I had never seen the woman who was standing there before, but instantly, I knew who she must be.
She was wearing a long, flowing purple gown with a robe over the top that reached the ground. Made of black velvet, the purple feathers at her shoulders made the robe look fit for a royal lady.
And that was exactly who was wearing it.
“Lady Nita, Your Highness,” Jake said, bowing low as he moved aside for her to co into the room.
“Greetings, Beta Jake. I am not surprised to see you here. However, I need to speak to my son in private, so I would like for you and the redheaded girl to leave at once.” She nodded at both Jake and Brook, and they exchanged a leery glance before walking out the door together.
Confused, I continued to sit next to Theo’s bed. Should I explain to her what was going on? Should I introduce myself? Should I excuse myself just like Jake and Brook? I didn’t know what to do.
“Ciana,” she said in an even tone, “move aside, please.”
My eyebrows arched. She knew who I was? I did as she said, getting up and scooting away from the bed as she slowly walked toward it. Theo was still unconscious, his forehead creased in consternation.
She stopped at the foot of his bed and stared at him for a long mont. She was thin, stoic and cold. It was said that Lady Nita was known for her beauty when she was young. However, the cold deanor from the woman who stood in front of made it hard for to appreciate her elegant and almost perfect facial features.
I thought she would be around my mother’s age, but for so reason, I just felt that she was a bit older than my mother.
She walked past and lifted her hands. A soft blue glow began to emanate out of them. The soft light filtered through the air and hovered around Theo’s body, bathing him in its warmth.
It didn’t look dangerous, like a bolt of lightning. Rather, it appeared to be inviting, soothing even.
Prince Theo began to blink his eyes, and as the light faded, I saw that he was trying to sit up but was struggling. I took a few quick steps over and helped him to a sitting position before even thinking about whether or not that was all right with the royal lady.
Since she had told to move aside, as soon as Prince Theo was able to balance himself, I stepped away. Lady Nita didn’t comnt on anything I’d done, so I decided to stay by the bed.
“Theodore,” she said, once he was seated up. “Do you know what happened to you?”
He was wincing a little, as if he was in pain, and I wanted to go to him, to help him, but I stayed back, letting mother and son do what needed to be done.
“Not sure,” he managed to grunt out. “But I think soone else was controlling the Moonlit Crystal.”
Lady Nita nodded. Her gaze was on the crystal, and I couldn’t read her expression. After a while, she whispered, “I hadn’t expected to ever see it again.”
It seed she was already aware of the situation. “And you realize that only soone from my pack can help you?”
Theo blinked a few tis and nodded. “Yes, I found out about that a few monts ago.”
She cleared her throat and folded her hands in front of her. “I can help you. But I have one condition.”
Joy bubbled up inside of . Knowing that Lady Nita had never been very kind to her son in the past, I had been afraid that she wouldn’t want to help him, but now it sounded like maybe she would after all. It didn’t matter to what the condition was, the fact that she was willing to save him was reason for happiness.
“What is your condition?” Theo asked, his voice still hoarse but growing a bit stronger, for now. I had a feeling that the power of the blue light would fade away eventually, and he would fall back to sleep again, like he had a little while ago.
After he’d kissed ....
“My condition is simple. I will save your life if you send Ciana Black away from this castle and never, ever see her again.”
My eyes widened. Her dark eyes fell on for a mont, and I couldn’t help the ripple of anxiety that shot through . Her look was sharp, and I didn’t like having that heavy gaze on .
Once she removed her eyes from , I thought about her condition. The idea that Theo could be saved was overwhelmingly positive. But... that would an I’d never see him again.
That would be okay, wouldn’t it? After all, most of the ti, he seed to despise , or at the very least, barely tolerate .
So... not seeing him again wouldn’t be all that bad for either one of us. Right?
I thought back to the ti we’d spent together inside of the world created by the crystal. He’d made love to , and it had been passionate and invigorating.
But that was just part of a dream, and we were only playing the part that the crystal wanted us to play. It wasn’t real. We had never really been together.
Was I upset about not getting to spend more ti with him? No, I wasn’t.
It was ridiculous to think that. I must be upset because I’d leave the palace and not be able to see Brook again.
The bright side was, I would be able to go back ho, vindicate Susan’s death, and save my parents’ Alphadom, just as I had been planning before the business with the crystal ca about.
So it was for the best that Lady Nita’s wishes be fulfilled.
Annoyance washed over as I thought about how silly I’d been to even consider the possibility of staying by his side instead of letting his mother save him. It was no contest—I needed to go.
I thought for certain Theo would want to see leave anyway, so when he said coldly, “No. She will stay,” I couldn’t believe my ears.
My eyes widened.
Did he care about ? Was there a chance that the prince really did have positive feelings for ? Perhaps, he also considered a...friend?
But then his mother demanded to know, “Why, Theodore?”
His response made my insides crumble into a thousand pieces, particularly my heart.
“Because... I need her blood. For the dreamberry.”
Oh. Right. There was that. I had almost forgotten. How foolish was I to think that he actually gave even an ounce of concern about ?
She laughed, almost sounding like a maniacal cackle. “Don’t be ridiculous, Theodore. Her blood is not so important. After all, if you die, what good will it do to have her blood?”
She had a point. If he was permanently asleep, or even worse, dead, having the berry would do no one any good.
“Listen to ,” she said, gripping the board at the foot of the bed. “I know what’s best for you.”
Theo’s eyes bulged from his head as his face began to turn red. “You know what’s best for ?” he echoed. “I find that quite interesting considering how you have always treated like a nuisance, like I am the worst thing that ever happened to you!”
“Don’t you speak to that way, Theodore. You are my son.” Her voice carried a stern warning embedded in each word.
“That’s right, I am your son,” he said, his hands curling into fists that wrapped around the blankets covering him. “And it is about ti that you rembered that! The Moon Goddess knows you seed to have forgotten that fact how many years ago? No, Lady Nita, I’m sorry, but I will not heed your warning!”
“Theodore,” she said through gritted teeth. “This is not a request, it’s an order!”
“An order from Lady Nita?” Theo scoffed, “As far as I know, my status is more superior than yours in this palace, Your Highness.”
“I’m your mother, Theo!”
Theo sneered, “Now you rember that you’re a mother? No, you don’t get to call yourself my mother anymore.”
“What did you say?” I could hear the trembling in her voice. “How dare you speak to that way!”
“How many tis have I reached out to you for help over the years, and what have I gotten?” Theo bursted out. I’d never seen him like this before.
He continued, “Why would I listen to soone who shut out from her life for years?! No, not after the way you’ve always treated ! You turned away when I needed you more than anyone else in the world, but you wouldn’t help ! You left to Father’s twisted desires and every ti I ca to you for comfort or support, you wouldn’t even open the door!”
Lady Nita lowered her gaze. Her silence was a confirmation of everything that Jake had told earlier and what Theo had just said.
“So, no, you don’t get to co in here and tell what to do! I will not bend to your threats, Lady Nita. Now, please get out of my room before I have the guards to remove you!”
She stared at him for a long mont, a scowl on her face, as she seethed with anger and bitterness. I thought there was a good chance she could create another ball of magic and toss it at him, or at , killing both of us.
But she didn’t. It didn’t take her too long to regain her composure. Instead of continuing to persuade Theo, she said, “Very well, Your Highness. If this is what you are choosing to do, then I hope you will not regret your decision.”
With that, she turned, twirling her long skirt and robe behind her as she went. Her servant opened the door for her and she walked out the room gracefully with even paces, as if the conversation she had with Theo was a casual discussion about the weather, not an argunt and heated negotiation about his life.
When the door clicked closed, I was still digesting the situation.
I stood there, my mouth hanging open, blinking in disbelief, trying to figure out what in the world had just happened.
All of Theo’s words played over and over again in my mind, and the weight of them began to sink in. I realized just how awful Theo’s childhood had truly been.
When I turned to look at him, I could see the handso and strong man before , but inside of him, deep down, a lonely soul still lived.
And now, for the first ti since I’d t him, I began to understand why Prince Theo was the way that he was.
However, I was more confused than ever about what he thought about . Was there sothing more, sothing deeper to our dream encounter and his fevered kisses? Or was my blood and that berry all that he really cared about?
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