“Are you okay? Why didn’t you tell me you weren’t feeling well?” Gods, had this been my fault? I should’ve taken things slower.
“I was lightheaded after the group conversation,” she murmured. “I went to lie down.”
And I’d followed her in here to yell at her. What a jackass I was. “I’m so sorry, onawilke. What can I do?”
“I just need sleep. I’ve been up late most nights.” She yawned.
“Doing what?” My mind wandered.
“Just... studying. My classes are hard this semester. I’m exhausted.”
Emma nuzzled against my side and closed her eyes. She curled into me, and I stroked her red hair until she faded off into dreamland.
I didn’t have classes the rest of the day, so I stayed with Emma until she woke up later that afternoon. She remained at my side, sleeping soundlessly against my chest. When she asked for food, I insisted she remain in bed while I got something for her supper, though she seemed too weak to take down anything but soup. She went back to bed shortly after that.
I let her rest as the nighttime hours closed in. My stomach was knotted with anxiety. I felt like there was something Emma wasn’t telling me— something that was affecting her health.
A million terrible thoughts flooded my head. What was she too afraid to tell me?
I needed to be there for her. And I needed to find out what she was hiding, so I could do something to help... that is, if it was within my power to do.
Though I couldn’t shake the nauseating feeling that whatever was wrong with Emma had something to do with me.
Chapter Six
Emma
“I hope you’re keeping your mate in line, Sosna. Or should I say, White Rose.”
Gabby had cornered me on my way to Introduction to Portals. She placed a hand on her hip and raised an eyebrow at me.
My insides curled viciously. All I wanted to do was slap her in the face, but as students passed me by I knew it’d be a bad idea to lash out. If I hurt her, I’d get into trouble for smacking the future queen, and she’d bring down more repercussions on me after.
Gabby knew my identity as a vigilante because I’d been forced to tell her. It was my only plan for keeping Ethan off her back, and thank the gods, she actually thought it was a good idea.
“The Phantom hasn’t shown up since the White Rose confronted him. I scared him off,” I said. For Fuck’s sake, what more did the bitch want from me? I was doing what she asked.
“For now,” Gabby said. “But if I know the prince, curiosity will get the best of him. It won’t be long before he’s back out there, hunting cultists. And I expect you to stop him when he does.”
“Stop him how?” I was getting impatient.
Gabby tilted her head. “By any means necessary! I’ve been informed by the cult he’s discovered their little hideout. If he does anything, and I mean anything, to interfere, he’ll pay the price. The Black Claw are our allies. We need them.”
“They’re no allies of mine,” I sneered.
Gabby frowned. “Careful, Sosna. Things are changing quickly in Malovia. You’ll want to be on the winning side, if you know what’s good for you.”
Gabby swaggered off. I tried not to scream. If I didn’t choke her before this was all over, it’d be a miracle.
What did she mean by winning side? Did she expect the Arcanea to revolt once she and Elijah brought Droga back from the dead?
Of course she did. Not so many fae would be willing to follow the god of the Unseelie. Most fae had sworn themselves to Tomir, the god of Seelie fae. They’d fight back. And Gabby and Elijah were planning to crush that rebellion as swiftly as possible.
I hated that I was working for them. But I had no choice. Not if I wanted to keep Ethan breathing.
Ethan hadn’t become the Phantom again since I’d spooked him, but he still crept around at night, which meant I had to tail him in case he got into trouble. Sleep was the last thing I was getting, which was proving detrimental to my disorder. It was the reason I’d fainted while we were fooling around last week. I’d been running on less than a few hours of rest. And he hadn’t touched me since that moment, the fucking tease. He hadn’t even kissed me. I didn’t know if we were waiting to talk about boundaries or if he