Forever (17 page)

Chapter 23

When Mina
entered the hall, the yeti and the Fae lights waited just outside the doors as
if they’d been there the whole time.

“Thank
you for all of your hard work. I couldn’t have done it without you. I’m tired,
and I think we should all take a break for a while.”

She
wasn’t sure, but she thought they looked a little sad at their dismissal. Mina
looked down the hall at the tall double doors that led outside and found
herself moving toward them. She pushed open the right hand door, stepped into
the sun, and let its rays shine on her. The warmth felt wonderful, but a shadow
fell across her face, and she looked up to see a griffin glide overhead to land
in a large tower above.

It was
the one reminder that she needed to keep her on track.

She
looked down and realized she had walked within feet of the bridge that led
across the lake and to freedom. She stared at the bridge and then down at her
enchanted cuffs. If she crossed, her promise would be broken. She quickly moved
back away from the bridge and turned to walk beneath a covered alcove which led
around the side of the palace but still overlooked the lake.

Mina
leaned on the stone banister and looked out across the water. In the distance,
she could make out the waterfall she and Nix had come down. Both the falls and
the lake had receded in size. She could tell from the water lines along the
rocks.

“That
can’t be a good sign.” Mina’s skin tingled, and she turned to see Teague
watching her.

“I’m surprised
you didn’t try to run away.”

“You
would have gone after my brother if I did.”

“You’re
absolutely correct.”
 

“It
wouldn’t have mattered. I won’t run away.”

“You did
before,” he said softly, reminding her of the time she tried to run away during
the choosing ceremony.

“I was
scared. I wasn’t supposed to be here, in this world in the past. I was on a
mission to save my family, and the shoes didn’t give me a choice on when I went
back.”

“But you
didn’t save them. You failed.”

“No, I
did. I saved them. But you took them away from me one by one. And I won’t fail
the only family I have left.”

“Why is
family so important to you?”

“Why
isn’t it to you? I know that your parents cared about you in their own demented
way. When I lost the Grimoire, your mother demanded that I do everything in my
power to save you.”

“You lie.
They tried to destroy me.”

“Yes, but
they didn’t intend to. They were terrified, and what they did was wrong. But
how is what you’re doing now to me any different?”

“You did
even worse. You betrayed me, played me for a fool.” He leveled his gaze at the
water, refusing to make eye contact.

“I was
willing to give up everything for you. I chose you.”

“No, you
chose
Jared
,” he snapped.

“He’s
you! I wish I’d never said his name. It was—he was—always just a
part of you that I love. You are one and the same, Teague. I’ve gotten past his
name, can you?”

“You
tried to kill me.”

“Actually,
despite everything you’ve done to me over the years, I tried to save you.” Mina
reached out to touch the area above his heart. “I’m still trying, and maybe one
day you’ll realize that.”

Teague’s
eyes were cloudy, and she wasn’t sure if it was because of his anger or the
setting sun. Either way, Mina was emotionally exhausted. She hadn’t seen
Annalora leave, which meant she was still somewhere within earshot.

Mina
waited, and when he didn’t say anything else, she assumed it mean she was free
to go. She moved away, and he called her name.

She
stopped and took in his profile, his dark hair, and deep blue eyes. “Yes?”

“If you
ever try to run away…” He pointed across the bridge and waved his hand. One of
the Reapers appeared in the middle of the bridge. “You won’t get far.”

Every time she thought she might be
gaining ground and earning his trust and understanding, he would resort to his
insecurities and threaten her. She so longed for him to see that she wouldn’t
lie to him. She only wanted him to be happy and her family and friends to be
safe. If that meant staying, then she didn’t want to escape.

His
warning sent chills down her spine but irritated her just as much. She held her
head high and leveled her gaze at Teague. “I won’t.”

She
wasn’t sure, but she thought he looked relieved by her promise. This time, he
let her go without stopping her, and she went back into the palace. Annalora
stood on the top step.

“You’re
still here? I thought you got scared of little old me and ran away.”

“I’m not
scared of you.”

“You
should be,” Annalora answered.

“Is that
a threat?”

“It
doesn’t have to be if you just leave.”

“Not
happening.”

“Then
I’ll just have to get rid of you.”

“Good
luck with that.” Mina tossed the words over her shoulder and headed back to her
room.

This time
when she got to her cell, she closed the door and pushed a table in front of
it. She could put up a big front with Annalora, but she really was scared the
girl would try and murder her in her sleep.

***

The next
day, Mina worked in the library. This room had been relatively untouched from
the trauma of the war. Only dust showed that no one had disturbed it for years.
Mina found solace in the quietness, knowing Annalora would never be caught dead
in here. Today more Fae lights swirled and danced around the room, carrying
feathers. Mina laughed as they dusted the top shelves and it rained down on
her. Though it did make her sneeze.

The sound
entertained the Fae lights, so more and more of them brushed the dust toward
her. In a bout of silliness, Mina threw her hands up in the air and danced as
she tried to avoid the falling dust motes. Until she bumped into a shelf and
knocked over a few precariously stacked books.

“One day
you’re cleaning the kitchen and redecorating my throne room, and the next
you’re destroying my library. What did books and Stories ever do to you?”
Teague teased.

Mina
threw him a disgusted look.

“Oh wait,
never mind,” Teague caught himself in his own joke and started laughing hard.

Mina
couldn’t help but crack a smile. But she laughed even harder when the Fae
lights accidentally swept a pile of accumulated dust off the shelves and right
onto his head.

Teague
reached up to brush it off and looked at his dirty hands. “What the…?” He
glared up at the lights, who scattered and hid within the bookshelves.

“Don’t
get mad. They’ve been trying so hard to help.”

“They’d
be a better help if they just obeyed my order.”

An
abandoned dusting feather rocked softly down. Mina tried to catch it, but it
landed on her head. Teague reached up and gently pulled the feather off. The
feather—larger than any she had seen in her world—was dark black
with a bright gold tip.

“Hmm, a
griffin feather.” He held it out to her, and she twirled it in a ray of
sunshine and watched as the gold moved subtly with the light.

“It means
the Fae lights been up in the aerie.”

“The
aerie?”

“The
griffins’ nesting grounds are the mountain behind the castle. It’s dangerous
for anyone to be up there because of the newly hatched kitlings.”

“Kitlings,
as in babies? Can I see them?” she asked excitedly.

Teague
looked at her as if she had grown two heads. “No, the mother would kill anyone
who trespassed. I wouldn’t dare take on an angry griffin for no reason.”

“Oh.” She
tried to keep her disappointment at bay. After a few awkwardly silent moments
passed, Mina decided to pick up the books she’d knocked over and put them where
they belong. Teague moved over to a chair, sat down, and picked up a book. He
began reading.

The
system of books had no order, nothing like the Dewey decimal system of her
library. She really had no idea where to put the book on the creation of the
Fates. She turned and tried to find a spot on the shelf she’d dislodged the
book from, but the section housed a genealogy of the Fae families. She had to
wonder at the books that were left out if Teague had been searching for answers
to heal the Fae world.

“Nope,
not there,” Teague said without looking as he flipped a page in his book.

She gave
him an irritated look and moved over to the next shelf. This shelf
 
was filled with books on the Great Siren
War. She wanted to hold onto a few and tuck them away to read up on her
heritage, but she didn’t want Teague to see her take them. Since obviously he
had been researching
her
lineage. She
reached up to put it away.

“Not
there either.”

She
turned and caught the barest smile quickly disappear under his stoic façade.

Finally,
she came to a shelf which looked like it was full of love sonnets. Frustrated,
she quickly shoved the book there and turned, hands on her hips, to wait for
his smug look, but the chair was empty. He was already next to her, pulling the
book back down off the shelf. He gave her a wry smile that would have melted
her heart if she wasn’t sure another snide comment was coming.

“Menlo.”
He shook the book in the air. “Belongs next to Menlay.” He switched hands and
gently reached over her shoulder to shelve the book, bringing him within inches
of her. Mina quickly handed him the next, hoping it belonged on the other side
of the room.

He
briefly glanced at the book and smiled again as he leaned closer and reached
just above her head to put the book away. When he came back down on the balls
of his feet, he was so close, she could hardly take a breath. Her head bumped
into the wood shelf. She heard a wobble and looked up just as a decorative vase
fell from above.

Teague
grabbed her shoulders and pulled her into him as he jerked a few steps back.
The vase crashed to the ground, barely missing her. Mina was flush against his
body, her head resting against his chest, and she froze, unable to move. She
could hear frantic beating, and it took her a second to realize she was hearing
Teague’s heart. She glanced up at him, and he stared at her wide-eyed, his
expression utterly confused.

As if he
couldn’t comprehend his own racing heart.

“Thanks,”
she whispered, unwilling to be the one to pull away.

“You’re
welcome.” His arms held on too.

“I’ll
clean that up,” Mina said softly.

“Leave
it,” he demanded and moved his head lower.

“Prince
Teague, are you in here?” Annalora called in an overly sweet voice.

She
thought Teague cursed softly in Fae under his breath, but he pushed her away
and took large steps toward the door to cut off Annalora.

Mina
retreated behind the tall stacks of books as Annalora came to him and smiled
brightly.

“Annalora,
you’re looking for me?”

“Yes, I
wanted to talk to you some more about what I had said earlier. Have you had a
chance to think it over?”

“I have.
I’m not sure what you’re proposing will solve my exact problem.”

“Of
course it will. It’s a fact that the land will be healed when you choose your
queen. Everyone knows that. The fate of our world has always been connected to
the Fates. I can see the toll it’s taking on you, and I’m willing to share your
burden. Together we can heal the land, and you will live.”

“I’m
searching for other alternatives.”

“You’re
dying. I know it because the land is dying. You’re not strong enough to sustain
the land by yourself and control the armies. Others will come and try to
overthrow you if you don’t bind yourself to another.”

“How dare
you say that I am weak!” Teague’s eyes blazed, and the books on the shelves
behind him started to shake and move in their place. “Do you not know who I
am?”

“I know
who you are.” She pushed on his chest right in the spot where the tip of the
dagger lay, and he gasped in pain. The shelves stopped moving. “I also know
that the tip is moving closer to your heart. It’s weakening you at the same
time you’re drawing strength from it. I can help you. You can draw your
strength from me. I will rule by your side.”

He rubbed his chest and glared at her.
“You do yourself no favors speaking to me with such disrespect. I will think on
it more—if I find myself desperate.”

“You do
that. Because you’re more desperate than you’re willing to admit. I don’t know
how much time you even have left.” She strode back out the library doors.

As soon
as they shut, Teague spun and blasted through a whole shelf of books,
scattering the pages into the air.