a decision to try to save lives, and that decision had cost two innocents their own.
I would never be able to bear the choices I made. In the fae world, there were always consequences, even when you tried to do the right thing.
“Emma, we have to go.” Arthur wouldn’t let me lie there. He put his arms around my middle and dragged me to my feet, pulling me away from the source of my sorrow.
I couldn’t walk, so Arthur carried me. My toes skimmed along the ground, until he changed into a wolven and forced me onto his back. Everything went numb, and I couldn’t see straight. The city blurred as colors melded together, creating the faces of the old woman and child in my head, the girl’s screams for help bleeding into my ears. I’d sacrificed their lives to save others, and yet, it didn’t feel noble.
It made me feel just as evil as Gabby.
I slid off Arthur’s back when we came to the university gates, and he changed. The campus was deserted— all the other students were inside their dorms, and the teachers had retreated back into the palace, probably to restore order. The only person that still stood outside looking for people was Lord Lucien.
I removed my mask in front of him— I didn’t care. I didn’t care that he’d seen me in my White Rose costume, or that he knew who I was. At this point, I was just so happy to see him. The illusion fell away, but as my hair and eye color changed back to normal, Lucien bore no indication of surprise. If anything, he looked pissed.
“What were you all doing out there?” Lucien barked at Arthur and I, before his eyes flashed to the rest of the group. “Emma, I just saw you and your friends come through a few hours ago. What possessed you to sneak out and return to those dire streets?”
An involuntary sob rose from my throat. I flung myself onto Lucien and held him tightly. He balked for a second before his arms folded around me. He returned the embrace, clutching me as if I was precious for a few brief moments.
Lucien finally pulled away and squeezed my shoulders. “You cannot possibly imagine how worried I was.”
“I’m sorry,” I wept. “I just wanted to help.”
“It’s done now. It’s over.” Lucien wiped a few of my tears away before he took in the sight of Delmare, Odette, and Kiara, still in their vigilante costumes.
“Give me those masks and those cloaks,” Lucien said gruffly to us girls. “I’ll get rid of them. You can’t be seen wearing those around campus.”
We had our day clothes on underneath, so we did as Lucien asked. I felt no regret as I handed Lucien my White Rose mask—I just wanted to be rid of it.
He gathered the cloaks and masks into a ball in his arms, and said, “Into the castle, quickly. Go to the dormitories and do not come out.”
Nobody argued. We remained silent as we trekked into the castle. I gave Arthur a tight hug before he slipped into Vara’s room to be with her— there were no words we could say that would suffice. We were twins, and through that secret bond, I knew both of us were simply glad the other had made it through tonight.
The girls followed me into my dorm. Tygrys zoomed toward me. The little fae tiger rubbed against my cheek and purred.
“I’m okay,” I told him, and I patted him lightly. Delmare turned on the TV. We all sat on my four-poster bed and watched the news, which flickered back and forth from footage of the war-torn streets to images of Gabby’s spell. The video had whipped the newscasters into a frenzy, and it was difficult to hear them argue either for or against her defense. Some broadcasters thought the video was a fake— others thought it could be true.
It didn’t matter to me. The video had served one purpose, and it had done the job.
After a while, we turned the news off. I just couldn't stand looking at all the carnage, or listening to the newscasters arguing about what Gabby’s video meant. The silence and waiting was worse than the actual fighting. We sat there uselessly as the minutes ticked by, hoping for word from the boys.
Odette eventually broke. “I want Theo!” she sobbed. She put her head to Kiara’s chest and cried, while Kiara rubbed her back.
“I know. But they’re coming back,” Kiara insisted.