Page 47 of Battle for the Shadow Prince (A Bargain with the Shadow Prince #2)

47

The Rarest Treasure

ELOISE

“ I never meant to put you in harm’s way by coming here,” I say to Maeve.

She frowns. “Of course you didn’t. None of this is your fault.”

“But it is problematic.” I watch as a tear traces her cheek.

“You’re a vampire, Eloise. How is that going to work? After tonight, the FBI is going to have even more questions. There is Denardi DNA everywhere. I’m good, but I’m not this good. I can’t clean up this mess. And you can’t be in the sunlight. You need a safe place to sleep during the day, and it’s not here.”

I stare out the window, at Damien hosing down my front lawn. “I won’t go back to Night Haven. Neither will Damien.”

“What about the coven in Chicago? Maybe you could both take refuge there?”

She’s right. We could go to Chicago, but if I’m willing to uproot myself and move across the country, there is somewhere else I’d rather be. I look around the attic, my parents’ books, their herbs and magical accouterments, the outline of the spell I drew on the floor to send Damien home, and the answer clicks. I’ve been fighting it, but it’s the only way this all works, and remarkably, when I consider it, I feel nothing but peace.

“I love you, Maeve, and I’m so glad I got to see you again.”

“But?”

“But I think I have to go with Damien, back to his world.”

A sob breaks her throat. “I thought you might say that.”

“It’s just the fair thing to do. His kingdom needs him. He never intended to leave. And now, being what I am, there’s no place for me here anymore.”

She nods. “I hate it so much, but I think you’re right.”

I feel a fat tear break the dam of my lower lid. “You are the best friend I’ve ever had, and the sister I’ve always wanted. It kills me to consider leaving you.”

“I feel the same way.” She sniffs. “But Eloise, you have a man down there who loves you the way you deserve to be loved. And you love him enough to die for him. Your home is with him.”

“My home is with him.” I nod, my tears joining hers in solidarity.

“Do you think the Hitch and Cast spell works between worlds?”

I shrug. “I’m the key. If I can go there using a symbol, I can come for a visit using one, no key required. Phantom can teach me.”

She huffs and then pulls me into a tight hug. “I’m going to miss you.”

“There’s just one more favor I have to ask of you.”

“Anything,” she says.

“This house can’t fall into the wrong hands. My family is buried here. I want you to have it. I want to gift you the house.”

She nods. “I’ll take care of everything.” With a snap of her fingers, papers appear on the worktable. “Sign here and it’s done. I’m still not sure how I’m going to explain all this, but where there’s a will and magic, there’s a way.”

I scribble my name at the bottom of the page. And then I hug her for the last time.

DAMIEN

I surf the shadows into the house and up the stairs to the threshold of the attic. I’m surprised when I easily move through the open door. Before, the room was guarded by a ward that Eloise had to pull me through. I don’t know if the ward is gone or if it simply remembers me.

The scent of tears immediately reaches my nose. Eloise and Maeve hold an embrace, weeping in each other’s arms. It’s physically painful for me to see my mate cry, but her scent tells me these tears aren’t completely born of sadness. Something else is going on here.

I wait silently in the shadows, watching over them both.

Eloise breaks away first, clearing her throat. Maeve draws some papers from the table and holds them while she kisses Eloise on the cheek. Then she turns to me. “Goodbye, Advocate. And thank you for your service.” She slides from the room and descends the stairs.

“What was that all about?”

Eloise turns to me. “We need to talk.”

I raise a brow and swagger closer to her, wiping away her tears. “I’m listening.”

“We can’t stay here,” she says, although I can see by her trembling lip that admitting it almost destroys her. “Maeve helped me to see that. The people of Echo Mills know me and my family too well. They’ve already been reaching out to Maeve, asking when I’ll be back. I can’t be back and not see them in the sunlight, and that’s not even considering the legal trouble I’m in.”

I nod. “I’m sorry, little bird. This isn’t the fate I wanted for you.”

Her eyes sweep up to mine. “But maybe it is the fate that was meant for me. Maybe this was all meant to be.” She sighs. “The clock is no longer my anchor, and all the books in this attic are contained in Phantom.” She points toward the fox, who watches us from the corner of the attic. “Everything here feels disconnected. This new body… I’m not even connected to Phantom as I once was. Wherever I am, wherever I go next, I’m starting at the beginning when it comes to my magic.”

Absently, I work my finger into the coil of one of her soft red curls. “It’s wise of you to acknowledge this. Change is inevitable. And when you’re immortal, it’s the only certainty in life. In my experience, the ones who cause the greatest suffering are those who refuse to accept it.”

“Right.” She looks down at her toes between us. “So we can’t stay here. Not long term.”

I wonder if she’s come to the same conclusion I have, that the Lamia coven is probably the only place on earth that’s safe for us now. I place my bent knuckle under her chin and lift. “Where would you like to go? Say the word and I will make it so.”

Her trembling lips spread into a smile. “Stygarde.”

My heart leaps, and I grip her chin between my thumb and forefinger. “Do not tease me with this unless you are decided on the matter. To do otherwise would be cruel.”

She shakes her head. “I’m ready. I want to go to your world. I want to be your princess. I’ll have Phantom with me, and if I need help with my parents’ magic or to visit Maeve, I will. But I think it’s time for us to have a real home, and that home is your home. There’s nothing left for me here, and there’s so much for us to discover there. You were brought to this world against your will, and you’ve suffered here, first because you had no choice and now for me. Because you love me. Well, I love you, Damien. I want to see your face when you finally return to the home you left behind. Besides, what if there’s a kernel of truth to what Aurora said to me during the second trial? I know she was just a mirror version of reality, but don’t we have an obligation to return to your kingdom if it needs you?” She takes my face in her hands. “There’s nothing left for me here, Damien. Take me home to Stygarde.”

There isn’t a word for the amount of joy that fills me in that moment. This outcome is exactly what I wanted and the thing I thought I’d have to wait a short eternity for.

“Yes, little bird.” I hold out my hand to her. “My world will be your world. My life will be your life. Open the way.”