Page 26 of Broken Hearted (Cursed Fae #3)

Adrien

I ’d done what I could, I’d bought as much time as possible, but today was the day I married Elisana.

Or so she thought.

I would never be able to go through with it. I’d try to run, but she’d either catch up with me and kill me out of anger, or harm Isolde to get back at me.

Where are you, Isolde? Had Eldon gotten her the page from the grimoire? Did it have useful information on how to break the spell?

“Your tea, my darling,” Elisana said in a singsong voice.

I plastered a smile on my face as she approached. Her hair was all done up in curls and she wore a full face of make-up that made it hard to even recognize her.

I took the tea, as I had the last few days, and chugged it in one full go. She looked pleased with that and stroked my arm as she took the cup from me.

“My mother has just reached the edge of town. She will be here any moment,” Elisana squealed.

“Wonderful. I’m so excited,” I lied.

Elisana peered at me with concern. “Now, I wanted to talk to you about my mother.”

I sat up straighter. “Okay …”

“Don’t be frightened by her looks … she’s, well, she’s very healthy,” Elisana offered.

I frowned. Healthy? What did that mean? I didn’t ask because I figured the tea would make me compliant and non-questioning.

A few minutes later there was a knock at the door, and Elisana got up to get it as I moved with her. I’d have to really put on the charm with her mother as well, to buy as much time as I could until hopefully Zane and Isolde, and whoever else, came back to help get me out of here.

When the door opened, Elisana squealed, “Mommy!”

She rushed forward and hugged the woman, and then stepped out of the way so that I could see her.

When I did, my face fell.

“Rowena?” I gasped.

The purple-haired witch, who’d appeared to be in her twenties was Elisana’s mother ? Perhaps I shouldn’t have been so shocked. I’d seen the woman take ten years off her face with one slurp of my brother’s blood, but even so, to think that this whole time she’d been Elisana’s mother. It took me by surprise and for a few moments my carefully placed mask slipped.

Elisana looked surprised. “You know each other? I know we look more like sisters but Mother, this is Adrien. The love of my life.”

Elisana reached for me, and it took every ounce of my acting ability to give her a small smile and grasp her fingers.

Elisana pulled me closer to Rowena who was scowling at me with an impenetrable gaze. After looking me up and down she peered back at her daughter.

“Darling child, you have a problem. The love potion is not working on him. I can see it.”

At that moment, Elisana clamped her fingers around mine like a vise and growled. “I knew it. Help me hold him down, Mother.”

One second I was turning to flee, and the next something sharp cracked me in the back of the head.