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forty-three

G alen appeared at my door shortly after I was dropped off.

I thanked the gods he hadn’t crossed paths with his brother.

He was holding a bouquet of yellow marigold flowers when I greeted him.

There was a restless energy in the air as we gazed at each other.

He had to know what he’d done was wrong.

My wary eyes followed him as he set the flowers down on the corner table.

“I’ve been thinking of you all day. I’m sorry about last night.

I-I took it too far. Were you okay to train today after the blood loss?

” He looked contrite, but I couldn’t bring myself to care as I took in the glow that was illuminating the room.

His uhra didn’t just float above him, but around him, like a shield.

He was gilded in gold. I felt primal in my possessiveness over my magic. My fists clenched.

“I wasn’t able to do much at all today. You took too much of my blood, after I asked you not to. I won’t be able to shift or open portals if you continue to take my magic from me,” I replied coolly, flashing him a look of steely indignation.

He hovered a few feet from me, hesitating. “I know. I was so angry at myself today. I took a critical day of training from you, because of my own lack of self-control. It wont happen again.”

I’d heard that before. “You won’t bite me without my permission. I’m not your source . I’m your girlfriend.”

He closed the space between us, pulling me to him and burying his face in my hair. “You smell like Rafael,” he gagged. He held me at arm’s length, waiting for an explanation .

“I… borrowed his jacket today. I was cold from training.” I almost wanted to tell him the truth. It was his fault I had ended up in Raf’s bed today.

“ Interesting . I’ve never heard you mention feeling cold from your magic before. Did you come close to burn out?” Doubt shadowed his expression.

“No. I-I just pushed myself too hard with the blood loss.” I couldn’t meet his eyes.

“Would you like to take a bath? I’ll wash that gods awful horse smell out of your hair.” He smiled down at me and I nodded to avoid further interrogation. He rang the servant’s bell to call Lusha in for hot water.

“Galen, you won’t bite me again… without my permission. Understood?”

“Yes, of course.” He lifted my hair back and kissed each bite mark, making me flinch. “I’ll miss seeing these little reminders that you’re mine…” He picked up my hand. “But at least you have this now.” He went to feel for the ring and I realized it was still on Raf’s nightstand.

Shit.

His eyes blazed with fury, while his voice was cold and flat. “Where’s your ring?”

“I-I must’ve misplaced it today at training. Maybe Rafael has it. I’ll ask him tomorrow…” I was talking too fast, barely able to hear myself over the pounding in my ears.

“Why would he have your ring? That doesn’t make sense.” As Galen began to pace, the embers in the fireplace fanned into large flames. “I can hear your heart racing . What are you not telling me?”

“I-I apologize. I’ll find it. You’re making me nervous. Your temper… it’s been worse lately. I can’t help how my body responds to it.”

He raised his voice until I began to quiver. “You reek of Rafael and you aren’t wearing my ring. You say he has it? You’re lying to me. Are you sleeping with him? Is this because of Isla?”

I winced, backing up towards the bed. He followed me with the wrath of a god.

“Don’t be ridiculous. I train with him—we’re friends.

” I tried to find the confidence I had minutes ago, but instead I felt myself shrinking as I thought of the people he’d murdered—what he was capable of, even if it wasn’t fair to him .

“Do you think I’m an idiot? Something is going on between you two.” His anger simmered into despair.

“He-he was there for me today…” When you weren’t , I wanted to add. “As a friend, nothing more.” I blinked back tears as his face crumbled.

“And you tell him about me? How you don’t trust me? I’m sure he’s more than happy to console you. It’s pathetic how he pants after you . He probably tells you of my past mistakes, anything to put a wedge between us,” he hissed.

“No, Galen, he doesn’t. I’m yours . If you feel me growing distant, it’s because of your erratic behavior. It isn’t him. I feel as if I’m treading on hot coals when I try to talk to you. I don’t want this space between us.”

Tears filled my puffy eyes as Lusha knocked on the door and entered. She saw my face and gasped, then turned to Galen and balked, backing out quickly.

“Lusha, you can come in. I don’t bite,” Galen said, before shaking his head in self-loathing. He turned towards the bottle of wine on the table and poured a glass.

“Apologies for interrupting. Is there anything I can do for you?” she asked tentatively, her eyes glued on me.

“We’d like a hot bath drawn. And some dinner… and more wine. Thank you,” Galen drawled, dismissing her with a wave of his hand. I wanted to dismiss him . I was still recovering from last night. It shouldn’t be this hard.

We sat in silence as servants came and went.

Their presence had halted the conversation at an awkward place.

Unspoken words hovered between us. I picked at my dinner, but had lost my appetite.

I was drinking wine with Galen while his brothers fought to free enslaved humans and it all felt terribly wrong.

Whose side would Galen be on if he knew what his brothers were up to? How deeply was he involved with the Elders… Did he know about the prison?

Questions were flying through my mind faster than I could catch them. They were pelting me like rocks, but I was too much of a coward to ask outright.

Raf and Louis were risking so much more than Galen. If they were caught, they’d be executed. Galen was the heir , surely that gave him some protection from the Elders .

I stared at him as I drank from my glass, feeling increasingly hostile. I’d once thought I could rely on Galen for comfort, but I was beginning to realize that I'd always have to be the strong one. He was too consumed with his own misery to be there for me in the ways I needed him.

Lusha and the others left us alone and my pulse ratcheted back up.

Galen broke the silence first, swirling his glass of wine as he began.

“I don’t want this distance either, Marigold.

And the last thing I want is for you to feel unsure about us.

I haven’t been perfect, but I’m trying .

I need you to be more understanding to the pressures I’m under.

It’s not easy balancing a personal life with my other responsibilities.

Sometimes a bad day will spill over into our time together. ”

“You can have bad days… but I won’t allow you to take them out on me. You were rough with me last night—you took my blood after I asked you not to. That behavior can’t continue… if we’re to continue . ” Heat rose to my face as I stood up for myself, bracing for his response.

He looked up from his wine, concern etched on his face.

“You’ve filled a void in me. And your magic…

it’s eased a pain in me. It makes it easier for me to fight my demons when I’m filled with your light .

I can’t have you running off to Rafael whenever I make a mistake.

He is poison to our relationship. I’ll take over your training lessons from now on. That’s final.”

He stood eerily still, like a jack-in-the-box who might spring up at any moment. Did he really think I’d obey him like a trained monkey? Raf wouldn’t tolerate Galen taking over my lessons and neither would I.

“I’m not going to stop training with Raf. I’ve been learning a lot from him.”

He flashed me a look that said, I’m sure you have.

“We can discuss it after your bath. I’d like to make up for last night’s poor behavior.

First with my hands, then with my tongue…

” He gave me a seductive smile and I almost wanted to let it go, to accept his peace offering, but then Raf’s words came back to me. He doesn’t own you.

It was the reminder that I needed to speak my mind. “I don’t feel like having sex tonight. After last night, I need comfort. I want to feel loved, but I don’t want to make love.” I steeled my spine as he got up from his chair and approached me.

“You don’t want me to bite you… and now you don’t even want me to touch you? You are sleeping with Rafael. Don’t lie to me, damn it.” He roared, throwing his wine glass at the wall, causing it to shatter. A splatter of burgundy wine stained the walls, dripping down like blood.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion after that.

I peered down at my arm and saw a piece of glass protruding.

The liquid sliding down my forearm mirrored the wine on the wall.

I pulled the deep shard out with gritted teeth.

I stared at the maroon blemish on the wall, my gushing cut, and then at Galen.

“Get out,” I said under my breath. So softly, I wasn’t sure he’d heard me. He rushed over, inspecting my arm, holding me by the wrists. “Don’t touch me.” This time, my voice was louder.

We locked eyes and his startled face stared back at me.

He let go of me and went in for a hug. My magic reacted to the threat, throwing him back with an icy wind.

He slammed against the bedroom door and I could almost feel Beira and Alya smiling down at me with pride.

He looked at me in disbelief as he brushed himself off and stood back up.

“Marigold, it was an accident .” He came towards me and this time I surrounded myself with a shield of ice.

“Get out! We’re done . You’ll never touch me again,” I hissed at him.

His eyes flashed with challenge and he collected himself, straightening the lapels of his jacket. “This isn’t over.” He left, slamming the door on his way out.

The sound rattled me and I ran to lock the door, even if it wouldn’t keep him out.

Rafael was right. Galen was dangerous. Even satiated with my magic, he’d turned into someone, something , I didn’t recognize.

I didn’t know what had changed. Had he always had this side and I’d been blinded by lust? Or was I the one who’d changed?

Numbness settled over me, preventing me from feeling much of anything.

I climbed into the steaming tub and let the blood from my cut run freely, watching it swirl with the bath oils.

It would heal in minutes, but how long would it take for the rest of me to mend?

I sank back into the water and decided tonight was my last night in the castle and there was one more thing I needed to do.

I waited until midnight, wondering if Galen would come to my room. The sharp, visceral rage from earlier had faded into a dull sadness. The howling winter wind inside of me thrashed, but I wouldn’t let it win. I couldn’t afford to break down. Not yet, at least.

I listened outside my door and heard nothing. I tested the door and found it locked. The cold-hearted bastard. I couldn’t believe I was still being treated like a common criminal. If I was locked in, at least that meant Robert was done standing guard for the evening.

I sent Rafael a silent, thank you, for the key and turned the door knob as quietly as possible.

An empty hallway met me on the other side of the door.

I grabbed the oil lamp that sat on my table and headed towards the Queen’s library.

I hadn’t forgotten what Galen had told me: The library held information about how to break the blood curse—a prophecy scribbled down and forgotten. I couldn’t leave to Erador without it.

It was stupid of me—not asking Rafael for help with this—but he’d already done so much for me.

Too much. And I couldn’t give him anything in return.

I didn’t deserve his friendship… and whatever else he might feel.

We hadn’t discussed the kiss and I didn’t know if I’d ever be able to bring it up—to face him in the way he deserved.

I shook my head, pushing thoughts of him out of my mind, as I padded down the silent corridor towards the Queen’s quarters.

To my relief, I arrived at the library without incident.

I’d been wanting to come back here ever since my meeting with Sylvia.

It appeared well-organized, which gave me a sliver of hope.

I looked for anything handwritten instead of printed, like a journal or transcript.

I found a box of handwritten notes and began scanning each of them; personal letters, accounts of battles, of policy and trade, of spells, but nothing about the curse.

Something caught my eye. The glare of my lamp had caught a shimmering text.

I read the title, The Mystery of the Unicorn, and held back a gasp .

A book on unicorns. I reigned in my excitement, trying to stay silent.

I tucked the small square book under my arm and decided I’d have to enlist Raf’s help after all. It hadn’t been as easy as I’d hoped.

I’d spent too long searching and was beginning to worry that Galen might come back to my room and find me missing.

Feeling defeated, I silently tip-toed out of the library, through the Queen’s wing, and up the stairs to the guest wing.

When I was mere steps from my door, a hand covered my mouth before I could scream.