everything is fine? What happened in that room?” He made no motion to respond to her and as the strange feeling intensified, she pulled over to the side of the road. Had Grant been mistaken, maybe he hadn’t had anything?
“What’s wrong?” Jullian unbuckled his seat belt and leaned over, touching her gently on the arm. He didn’t seem to understand why she’d stopped the car.
She couldn’t catch her breath and suddenly felt dizzy. “What did you say to my father? Better yet, what did you say to Grant on the lanai?”
Jullian sat back, keeping his hand affectionately on her arm. “Does it really matter?”
“It does to me.”
Jullian tightened his grip, his eyes brimming with sincerity and passion.
“There are moments where you must believe in more than what is probable.
Can you, just this once, take this moment as a gift and let it be without needing to know the why?”
“Just
this
once,
Jullian.”
she
whispered, the eeriness having deepened as he spoke.
He smiled and her discomfort faded a little. He leaned over, sliding his fingers through her hair. He laid his other hand gingerly over her collarbone, right where her necklace met her skin, and kissed her on the cheek. There wasn’t the slightest hint of alcohol on his breath. “Could I take back every tear you’ve ever shed in disappointment and pain, I would.” She started to speak but he touched a finger to her lips to stop her. “Love, if deep enough, can sway a magic far deeper than that of fantasy.”
Aubrey
laughed,
despite
the
genuineness of Jullian’s words. “Love can move mountains, but suggesting that it can move Parker Wright is something I wouldn’t put much faith in. It’s been a little while since my family and I had a falling out. I suppose time changes everything. It appears that in this case it has.”
Jullian briefly toyed with the wings of the dragonfly on her necklace, his smile fading a little as he did so. “Appearances aren’t everything.”
Chapter Eight
Avalar
“WE HAVE TO GO TO RHEAVON,” AUBREY
SAID weakly. They had found temporary solace in a large rock formation and sat around a fire built in the shelter of the overhang. Aislinn and Lipsey had tended to the gashes on her back with what little they had, cleaning them with the water from a nearby spring and using the few clean strips of cloth from her bloodied shirt as bandages. She’d changed into the spare shirt Lilly had packed in her satchel.
“You aren’t well,” Aislinn said firmly. “We aren’t going anywhere.”
“The Fae know I’m here, who else would have sent the Wraith?”
Aislinn laughed humorlessly as he looked around them. “I’ve never doubted they were aware of your presence here.”
Aubrey struggled to sit up. “Then she will expect us to do nothing. She will think she has succeeded. This could be good fortune.”
Lipsey crawled into her lap and then looked at Aislinn. “She will think we can’t come for the Prince. She won’t send her spies.”
Aislinn growled, sending Lipsey to cower behind Aubrey. “Fortune? Naïve human! Don’t you get it? You will lose more of yourself with every day that passes. Every breath you take will steal from you some memory of who you once were. You had little hope in defeating Saralia to begin with—there is no chance of saving him now. If we can find a way to get you home to your world, you might pull through...”
“No, you don’t get it. My life is meaningless in the greater scheme of things.” She stood then, fragile and in need of sleep, but angry at his attitude. “Stay behind. I can go alone. I never asked for your help.” She braced herself against the rocks to her left. “If Saralia thinks me unfit to fight for Jullian, that will be my advantage. If I fail, then I fail having done everything in my power to save Jullian.”
Aislinn blocked her path. “You’ll never make it, Aubrey. The Prince wouldn’t want you to suffer, surely if you were married to him
“What’s wrong?” Jullian unbuckled his seat belt and leaned over, touching her gently on the arm. He didn’t seem to understand why she’d stopped the car.
She couldn’t catch her breath and suddenly felt dizzy. “What did you say to my father? Better yet, what did you say to Grant on the lanai?”
Jullian sat back, keeping his hand affectionately on her arm. “Does it really matter?”
“It does to me.”
Jullian tightened his grip, his eyes brimming with sincerity and passion.
“There are moments where you must believe in more than what is probable.
Can you, just this once, take this moment as a gift and let it be without needing to know the why?”
“Just
this
once,
Jullian.”
she
whispered, the eeriness having deepened as he spoke.
He smiled and her discomfort faded a little. He leaned over, sliding his fingers through her hair. He laid his other hand gingerly over her collarbone, right where her necklace met her skin, and kissed her on the cheek. There wasn’t the slightest hint of alcohol on his breath. “Could I take back every tear you’ve ever shed in disappointment and pain, I would.” She started to speak but he touched a finger to her lips to stop her. “Love, if deep enough, can sway a magic far deeper than that of fantasy.”
Aubrey
laughed,
despite
the
genuineness of Jullian’s words. “Love can move mountains, but suggesting that it can move Parker Wright is something I wouldn’t put much faith in. It’s been a little while since my family and I had a falling out. I suppose time changes everything. It appears that in this case it has.”
Jullian briefly toyed with the wings of the dragonfly on her necklace, his smile fading a little as he did so. “Appearances aren’t everything.”
Chapter Eight
Avalar
“WE HAVE TO GO TO RHEAVON,” AUBREY
SAID weakly. They had found temporary solace in a large rock formation and sat around a fire built in the shelter of the overhang. Aislinn and Lipsey had tended to the gashes on her back with what little they had, cleaning them with the water from a nearby spring and using the few clean strips of cloth from her bloodied shirt as bandages. She’d changed into the spare shirt Lilly had packed in her satchel.
“You aren’t well,” Aislinn said firmly. “We aren’t going anywhere.”
“The Fae know I’m here, who else would have sent the Wraith?”
Aislinn laughed humorlessly as he looked around them. “I’ve never doubted they were aware of your presence here.”
Aubrey struggled to sit up. “Then she will expect us to do nothing. She will think she has succeeded. This could be good fortune.”
Lipsey crawled into her lap and then looked at Aislinn. “She will think we can’t come for the Prince. She won’t send her spies.”
Aislinn growled, sending Lipsey to cower behind Aubrey. “Fortune? Naïve human! Don’t you get it? You will lose more of yourself with every day that passes. Every breath you take will steal from you some memory of who you once were. You had little hope in defeating Saralia to begin with—there is no chance of saving him now. If we can find a way to get you home to your world, you might pull through...”
“No, you don’t get it. My life is meaningless in the greater scheme of things.” She stood then, fragile and in need of sleep, but angry at his attitude. “Stay behind. I can go alone. I never asked for your help.” She braced herself against the rocks to her left. “If Saralia thinks me unfit to fight for Jullian, that will be my advantage. If I fail, then I fail having done everything in my power to save Jullian.”
Aislinn blocked her path. “You’ll never make it, Aubrey. The Prince wouldn’t want you to suffer, surely if you were married to him
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