So, I went with ignoring him as much as I could, but he was a persistent little shit.
“Should I send Dain or Maddox back to the castle and find out if the spell worked?” he’d asked after following me out to the orchards when all I’d wanted was to be left alone.
Still, I didn’t answer him. Even though I knew it was something that needed to be done, I’d ask Maddox myself as soon as I saw him.
“I could go myself, but Maddox has more connections than me, so he’d be quicker at finding the information,” Finn continued and piqued my curiosity.
While I’d done my best to not think about Maddox being a spy for the king because he had been rather helpful, I still hadn’t forgotten my initial reservations about him. He made the perfect mole by being close to Ivy, running a neighboring farm, and getting along with Finn. It was almost too good to be acceptable.
“He’s supposed to be here this morning, so I’ll ask him when he arrives,” Finn added.
Morning? It was already past lunch time. Maddox was late. How had Finn not seen that as something to be concerned with? I almost broke the silence by pointing that out, but the snap of a twig caught my attention.
My wings unfurled without notice, nearly knocking Finn to the ground. He was slower to respond, but he, too, released his wings and stood beside me.
I held my hand up, so he would be quiet as I searched the area. Running footsteps were coming from our left, but given how far I’d walked into the orchard, I had no idea what direction that actually was. It could have been from the house, the neighboring fields, or even the beaches.
Either way, I pooled magic into my palms, ready to fire at first sight and going with my motto that it was better to act first and ask questions later.
“Finn!” Ivy’s voice called out before we could see her.
He stepped in front of me, protecting his sister from my potential actions. “Over here.”
The direction of her steps curved to the right, and she came barreling through the trees, tears streaking down her face. My shoulders tensed. Tears made me uncomfortable.
“He’s gone,” she cried, falling into her brother’s open arms.
“Who’s gone?” Finn asked.
“Maddox. He never showed up, and since I couldn’t find either of you, I went to his house, but he wasn’t there, either.”
Finn growled. “You went by yourself?”
She stepped back and jabbed him in the stomach. “Yes, I’m not a prisoner in our home. I’m perfectly capable of popping over to his farm on my own.”
“Had anyone seen him?” I asked, and Finn raised a brow at me.
“No, not since last night,” Ivy answered while wiping the tears from her cheeks and finding her resolve.
Finn wrapped an arm around her. “Don’t worry. I’m sure he’ll be back before nightfall and will tell us what happened.”
She shuddered and nodded as Finn led her back to the house.
Finally, I was alone.
Only it didn’t bring the solace I had expected.
I was at war with myself and, without Finn there to annoy me, had no choice left but to face the things I could no longer ignore.
For a long time, I’d been alone. Even when I lived with my parents, they’d never really loved me the way I’d seen other fae parents with their kids. While friends had birthday parties, I had more responsibilities. The older I got, the more that was expected of me, until I was old enough to understand right from wrong. Well, my version of it, anyway.
The king had an easy mark in me when he’d taken me in. I had so badly wanted someone to love me that I’d taken his twisted version of parental care and held on to it with all I had. Any attention was better than none at all was what I’d believed.
“Your wings are magnificent, Lucinda.” King Zephyr was running his hand along my feathers. “You’re such a special girl. I hope you know that. I will always take care of you, and I know in return you’ll always make me proud.”
My smile grew wide. “Of course, I will, Zephy. I would do anything for you.”
His fingers grasped my chin, a spark of something in his eye I hadn’t understood at the age of ten. “You have the potential for greatness. Don’t disappoint me, or it will be your fault for the actions I must take in order