Witch In Charge - Celia Kyle Page 0,63

king of the gargoyles before he was cursed. That means Ronun is the only living pure-blood royal remaining.”

“Good for him,” Kelly said, unable to keep the bitterness from her voice.

Cora nobly ignored the tone and continued. “The kingdom has been ruled by stewards in the meantime because the royal family has been bound by the curse. I think…”

Cora studied Kelly’s face as she sat back, clearly not sure how Kelly was going to take this news. It couldn't be much worse than what had been running through her mind for the last week.

“Spit it out.”

“Kelly, I think he went back to rule his kingdom.”

“What?!”

Kelly had no idea how this news would possibly make her feel better. Her heart had been shattered and now she was faced with the knowledge that…Ronun was never coming back. Why would he? He was a freaking king now! He could have any beautiful woman he wanted. Hell, he could have them all now. What would he want with a party girl witch?

As though reading her thoughts, Cora took her hand and gently squeezed it. “Did you love him?”

The tears streaming down Kelly's face was answer enough. There was no question. She loved him then and loved him now. That was the problem with grief, it was all about love. A great, encompassing love that now had nowhere to go.

“Then you have to be happy for him, Kelly.”

“Happy!” she snapped, anger and loss tearing free from her heavy, dull sadness. “Happy that he left me without even saying goodbye? Happy that he hasn’t sent me any word? Happy that I freed him? Happy that I loved him so much that—”

“Kelly.” Cora’s eyes were dark with pain, but she squeezed Kelly’s hand again, much harder this time. “It’s okay to be sad—even angry. You’ve lost something wonderful. But you gave him back his life, Kelly. Whether you knew it or not, he was only living a half-life under that curse. Now he can fully embrace everything he was born to do. You can’t blame him for that.”

Kelly shook her head, violently, swiping at her tears.

“He wouldn’t want you living a half-life either, Kelly.” Cora’s voice was stern now. “He's got responsibilities, and so do you. I agree that he handled it all poorly, and if I ever see him again, you can bet I'll chew him up and spit him out over it. But sweetie, you gave him your heart fully and completely. You loved him with everything you have, and Kelly? That's a bit of a miracle, if you ask me. Now you just need to figure out a way to honor your loss and move on. It’s what he would want, I know that much about Ronun. He'd want you to be happy.”

Of course Cora would be all logical and healthy about the situation. But as much sense as she was making, Kelly was too miserable to accept it.

“How the hell am I supposed to do that?” she moaned.

“Kick the ice cream habit, for one. Next, take a shower. A really long one, using lots and lots of soap. Then, get back to work before Owyn fires your sorry ass.”

“Okay, that’s fair.” Kelly sniffled and gave Cora a weak half-smile. “Do I smell that bad?”

“I, uh, I’m going to hang out downstairs for a bit,” Cora said, heaving her body upright without answering Kelly's query. “Think about it and come down soon, okay? Everyone’s waiting for you.”

Kelly nodded, drawing in hitching breaths. Like it or not, she had to move. Time was not standing still, and neither could she.

The afternoon light glared at Kelly as she hurried up the path toward the main Judiciary building. She was going in early to try to catch up on everything she had missed. Aside from the obvious job-saving qualities, it would be a good distraction. While she had her head in the books, she could forget her poor, pained heart for a little while. Every now and then as she walked, she’d find a tear running loose on her cheek, but she would wipe it away and soldier on, accepting that she would carry her heartache for the rest of her days.

She made a detour to Witch Way Supply Company for some retail therapy and almost ran straight into Kalliope on the way in. Kelly leveled a cold glare on the witch, but tried to take the high road by keeping her lips clamped tight as she attempted to edge around her. But Kalliope wasn't having it. She