Page 39 of Kingdom of Briars and Roses (Cursed Fae Courts #1)

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Aurelia

H ours passed, and no one came. Outside my window, the sun set, and darkness overtook my room. I paced so long my feet ached. Beryl brought me dinner, but I took the tray from her at the door and sent her away, too worried to eat or even pretend everything was fine. To her credit, she didn’t push. Even she seemed to sense the tension hanging over the castle.

I considered going back through the hidden passageways to search for Rydian or Callan, but I didn’t want to make things worse for either of them if I was caught.

The moon had risen high, and I’d finally begun to doze off in my chair when the soft creak of my door opening brought me awake suddenly.

Callan stood in the doorway, his usually confident stance faltering. Some hidden part of me deflated at realizing it wasn’t Rydian—but I shoved it away. Instead, I focused on the male I considered my true enemy now. His amber eyes, normally sharp and full of calculated intent, were glassy and bloodshot. He reeked of blue vervain.

“Callan?” I asked, taking in the disheveled state of him .

His russet jacket hung loosely like he’d pulled it on in haste, and his hair was messier than I’d ever seen. But the worst was the black eye, an ugly bruise forming beneath the skin along the tip of his cheekbone. A cut ran below it, the blood dried but not tended.

I stood, gaping. “What happened to you?”

He shut the door behind him, leaning against it for a moment as if gathering himself before pushing off and walking toward me. “It’s nothing.” His voice was hoarse, heavy. “Just… my father being my father.”

“Duron did this?”

Callan chuckled darkly, rubbing a hand across his face. “When things go wrong, I’m always the one who takes the blame.”

“Why would he hurt you like this?”

And where was Rydian? Was he hurt too?

“Come here.” Rather than give me an answer, he closed the distance and tugged me into his arms. I stiffened but didn’t pull away. He didn’t deserve my comfort, and yet I knew whatever he’d become, his father had been the one to make him this way.

Finally, he stepped back and gazed down at me, brushing my cheek with his fingers. “You are so beautiful.” His breath hit me—the scent of alcohol so strong I nearly choked on it.

“You’re drunk,” I said with disgust. And high. But it wasn’t the first time for that.

He grinned. “Yeah.”

I shook my head, but he caught my chin with his fingers and held my gaze. “So fucking beautiful,” he said again. Then he brushed his lips over mine.

I shoved him off me, glaring.

But Callan didn’t seem to notice or care about my reaction.

He turned almost sullen. “My father—he said I should’ve known Obsidians would get in. Should’ve fortified our defenses better.”

“How could you have known?”

“I’m the general, remember?” He sounded bitter. Resentful. “The great and victorious commander of Autumn.” He snorted. “The people would love to know it was Rydian’s strategy and my face on it that won us Staghall.”

I stared at him, only surprised that he’d said it out loud.

“Does your father know Rydian’s the strategist?” I asked carefully.

“Of course he does. Why do you think he’s so angry all the time? His bastard son is the brains and the brawn in the family. And what am I beyond a punching bag or an errand boy?” He shook his head. “His temper’s never good when I—when something like this happens. But with the engagement party coming up, it’s even worse. He wants everything perfect, everything under control, and he blames me when it’s not.”

“He called for Rydian too. Is he okay?”

Callan’s eyes narrowed. “He’ll live to see another day.” He pinned me with a look that was suddenly much sharper than it had been. “You seem awfully concerned with the brother who isn’t your fiancé. Any particular reason?”

“He saved my life once,” I reminded him.

“You’re marrying me , Aurelia.” He took a step forward so suddenly that I took one back. “Not him. Worry for me. Care about me.”

“Callan, you’re not yourself.”

“You think I don’t see how you look at him?” I remained silent, but his eyes flashed with fury. “Rydian’s a bastard son. He’s nothing to this kingdom. A soldier. A weapon to wield. And he always will be. Remember that.”

A weapon to wield.

Except that Rydian had told me he was my weapon now .

“Where are the Obsidians?” I asked, needing to change the subject.

He shook his head, pacing now, his movements restless. “Dead, thank the Fates. The guards—” He swallowed hard, his voice dropping to a whisper. “The guards were barely alive when we found them. If more had come, if they’d reached the castle…”

My heart raced, the danger too close for comfort. Had they come for me? Did she know I was here? “But they didn’t, right? Everyone here is safe.”

“Not safe enough.” He stopped pacing and turned to me, his eyes pleading now, desperate. “Aurelia, your magic… You could help. You could stop this from happening again.”

I shook my head, heart pounding. “Callan, I told you, I don’t have that kind of power.”

“Yes, you do,” he insisted, stepping closer, reaching out as if to convince me through touch. “You don’t need to do anything grand—just… help us keep the castle safe. Maybe at the party. Use it to keep things running smoothly, make sure no Obsidians can get close. Just once.”

I shook my head, pulling back from him. “I can’t.”

“You’re lying.” His voice dropped, and the sadness that had clung to him began to twist into something darker, something more dangerous. “I know about what you did to that donation center. And I know about the prophecy.”

My heart stopped.

“I know that the Fates chose you to stop Heliconia,” he said, his voice hardening with every word. “I know how powerful you are. You’re the key to all of this. The Chosen One.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The words tumbled out of me, too fast, too defensive.

But Callan’s eyes narrowed, the drunken sorrow fading entirely, replaced by cold fury. “You’ve been hiding it from me. From all of us.” He took another step forward, his towering presence suddenly suffocating. “All this time, pretending you’re just a princess with some simple fae gifts. But it’s not true, is it? You’ve been keeping your real magic a secret.”

I backed away, my pulse hammering in my ears. “I haven’t?—”

“Stop lying!” he roared, his voice echoing through the room as he grabbed my shoulder, his grip bruising. “You think I’m a fool? My father told me everything. He knew from the start, but I defended you. I forced this marriage, believing we could work together. But now I see… you were lying to me all along.”

My skin prickled with fear as he squeezed my shoulder, his face mere inches from mine, twisted with rage. He reached up and brushed my hair back, exposing my throat. He pressed his fingertips to my tattoo, squeezing.

“You kept this from me,” he accused. “ Me. After everything I’ve done to protect you, to get us this far, and you—” He stopped himself, his voice trembling with frustration. “Do you even understand what’s at stake? Do you even care?”

“Let go of me.”

I yanked myself out of his grip, but he shot out his hand and wrapped it around my forearm, tightening to the point of pain. When I winced, his eyes darkened, his voice dropping to a low, venomous whisper.

“You’re supposed to be the one who’s going to save us all.” He snorted. “Except you’re too much of a coward to use your power. You’d rather let Obsidians tear this place apart than admit what you really are.”

I yanked on my arm, but he held fast. Fear and anger churned inside me, urging me to show him exactly what I really was. “I’m not the coward.”

I felt the surge of power before I could stop it. My magic, dark and wild, lashed out like a storm, slamming into Callan with enough force to send him crashing into the far wall. He grunted in pain, his body slumping to the ground, glass shattering around him.

For a moment, he didn’t move, his breath ragged as he lay there, stunned.

Then, slowly, he pushed himself up, his eyes gleaming. “Your magic is dark.”

I stood frozen, my chest heaving, the remnants of my power crackling in the air between us. “You’re mistaken.”

“Am I? And what will you do to convince me of that, Princess?” His mouth twisted. “Will you make me forget again? Wipe my memory so I can’t spill your secrets?”

I stared at him, recovering belatedly to shake my head. “Of course not. I don’t know what you’re?—”

“Save it.” He climbed to his feet, wiping blood from his lip. His eyes were colder now, darker. “Do your people know you have darkness inside you? Or did you wipe their memory too?”

“Of course not,” I hissed. “And I didn’t wipe yours.”

“There’s no use pretending anymore, Aurelia. It won’t help you now.”

“I could say the same of you, general. I saw you run from Heliconia that night. You’re no warrior, Callan. You’re a coward.”

“And yet you accepted my proposal so easily.”

I exhaled. “When did you know?”

“When the ward came down.”

I stared at him. “That was before you proposed.”

“I kept waiting for you to explain. To just be honest and tell me why you did it. But you never said a word. I gave you more than enough chances, and you lied every time.”

I shook my head. “The Aine?—”

“Enough!”

I flinched.

“I don’t want to hear any more lies,” he said.

I held his gaze, releasing any guilt I might have had for wiping his memory. “You can’t tell anyone,” I said firmly. “Especially your father. The fate of the realm depends on our alliance, Callan. You and me. That’s how we destroy Heliconia.”

“You should’ve thought about that before you lied. Maybe if you’d been honest, I would’ve been willing to help you.” His voice was low, dangerous. “But now, you leave me no choice but to use you the way you used me.”

My heart raced. “Callan?—”

He raised a hand, silencing me. “Marry me and give me your magic willingly, or I’ll let him drain you so thoroughly you won’t have anything left.”

“I’d burn this place to the ground before I let that happen.”

“And then what?” he challenged. “Where will you go? Word is already spreading of the dark wielder with Hel’s flames who took down that donation center. Once the people learn your magic is just like hers, they’ll come for you. Not a single kingdom in the realm will save you. And you’ll end up just like the cursed fae you left behind—alone and lost, forever.”

His threats settled inside me like ice in my veins. I’d saved them by burning that place, but Callan was right; they might not see it that way.

Callan smiled, a cruel, twisted thing. “Get some rest, Princess. The king will want you at your best when he takes what’s his.”