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“And the servants’ entrance has been permanently disabled so don’t get any ideas.” His sympathetic stare made the hairs on the back of her neck raise. Like she was a bird with broken wings who’d never fly again. “I know you loved him.” He paused, and his jaw muscles quivered. “But so did I.”

Gulping down the pain, Layala said, “You don’t know what love is. Love for him would have put you in prison, not at Tenebris’s side.”

With a downcast gaze, Aldrich closed the door, the sound of it snapping shut brought a chill to her skin. She didn’t like closed doors anymore. She’d never been claustrophobic, but the creeping anxiety, filling her with dread, told her she was now. With a shake of her head, she brushed that feeling off as best she could, slid open the vanity drawer, and grinned at the round silver foil. “Thank you, Tifapine.” She tore open the six wrappers and shoved the first chocolate truffle into her mouth. It melted over her tongue like honey, and she closed her eyes as the sugar filled her with new life. She ate the others too fast to truly savor the delicious treats.

A quiet knock startled her. Her nervous hand slapped against her chest, and her rapid heartbeat whispered in her ears. She quickly shoved the empty wrappers inside and closed the drawer, keeping her hands tucked behind her back. She turned in time to see Reina and Pearl step inside. Her tense shoulders sagged, and tears sprang, blurring her vision. Reina put a hand to her chest and her chin trembled. Pearl rushed across the room and swept her into an embrace. Layala stiffened at first, then returned the hug, chest warming at their kindness. Theirs were the first friendly faces she’d seen in what felt like forever. Those tears she’d been holding back slid silently down her cheeks.

“Oh, my dear girl,” Reina said, slowly stepping toward her. “I’m so sorry.”

Reina ran and wrapped her arms tightly around Layala and Pearl. “We heard you were locked in that tower, and they hadn’t been feeding you,” Pearl said, her voice wavering. “So much has changed… I’m so sorry we couldn’t help you.”

Layala pulled away first, swiping her fingers over her wet cheeks. “There was nothing you could do.”

“We’re not supposed to give you anything, just bathe and ready you for breakfast with King Tenebris, but…” Reina pulled a white napkin out of her pocket. She lifted open the edges and inside a hunk of bread waited in her palm. She pushed it into Layala’s hand with a nod. “Eat it. We’ll draw you a bath.”

A sob caught in her throat as she took the bread. “Thank you.” Her voice sounded shattered, broken, so unlike before.

Layala sat on the soft, silky bed, eating the food slower than she had the chocolate. She touched the green vines that framed and wrapped around the bedposts and instinctually looked up at Tif’s hidden perch, hoping to see her there. It was dark and empty, like she felt inside.

Soon, Reina and Pearl guided her to a steaming bath. She didn’t protest as they gently removed her clothes and helped her into the gold clawfoot tub. She eased into the hot water, the feel of it soothing against her dirty, sore skin. Reina lathered citrus and lavender soap into her hair, the smell of it reminding her of the words she chanted in that tower room. The note Thane sent must have been stuck to her skin, it soaked into the water and the ink began to fade. She snatched it up and the fragile paper melted across her fingertips. Maker, no. Her body trembled with silent sobs as the only thing left of it was his name.

“What was that paper?” Pearl asked.

Layala stared as the last bit of ink turned into blotches that stained her broken nails and cut fingers until Pearl took her hands. She didn’t answer. Maybe it was a blessing that any evidence of Thane being alive wouldn’t fall into the hands of the enemy.

“What happened to your fingers, sweet girl?”

Layala swallowed hard at the memory. “I wanted out. I wanted—” Thane, but she didn’t say his name aloud.

Pearl swiped a strand of fire-orange hair out of her eyes, slowly shaking her head in sorrow. She dipped a sponge into the bubbly water and dabbed at Layala’s hands. Her eyes unfocused as her maids cared for her in a way she had never allowed before. Tears stung, how arrogant and rude she’d been toward them, yet they still doted on her.

“I told my son that we’d get to see you today. Sir Aldrich informed us last night,” Reina said. “My boy has been asking about you.”

“I didn’t know you had a son,” Layala said, wondering why she had never inquired before. “How old? What is his name?”

“Charlie is nine. It took many many years for us to be blessed with him.”

Pearl smiled. “He’s the sweetest little boy. He talks about how much he wants to meet you. You’re his idol.”

“Me?” Layala said surprised.

“Oh yes,” Reina answered, grinning proudly as if he was standing there beside her. “He always wanted to be a mage, you see. And he has black hair and blue eyes just like you. He’s a beautiful child, and he’ll be handsome when he’s grown.”

“Well, tell him I’d love to meet him—someday.” The “someday” lingered between them for long moments.

Reina cleared her throat. “When things get better—we must believe and have hope they will—you will meet him.”

Only when the bath cooled did Layala rise, drying herself with a towel. She stared at her reflection in the full-length gold-trimmed mirror. She wasn’t sure what she expected to see, maybe gaunt cheeks and protruding ribs, but her full breasts remained, even if her collar bones were sharper. Her strong, powerful thighs appeared more defined with the loss of some fat. The definition of muscle in her shoulders may have diminished some but not much. Her waist whittled inward a little and the roundness of her hips wasn’t quite as dominant as before but somehow, she kept her form as if her body refused to become thin and brittle. Perhaps some part of her magic was interwoven into every cell of her body and kept her strong.

She felt weak, but she didn’t look it. Her skin lacked the same bronzed glow and gone was the fiery fierceness in her gaze. The girl staring back at her was sad and hollow. Even she could see that.Who was this girl? Certainly not the Layala Lightbringer who fought against pale ones and destroyed those who tortured and would have killed her mate.

Reina draped a silky blue robe around Layala’s shoulders and sat her in a soft blue chair. She combed through the tangles of Layala’s hip-length, jet-black hair while Pearl added color to her cheeks and lips. Birds chirped outside the window and muffled voices from those walking below drifted up. The silence wasn’t uncomfortable, but there were many things Layala wanted to ask, and the chocolates and bread gave her enough energy to work up the nerve. “What is the High King saying happened to—” She glanced down at her wrist where the mate rune should be, where it had been all her life, only to stare at her unmarked skin. “Thane.” She hesitated to say his name out loud; it hurt too much.

Reina stopped combing her hair. Pearl’s dark eyes lifted to her partner’s. Whatever it was, it couldn’t be good. Reina cleared her throat and spoke first, “That King—er, Prince Thane was to be executed for treason because he tried to have King Tenebris killed for the throne.”

“That’s a lie,” Layala snapped. The fire she thought went out in her sparked if even just for a moment. “He did it because Tenebris wants to betray all of us to the Black Mage.”

Pearl’s eyes widened a little. “The Black Mage? You mentioned that when you first arrived… You still believe that is true?”