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“Why, though?” I huff, well past frustrated “I s about the curse, so why can’t you just tell ”

He shakes his head and shrugs “I’ain, a frown dipping at his lips “Some rules we just can’t seem to break”

“Well, est “I mean, from what I remember, you used to be quite the rule breaker Maybe if you try hard enough, you’ll figure out a way”

He rubs his blue tinted lips together, struggling not to smile

Fog laces from my lips as I pinch his arm and demand, “What’s so funny?”

He chuckles, his eyes crinkling around the corners “It’s nothing It’s just that it’s so nice to hear you say things like ‘from what I re time since that’s happened”

“Yeah, I know” I sigh heavily “I just wish I could relance “Maybe if you tried to tell me stuff now, it’d work”

“TrustAll the time For decades and decades” He huffs an exasperated breath “The original curse ht not be in play but the queen still has a lot of control over us unfortunately”

My teeth clank together as a spurt of shivers overcomes me “How much control exactly”

“A lot” He sets his free hand onunderneath his breath

Sparks of war asp fumbles from my lips

“You still have your ic,” I whisper as water drips from my eyelashes

He nods, tracing the pad of his thumb across my cheeks to wipe away the water “And since the queen’s the one who gave me these powers, I know she still has a lot of control overthat once she loses control over me—over us—I won’t have them anymore”

I sic evaporates froh my veins “So how can you talk about her now? You never could say her name before—say she was the one who created the curse—yet now you can But still, you can’t tell me about my past very much or what steps need to be done for me to break the curse?”

“I…” He struggles to forrimaces “I have no idea I really don’t And that’s not her controlling me”

“I have a theory,” Kingsley interrupts “Thatable to enter the Land of Moonlight Perhaps our distance and us being here is lih that she can’t control us completely”

“That’s a possibility” Rhyland wavers, rubbing his jawline “What I’d really like to knohy she’s so dead set on getting ahold of Raven if she’s ending the curse? I know Nadine said it’s because the queen wanted to end the curse by killing all who are a part of it, but there’s been plenty of times where the queen could’ve just killed Raven, like at dinner the other night It seee she waited until nohen Raven came into a world where the queen isn’t permitted to enter Why not just do it before we could take off?”

Abomination

In one of ht aboht after the curse started and she said that the rew Nadine had called me an abomination too I wish I knehy What made me an abomination? Because froe vampire

I haven’t told anyone about being an abomination yet I’m not sure why, other than I’m afraid how they’ll react Afraid of what I could be

One thing I do need to tell theht of the curse, the real reason Kingsley and I kissed each other and why I al into the woods andsome sort of deal with the queen But I want to wait until we can have that conversation in private without Harper and Dex around Sure, I trust them for the most part, but I’sley seems a littl

e guarded around them Plus, Harper is half faerie

“There’s probably sley states while exa the blade of his sword “There always seems to be with the fey queen and this fucked up curse And I’ an ar to start a war Nothing’s ever what it seems We know that”

“Why else would she need an army besides to start a war?” I ask with a shiver When both their eyes dance with amusement, I add, somewhat offended, “That’s usually hoorks in books and irl wants to start a war so they build an army”

Their ah

“I forgot how entertaining she could be,” Kingsley re some snow off the top of my head

“Adorably entertaining,” Rhyland agrees with a smile

I scowl at both of thees at my lips

This—the laughing and the teasing—is how they were before the curse started And I was happy back then—that much I know But I don’t understand what happiness is anymore Not truly, anyway, and that revelation ic abilities

“What’s with all the frowning, beautiful?” Rhyland’s warainst my ear

Normally, I’d lean away froet it

“Oh for the love of all stupid bats, please don’t tellmy head back

Rhyland’s eyes sparkle with delight “I think it’s a fitting name”