Page 187

She held Gregori’s stare until he looked away, a muscle flexing in his jaw. Then she turned to Casteel and me. “You have my support, even if you do not require it. You also have my advice. I’ve never been to Iliseeum. Obviously,” she told us, finishing off her glass of whiskey. “But I know those who have.”

A thought I really didn’t want to entertain entered my mind. Malec apparently knew what the Temples in Iliseeum looked like, and my father had a lot of mistresses.

And Willa had had a lot of partners.

What if she’d written about him in— Nope, I stopped myself from going there. I did not want to think about that.

Willa’s gaze met mine and then Casteel’s. “Whatever you do, do not enter Dalos, the City of the Gods. You will know it when you see it. If you enter, you will never return.”

Chapter 38

After Willa’s unsettling warning, the Elders gave their reluctant support of our plans to travel to Iliseeum and then meet with the Blood Crown. The cautious backing mostly came from those concerned about our safety, but I could sense a few simply didn’t agree with any of that.

Those who thought war was inevitable.

Lord Ambrose and Lord Gregori were two of them.

But I didn’t think they truly wanted war. It was just that they couldn’t see a way around it, and I hoped we proved them wrong.

The meeting was adjourned, and there was one thing left to do. We were to greet the public, along with the Elders and Casteel’s parents. Their presence would be a show of support and approval.

And then Casteel and I would be alone. Of course, we still needed to speak with Kieran, but we would have to process everything, and maybe even live a little before we embarked on our journey to Iliseeum.

I lingered as everyone filed out of the room, making their way back toward the Temple of Nyktos. I wanted to speak to Willa, who had taken her time rising from the table.

Or she simply knew I wanted to speak with her.

Either way, I had many questions and only a handful of minutes to speak to her with only Vonetta waiting by the door.

“May I ask you a question?” I said.

Willa looked over at me, her golden-brown eyes alight with the same strange, knowing glint that had been present when I first met her. “You are the Queen. You can ask whatever you like.”

I didn’t think being Queen gave me carte blanche for questions—which I had many I wanted to ask. “Why were you at the Red Pearl?” I asked.

“I have a wandering soul that has a thirst for exploration,” she answered, and based on her diary, I could agree with that.

“But isn’t it dangerous for you?”

Her laugh was throaty. “The best kind of adventures always carry a hint of danger, as I’m sure you know,” she said, and my cheeks warmed. “And it had been many years since I’d been to Masadonia. I had the strangest urge to travel there.”

Her strange urge roused my suspicions about exactly what she was. “Why did you send me to the room Casteel was in?”

Her red lips curved upward in a slight smile. “It simply…felt right to do so.”

“That is all?”

She nodded as she approached me. “One’s instinct should always be trusted.”

“You’re a changeling, aren’t you?” When she nodded, I asked, “So, your instinct is far more…accurate than others?”

A soft laugh left her. “Some would say that. Some would even say that instinctual accuracy has led me to become one of the greatest Seers Atlantia has ever known.”

A Seer. I knew it!

“When I saw you in the Red Pearl, I knew you wore a mask. Not the one that hid your identity, but one you were forced to wear for many years beneath the veil. One you didn’t know you even wore. I saw you, and I knew you were the Maiden.” Willa’s eyes searched mine as tiny bumps rose all over my skin. “I knew you were a second daughter, one who shared the blood of the gods.” Her gaze flicked over my shoulder to the door. “And I knew he was seeking the same thing that led you to the Red Pearl that night.”

My brows knitted. “He was there to discuss his plans.”

Thick curls swayed as she shook her head. “That was one of the reasons, but deep inside, he was searching for the same as you.” She paused. “To live.”

Air lodged in my throat.

“Can I share something with you?” Willa leaned in, touching my arm. A faint charge of energy danced over my skin. “You weren’t the only one seeking sanctuary that night. He was in need of shelter—one that could bear the weight of his desires, his love, and his pain. And he found it. He may have given you freedom, but you have given him more than you could ever know.”