we stroll down a hallway lined with shut doors. Deep down, I’m hoping he’ll let me stay with him, that he’ll meet me in my dreams, that I won’t have to plunge into nightmares.
He rubs his hand over his head and glances at me from the corner of his eye. “There are a couple of guestrooms. If you want to, you can pick one of them.”
I work not to reveal my disappointment. “Okay.”
A few more steps, and then he sheepishly says, “Or, if you want to, you can stay in my room.”
I press back a smile, not wanting to seem overly eager, and nod. “I’d like that.”
“Yeah?” he asks, and when I zealously nod, a smile warms his face.