The Raven and the Dove (The Raven and the Dove #1) - Kaitlyn Davis Page 0,129

saw her as just a girl, and not a princess. Not the future queen.”

Rafe swallowed.

Revulsion curled his gut, self-loathing.

“It’s funny,” Xander whispered, tone quivering as though he was struggling to keep it even and emotionless. “How fast things can change. How, in the blink of an eye, someone you thought was your best friend can become a person you hardly recognize, can’t even stand to look at or talk to. How fragile unbreakable bonds can truly be.”

Rafe’s legs grew weak. He wobbled unsteadily as Xander stood, muscles rigid and strong and assured. It was all Rafe could do not to crumble to the ground as his brother spun slowly, holding his left palm open, an emerald ring flashing brightly against his pale skin.

“I’ll return this to Lyana,” he stated, words soft but perfectly clear. “I’m sure she’s worried sick about where it might have gone.”

Rafe’s ears began to ring.

The world slowed.

The light was too bright and the shadows too dark.

He forgot to breathe.

Each step his brother took to the door made him flinch, but he couldn’t move, couldn’t speak, couldn’t do anything. He was aware and yet not, drowning even as he tried to swim, falling even as he fought to fly, immobile even though every ounce of him wanted to move or shout or scream.

Xander stepped through the door and began to close it.

“Wait!”

Rafe lunged, gripped the edge of the door like a lifeline, and forced it open. Xander paused, glancing back over his shoulder as a violet pain flashed across his eyes.

I’m sorry, he thought.

The words were so insufficient they wouldn’t come, too weak to even speak aloud.

There’s so much you don’t understand, Xander.

But only because Rafe had never bothered to explain, to give his brother honesty or any semblance of the truth.

She saved me.

From the dragon.

From loneliness.

From myself.

In so many ways, she saved me.

It was an excuse—an excuse for a betrayal so deep, Rafe knew in his heart there was no excusing it. The magic didn’t matter. Nor did the fact that he'd fallen for her before he'd even realized who she was, and that as soon as he had, he'd tried to keep his distance, tried to stay away.

Because he'd failed. He'd known what he was doing last night, and all the nights before. He'd known, and he hadn't cared.

If he were to be honest, he would do it all again.

Rafe had his answer—love was worth any cost. Even when it was a brief star shooting across the night sky, gone before he could even hold it for a moment. It was worth it. The way she’d looked at him, as though every adventure and dream and desire lived within his gaze—he would never forget it. The memory would burn in his heart until the day he died, more powerful than any magic he’d ever known.

“Forgive her,” Rafe whispered. He didn’t deserve forgiveness, but he wanted them to find happiness together. “I won’t— I won’t be coming back.”

Xander looked away and left without saying another word.

Rafe stared at the empty spot where his brother had just stood. He stared, and stared, and stared, until his eyes burned so badly, he thought they might bleed. Then he turned, picked up his bag, and left, needing to make one final stop before he said goodbye to his homeland for good.

60

Lyana

“I don’t know where it is, Cassi,” she shrieked, tossing the blankets from her bed, digging under the pillows, falling to her hands and knees to check the floor. “I have to find it. I have to!”

“It’s all right,” her friend soothed. “Stay calm.”

Calm.

Calm!

Calm was not the word she would use to describe herself, not this morning. Panicked. Heartbroken. Disgusted. Nerves frayed beyond belief. Those were far more accurate descriptions. Ever since leaving Rafe’s room, she’d felt off. There was a throbbing beneath her skin, a current making her stomach flutter and her insides whirl, confusing her thoughts and setting her body on edge. Her heart started pounding the instant she woke, and the drumming only continued, steadily inclining, a thump, thump, thump that she couldn’t ignore.

A knock on the door snapped her back to the present.

Cassi put her hands on Lyana’s shoulders, steadying her. “I’ll keep looking for the ring. You just try to relax. We’ll find it before he gets here, I promise.”

But even as her friend said the words, Lyana knew the ring was gone. She’d had it during dinner, she’d had it during dancing, and that was where the certainty ended. Her night with Rafe