A Crown of Cursed Hearts (Kingdom of Blighted Thorns #3)

56. Tempest

56

TEMPEST

I was pulled back to my bedroom at Lydel with early morning sunshine streaming in through the windows behind me.

Reyla was Vexxion’s sister.

Drask sat on his perch, flapping his wings. I gaped at him; my breaths coming in shallow gasps.

“Reyla is Vexxion’s sister,” I whispered. I still couldn’t believe it. She gave her life not only to protect Vexxion, but to hide her daughter’s identity.

“And you . . .” I stared into Drask’s eyes. He’d always been more than a simple bird. She’d planted a spark of herself within him, but I sensed, like the finger bone, she was already gone. She’d remained near her son until I needed her more, and then she’d found me at the fortress—in crow form. She’d protected me as much as she could, like she had him, and she’d given me the love I was denied .

And she’d been there to watch over Reyla.

Before I told him, there was one thing I needed to see, a confirmation of sorts.

After magically dressing in leathers, I flitted to the shed beside Bledmire’s aerie and crept to the door, peering out through the tiny gap I created. When I didn’t see anyone around, I raced from the shed and up over the bridge, the slap of my braid on my back whispering, hurry, hurry , hurry .

I took the path to the right that wound through vegetation and ended near the back door. After sending out my senses to make sure I remained alone, I strode to the door and slipped inside the back hallway.

Voices echoed from the kitchens, but no one cried out, asking me why I was here.

I took the back stairs, passing no one, and poked my head out into the open hallway.

Now came the dangerous part, but I had to see.

Closing my eyes, I traveled down the hall to Ivenrail’s door.

Cloaked in magic, I passed the guards standing stiffly outside and into the king’s sitting area. Finding no one there, I flitted, landing beside the fireplace and the chair of draining.

Voices echoed in the hall, and I froze until they passed, before tiptoeing over to stand beside the Wraithweave board.

As I suspected, the high lady’s white defender—Vexxion’s mother and the spirit haunting Drask—was gone.

My sad sigh leaked out.

If only I’d had more time with her.

A bit of mist swirled around the high lady, catching my eye, but when I stared, it fluttered away .

The high lady and her remaining defenders stood on Lydel Island. The master had moved south with his entourage and waited on the coast of the mainland—except for the king’s enforcer who still stood at Bledmire.

Fuck. I had to—

Turning, I slammed into Kerune.

While yanking two blades from the sheaths at my side, I reeled backward, but I tripped over something, and my left leg gave out. Yelping, I crashed to the floor while Kerune stalked toward me with his fingers twisted to claws and my death in his eyes.

“Fuck you,” I hissed, and flitted back to Lydel.

I stood at the foot of my bed, panting, gazing feverishly around as if Kerune would follow.

He couldn’t. Our wards remained strong.

When silence ticked inside the room, I slid my knives back into their sheaths with hands that shook more than I liked. I leaned against the bed frame, rubbing my twitching thigh.

Vexxion walked out of the bathing area and over to stand beside me. “You got up early.” His sweet smile rose. “I thought I might find you taking a bath, but the tub is dry. Where did you go?”

“I . . .” I took his hand and urged him over to one of the sofas, sinking down on a cushion.

His face tensing with concern, he sat beside me. The fact that he didn’t tug me onto his lap told me he worried what I had to say might hurt him. Pain lanced down my throat. I climbed onto his lap, straddling him, and rose up to kiss him, putting my heart and everything inside me into our kiss .

He groaned and wrapped his arms around me, hauling me fully against him, before his head lifted. He looked from my eyes to my mouth and settled back at my eyes.

What is it? he asked, a hint of his vulnerability coming through in his tone.

I love you.

This sounds like . . . He raked his fingers through his hair, unsettling it in a wild way that made me want to smooth it. Kiss him again. Tell him I loved him a thousand times and more, however many it took until he no longer worried.

Our time was coming. We’d end this, marry, and finally be together without fear haunting us.

“I’ve touched each of the finger bones the pixies gave me a second time,” I said.

His curt nod jerked out. “What did you see?”

“Vera’s revealed the time with my mother when they knew they had to hide me.” My leg ached. Oh, how it ached. Almost as much as my heart. “I know why and how they did it. They didn’t dump me at the fortress. Everything that was done to me was necessary to protect me.”

His arms tightened around me, and when I pressed my cheek against his chest, he rested his chin on the top of my head. “How do you feel?”

I shrugged back my tears. “Better and worse, I suppose. Better because I know how deeply I was loved. Worse for all that I’ve lost.” I leaned back and looked up at him. “He stole everything from me.”

“Except Lydel.”

“I’ve taken as much of it back as I can. ”

“He also didn’t steal me.”

“I’ll love you for this lifetime and beyond. Please know that.” Taking his hand, I pressed his palm against my chest. “Feel my heart? It beats only because you’re with me. Without you, I’ll be lost. I’ll wander forever.”

“You’re stronger than you know.”

“Your love gives me that strength. Nothing else.”

“Never discount who you are and who you will always be.” He kissed me and lifted his head once more. “I feel the same, as if I’m nothing without you. I only breathe and rest easy when I hold you in my arms.”

“Trust me. Know that nothing I do is intended to hurt you. Know that I don’t give myself to you with any intention of ever drawing back.”

I know this. I feel your warm touch on my soul.

I released a sigh. “Your fingerbone showed me when Iasar confronted you inside the cave where Kinart died.”

“Then you know that I’m the reason he and his mate were trapped in the doors for all those years.”

“You didn’t do that to them.”

His head crooked and a grimace crossed his face. “I gave the king the spell.”

That, I hadn’t seen. “Gave it or were you forced to reveal it? I know you, Vexxion. Nothing you say or have done is without purpose.”

He lowered his eyes as if he hoped never to reveal something that would push me away. “My uncle tortured it from me.”

I’d kill him with my bare hands if he was still alive .

I gripped Vexxion’s shoulders. “They forced you to do it.”

“It’s the same thing.”

“You’re not to blame!”

But I am, he barked. For everything.

You are not responsible for anyone else’s actions. The man I love would never do what his father has done. He did not mold you.

He tried. So hard and so often. I barely held on. His gaze finally met mine. “I could hold on because I knew that one day, I’d finally find you. Without you, there is no laughter or meaning—just a void that swallows everything good. When I realized you were at the fortress, my world shifted. I could barely think. I ached to find you, to hold you.” His low laugh soothed my aching heart. “And I can only imagine what you would’ve done if I’d tugged you into my arms right away.”

My lips quirked up. “I might’ve surprised you.”

My chest hurt. I wasn’t sure I could stand it, but I’d find a way, because I wanted to hear this. I needed to feel his words coast across my skin in gentle waves.

“You surprise me every single day of my life,” he said. “You’re my strength when I'm weak, my clarity in confusion. Every day spent with you shows me a depth of love I never knew existed. Imagining life without you feels like losing myself completely. You’re not only part of me, you’re every beat of my heart.”

Vexxion.

Just so you know.

Just so you know. I placed my hand over his heart before bringing it back to lay it against my chest. “The depth of what I feel for you leaves me breathless and exposed. I’m raw vulnerability underscored by boundless love. In loving you, I discovered everything I am and all I can be. I find solace in your touch and embrace. You have become my very essence.”

He kissed me again, and I was to tempted to flit us to the bed, but I had to tell him. She’d asked me to do this for her.

Now I knew what that white space in his mind held and it was time to set it free.

I gave him a solemn smile. “I touched the last bone, and it gave me a memory.”

“Whose bone?”

“Your mother’s.” I glanced toward Drask’s perch, but he was gone, flown out the window when I wasn’t looking. I hoped he’d come back. Somewhere inside his little bird heart, he still loved me. He needed me as much as I did him. “I was with her after she gave birth.”

Frowning, his head tilted. “To me? Why that memory?”

“Not you , Vexxion. Your sister. You have a little sister, and your mother showed her to you.”

The world seemed to swallow him and spit him back out on the other side.

“I remember.” I could see the memory wash through him in his gorgeous eyes, as if something locked up deep inside him had uncoiled from where it crouched and spread its wings and roared. “I. Have. A sister.” His frantic gaze met mine. “Where is she? I need to find her.”

“It’s Reyla. Your mother named her in the memory. My Reyla is our Reyla.” She . . . My best friend was his sister, and I wanted to shout the good news to the world .

“Reyla.” The word seemed to settle in his soul. Soar through Lydel. No, it flew across the entire world.

He frowned. “I remember entering my mother’s room and climbing onto her bed. She showed me my sister, and even though I was small, even though she was a bundled bit of skin and bone, I loved her with a pureness that was stolen from me not long after I saw her.”

“My aunt masked the memory with a spell. All this time, Reyla and I were hidden together. I remember when she came to the fortress after a raid. The family who adopted her was killed. She and I were inseparable from that moment. We huddled in bed together at night, holding each other when we cried. We boosted each other, trained together, and shared the bit of joy we found in that life. I love her like a sister, but she’s all yours.”

“Ours, Fury. Ours .” He released a heartfelt sigh. “I have a sister, a precious, wonderful person I will protect until my dying day.”

“Your mother knew you would love her. She knew you’d share whatever you could about her with Reyla.”

“I should tell her.” His face lost all its color.

“She’ll be happy to hear the news.”

His brow furrowed. “Do you think so?”

“Discovering Layla is my sister was one of the most amazing moments in my life. It’ll be the same for you and Reyla.”

“You’re right. I think.” I’d never seen this man uncertain before, but this facet of him only made me love him more.

Someone knocked on the door, and we jerked our heads that way .

“Hey, you two,” Reyla called out. “I know you haven’t seen each other in a very long time, but breakfast is getting cold, and we’re about to put it away. Then you’ll have to forage on your own. I’d hate for you to miss my special treat.” Her voice swelled with excitement. “Guess what it is, Tempest? Horig cakes. Ha! I made them myself, and they’re absolutely amazing .”

We gaped at each other, my lips twitching, my heart thudding so fast it was going to burst up my throat.

Vexxion’s eyes shone, and he gave me a wondrous smile.

“Go to her.” I slid off his lap. “Tell her. Hug her. Love her.”

“I already do,” he croaked. “I didn’t forget. I didn’t.” He stumbled to his feet. “She . . . Will she be angry? She may not want me for a brother.”

“Vexxion.” I barreled into him and hugged him. “She’s going to love you as much as I do.” Tipping my head back, I smiled up at him. “Will you trust me in this?”

His laugh snorted out. “I trust you in everything, Fury. Always.”

I stepped back and nudged him toward the door where my friend waited. “Take her to someplace quiet and tell her. When you’re finished, I’ll be waiting in the kitchen. I might even save you a horig cake.”

His grin flashed, innocent and pure, unlike any from the hard-edged man I’d loved almost from the moment I met him. This was the Vexxion he would’ve been if an evil despot hadn’t tried to turn him into a monster. “You’d better save me one. My sister made them.”

He stepped around me and walked with confidence to the door, opening it .

“Hey, Reyla?” he asked softly. “Do you happen to have a moment to talk?”

“Sure.” She lifted her voice. “Horig cakes, Tempest. Don’t forget about them!”

As Vexxion walked out into the hall, my laughter echoed in the room.