Page 21 of Broken Hearted (Cursed Fae #3)
Adrien
I had to lock down my emotions as I watched Isolde flee with her sister. Everything inside me screamed to cut Elisana down, end her here and now, and leave with my mate. But I couldn’t. A strike against my ex-fiancée was a strike against Isolde’s beloved sister, and I would never cause Isolde that kind of pain. So I fought my desire for revenge and stood rooted in place, watching the love of my life run in the other direction, taking half of my heart with her.
I’d taken a gamble drinking Elisana’s potion, but it had been a good one. I’d consumed the liquid over a minute ago, and though I felt a pulling at my thoughts to shift to Elisana, I was easily able to fight it. Now that Isolde and I had bonded, the magic that connected us was stronger than Elisana’s potion. I had hoped that would be true before I drank. But even if I’d been wrong, it would have been worth it to give Isolde the opportunity to escape with Seraphina. And I reasoned that Isolde had already broken the spell once, so I had confidence she would be able to detox me of this poison again if she had to.
She was amazing, my mate. Fierce, loyal, kind, and brave. I truly believed there was nothing she couldn’t do, but even so, I was relieved to find I was still in my right mind.
I only had to convince Elisana I was under her spell for a few more moments. My plan was to immobilize her as soon as Isolde and Seraphina were safely gone. I might not be able to strike Elisana down, but I could render her useless with my magic, and then I would search this house from top to bottom for some way to break the soul-tie she’d created with Seraphina.
The front door slammed, marking Isolde’s and Seraphina’s exit, and relief shot through me.
Thank the stars, they’d made it out of the house. But right on the heels of that relief was a longing and sadness so acute it felt like my heart was being squeezed in a vise. I wasn’t meant to be separated from my mate like this.
Turning back to me, Elisana leaned against me with her head on my shoulder, seemingly content. I gathered my shadows, pulling them closer as I readied my snare. In a moment I would shove her away and then spring my trap, boxing her in shadows.
Elisana didn’t seem to notice the shadows slithering toward us. Her fingernails ran over the back of my neck as she draped her arm across my chest, and a wave of revulsion rolled through me that I played off like a shiver of desire. I glanced down at her, forcing my gaze to remain a mask of loving devotion.
“I’m so glad to have you back, darling,” she said, using her favorite term of endearment for me as she snuggled closer.
It took everything inside me not to rip myself away from her, but instead I concentrated on playing my part.
“I’ve missed you,” I said.
The words tasted vile in my mouth, but I managed to deliver them with a smile. I wasn’t sure I was convincing enough though because Elisana’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly and she pulled back a little.
A spike of apprehension ran through me, telling me it was time to act. I was just about to unleash my shadows, trapping Elisana within them, when there was a prick at the center of my chest and a familiar and unwanted heaviness settled over me. Every shadow I’d conjured in the room behind her dissolved into nothing.
I reeled back, but it was too late.
Looking down, I spotted a dark purple glow and realized with growing horror that she’d put a rune on me, but this one felt different from a dampener and wasn’t the normal sickening green color. The rune on my chest wasn’t just smothering my powers, it had also started to trickle into my mind, making me foggy and seemingly allowing Elisana’s potion to do its work—not enough that I fell completely under her control like I had before, but I knew I was impaired.
Fear clawed its way through my chest for the first time since I’d consumed her tea tonight.
When I glanced back up at Elisana, she stood a few feet away from me, holding her wand. There was a haze in the air around her, and my feelings of anger started to soften even as I tried to hold on to them.
“Ah, that’s better,” she said with a smile on her face.
I blinked a couple of times, shaking my head against the fog of confusion that dulled my senses. “Why did you do that?” I asked.
Stepping forward, she patted my cheek affectionately. I didn’t lean into it, but I didn’t swat her away like I wanted to either. “Just as a precaution, darling.”
I tried to rouse my fury again, but it doused itself almost the moment it was ignited.
Setting down her wand, Elisana took my hand, holding it between both of hers. Part of me wanted to yank it away from her, but another part of me welcomed the contact. I stood still as the two opposing forces warred within me. The potion was strong, but my love for Isolde was stronger. I had to fight this.
“I know I was pushing for a big wedding, but all this has made me realize that I don’t need that. I just want you,” Elisana said, and I looked into her brown eyes. They were quite beautiful, with gold flecks interspersed throughout the bronze. Had I ever noticed that before? I wasn’t sure.
“Now that you’re back to yourself,” she continued, “we’ll finally be married like we should have been. I’ve already started preparing for a ceremony right here in my hometown.”
I found myself nodding without meaning to, and a huge smile broke over Elisana’s face, even though inside I was screaming, thrashing in a cage of my own mind.
Married? No. I would never marry her . There was … someone else. There was …
As I stared at Elisana, another woman’s image appeared in my mind’s eye. A raven-haired beauty with ice-blue eyes and full lips. Curves that were made for my hands and a husky laugh that made my blood sing.
Isolde. My mate. My love.
Fight it. Think of Isolde, of her stunning blue eyes and the way she laughed, I told myself.
I fought to hold on to her image, knowing my feelings and connection to my mate would be my only saving grace. The longer I held Isolde’s image in my mind, as Elisana prattled on about our wedding, the more I returned to myself. The disgust and wrath I felt toward the blood witch helped burn away some of the effects of her magic still trying to get a stronghold on my mind.
It was going to be a battle, but I knew that I somehow had to keep control of myself while still convincing Elisana I was under her spell. Because if I couldn’t use my magic on the witch or physically hurt her, I was stuck with only one option: to play along until I could figure out a way to break her soul-tie to Seraphina and kill her. Or wait for Isolde to return and do it for me.