Page 11 of Woven Souls

“It wasn’t his place to say anything.” There isn’t any anger in Theo’s voice, just resignation as he leans back in his seat. “But I suppose he was trying to fix this mess I’ve put us in.”

“So… you’re really a prince?”

Theo scoffs. “A lifetime ago. Now I’m just a disgrace.”

I’m not sure what to say to this. The resentment in his voice only drudges up more questions, but I’m not sure how much he is willing to divulge. It’s not like he’s a big sharer. I had to learn about who this Fae was from someone else.

“My mother is a very stubborn woman, Willow. I’m sure she thinks she can power through whatever storm comes her way. It worked for her last time. Even up until the last minute with a noose around her neck, she believed she’d overcome our people’s wrath. If my sisters can’t talk her into leaving, they’ll stay with her. I just hope that my sisters have become more stubborn than Mother over the years and can convince her to run.”

Theo’s voice wavers as his mouth slams shut. Before he looks away from me, I see the pain shining through.

He stabbed you!A voice in my head screams in anger.Stop feeling bad for him!

Apparently, my heart is deaf because it doesn’t stop breaking for the man sitting across from me.

I stand and move to throw away the empty box of crackers. When I return to the table, I ignore my seat and walk around to stand before the ex-Ghost, whose shoulders are hunched over and breathing is ragged. Slowly, I crouch down until I can look up into his face.

Theo’s eyes meet mine. There, unshed tears linger. His cheeks are pink, and there’s a vein popping out on the side of his temple. I reach up and cup his face, surprising the both of us. I can, for now, push aside the fact that he stabbed me. This is a man who’s sacrificed so much, has triedso hardto survive against impossible odds stacked against him from the very beginning. A man who watched his family nearly die, fighting monsters in a realm that no one knows exists, dealing with Kwil’s partial transformation, and Viktor’s angry outbursts and blindness… Then, he got saddled with me and Jonah.

Success was never in the cards for him.

And Theodon must have known that early on. Yet still he tried to do everything he could to defeat the odds.

“You have done everything you can for them, Theo. It’s up to them now to decide how things are going to go. Whatever they do, whether it’s stay and face the music or run and come here, you can at least have the peace of mind knowing you did everything you could for them.”

Theo’s eyes grow wide, the tears in them disappearing. His breathing slows, and his body relaxes.

“Why are you being so understanding after the hell I’ve put you through?”

Good question. I wish I had a clear answer.

“Because sometimes a person needs a shoulder to lean on, and right now, mine are available.”

Theo leans into my palm, his forehead creasing as his brows slide together. The hard edges that make up his face seem to soften as he gazes upon me. I always thought he was handsome. Seeing this vulnerable side of him makes him even more so. My thumb caresses his cheek as he lets out a heavy sigh.

“Is this forgiveness?”

I recoil at the word. I understand Theo’s motives, but I don’t think I’m over what he did to me.

“Call it a truce for now.”

Theo nods as he swallows. “It’s more than I deserve, in any case.”

Pulling my hand away from him, I switch gears. “I reached out to Fredrick Noir just before you caught us, to see if he’ll meet us and help lift our curse. If he can, and I’m free from monsters chasing us, maybe we can help your family. Then afterwards, we can see about my mother helpingus.”

Theo frowns.

“There’s nothing more I can do for my family.” He swallows as he meets my gaze. “But I can do everything in my power to help you. If you want to meet the warlock, so be it. We’ll find a way to make it happen.”

I smile up at him.

“There’s the Theo I know, always gunning for a solution. I knew there was a reason you’remyking.”

Theo sucks in a sharp breath. He grabs my face between both of his hands and leans forward to press his forehead against mine.

“Let’s go back to bed. In a few hours, we’ll plan accordingly.”

Chapter4