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G uyan met me in a corridor minutes after sunset when I strode inside the castle. “Aedan!”

“Guyan.” Why was he hiding in a hall? “What are you up to?”

“I was looking for you. I couldn’t find you earlier, so I took the liberty of arranging for another party tonight. Do you mind?”

I raised a brow. I’d never said no to my cousin, but— “Why do we need two parties in a row?”

“There were a lot of people who wanted to come in last night and celebrate me getting through the barrier, but they didn’t have time. We’ve been getting visitors from the nearby towns all day—people wonder if we’re finally going to get outside of the barrier. We might not have the answers they want yet, but I think it would be good for them to see their king alive and well, despite the curse persisting for so many years.”

I nodded. I was not in the mood to celebrate anything, but he made excellent points. And if he’d already made arrangements, I didn’t need to do anything more than agree. “That’s fine.”

He fell into step next to me, and we walked toward the indoor courtyard. “Did you lose Callista?”

Yes. Yes, I did. I glanced at him. He didn’t even know the weight of his absurd question. “I did not lose her; I sent her home.”

He stopped abruptly. “You… sent her home? With her brother?”

I glanced at him and resumed walking, forcing him to catch up quickly. “Yes. As far as I know, her brother is the only way to get through the cursed barrier.”

“And you sent them both away?!” He stopped walking again, but I did not.

“Yes.”

“Aedan,” he groaned.

“What?” I was not in a mood to guess at his shenanigans.

“Do you think she might come back?”

I finally turned back and looked at him. “Why?”

He rushed up to me again. “She is half fae. I think we could do some remarkable things with her blood, including breaking some pesky curses.”

I grabbed the front of his shirt and lifted him off the ground. “You will do nothing with her blood,” I snarled, not caring that I was truly threatening my cousin for the first time that I could remember. I released my magic in hot waves, so it collided against him over and over. “If you touch her, if you hurt her, if you remove one drop of blood or piece of skin or any other body part, I will kill you.”

He coughed and spluttered. “Aedan. It was information. Just so you know. I’m not suggesting we do anything.”

I dropped him on his feet, turned, and stormed off to my room.