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He jumps to his feet, and I recoil out of instinct, his voice loud enough to pierce the confines of his study. “Your mother handled the specifics, not me. And what good did it do? She didn’t have a boy, and now, I have to remarry.”

My brows raise in understanding. His visits to Danu… If he’s about to remarry, he can’t keep me around, or my magic and its Faerie association will become too obvious.

I find solace in the knowledge that his outburst is totally unrelated to my growing feelings for the shadow realm and its inhabitants. It has nothing to do with Isaac’s engagement, after all.

“I am to marry Danu’s princess. The entire royal family will be joining us for the weddings in less than a week, and you can’t be here when they arrive,” he explains.

Weddings…

Danu is known for its harsh winters and harsher treatment of women, and the royal family does not deal in half-measures when it comes to alliances.

My heart beats at my temples. “And Cece is now betrothed to their oldest son…” I reach for him and stop myself at the last second. “Father, no. Please. Danu priests twist our Mother’s words to excuse their barbaric ways. You can’t possibly?—”

“Together, Demeter and Danu will thwart the assaults of the evil Faerie lands. I should have made this decision sooner. I shouldn’t have banked on a weak, silly child to save my kingdom from demons.”

Esme cracks open the servant door hidden in the tapestries, and our gazes meet, a flash of fear written across her severe features.

Father clears his throat at her arrival like he expected her to come. “Esmeralda, please join us.”

Esme walks over to me, a fresh candle burning in her hand. “You sent for me, Your Highness?”

Father moves to grip her chin, and I jump at the sudden move. “You were my first mistake... I can’t afford to let myself be distracted by your charms, anymore.” He leers at her chest longingly and grazes her hair before spinning away with a hint of regret.

Wait. Esme…and my father?

If I can’t be here when the Danu princess arrives, then his lover Esme can’t, either.

He clears his throat again, and the dry noise scrapes my ears. “I saw you with your spellbooks, sorceress. I know what you were up to. You’ve been poisoning my daughters from the moment you set foot in this house, and you will be moved to the dungeons.” He turns to me, hands tucked at his back. “And you… Are you still my daughter?”

“Yes!”

“I figured out a way to settle this once and for all. I asked the guards to move this in here.” He unveils the huge golden-trimmed mirror that was in the basement and picks up a long-stemmed maillet.

My lids close, suddenly so heavy. If he breaks that mirror…

“It’s a simple test. If you go through the mirror, I’ll know for sure that you’re no longer my daughter. If you don’t, then you will stay away from your sister until this wretched Fae matter is resolved. Win the bet, and you’ll be sent to the temple to become a priestess, and maybe then I’ll allow you to see her again.”

“Father. Please.” My stomach clenches in a violent squeeze, and I hold an arm across my body.

The emerald and gold mask is heavy in my skirt’s pocket. If I leave now, he’ll never trust me again, but if I stay, there’s no guarantee I can stop this wretched wedding from happening…

His eyes narrow, and he stalks forward. Under his cold, empty stare, I’m no longer his daughter, but something less-than. Something ruined. “But if you let the Shadow King defile my kingdom, your sister will never set eyes on you again. And I’ll make sure she pays the price for your disgrace.”

“How could you say that?” Cece squeaks from the dark corner of the room, standing behind a museum crate I hadn’t looked twice at, and my eyes bulge.

By the Mother! Was she there all along? Did she sneak in behind me?

Father reels at her arrival, his cheeks flustered with a deep red hue, and his perfectly rehearsed manners are quickly replaced by the drunken mumblings of a confused man. “Cecelia, go back to your room at once! How dare you?—”

He wraps a hand around her upper arm and attempts to push her out of the room, but she escapes his grip at the last second. He gives chase and ends up flat on his ass by the door. “Come back here!”

He struggles to stand, his movements heavily impaired by the booze.

Esme pulls on my elbow. “Now, Penelope. This is our chance.”

I dig the balls of my feet into the carpet as Cece runs back over to us. She grabs my arm, her blue eyes full of unshed tears. “Nell, don’t go.”

Esme slips inside the glass and makes her escape, and I don’t blame her, really, but I couldn’t leave without saying goodbye.