26. CHAPTER 26

CHAPTER 26

KALYLL

Daniella let go of Mylendra’s hand and clutched her stomach, making a pained sound in the back of her throat. Her knees bent, and she started to fall. I rushed to her side, scooped her up, and laid her on the bed.

She immediately curled up into a tight ball, arms hugging her legs as she trembled and whined.

“I thought she said it wouldn’t hurt much,” I barked, knowing I would have torn that sorceress’s head off if she was here.

“She said it wouldn’t hurt as much of the time that you… well, you know,” Kryn said. “But it does hurt.”

I watched as Daniella’s features changed. As I stood there, a slew of memories hit me like a landslide. I saw the sorceress walking into my chamber in Elyndell, accompanied by Wölfe. It was the day Daniella and Naesala met for the first time. I saw the sorceress lift a hand and release a spell that made Daniella scream and collapse. I saw my mate writhing for hours as Fae features replaced her much softer human ones.

I had done that to her. I had put her through all that pain.

And now here she was again, enduring so much for me. How could I ever repay her? How could I ever be worthy of her?

As was to be expected, Mylendra ran out of the room, disappearing through a side door.

I pushed her out of my mind and held Daniella’s hand as her brown hair turned red, her beautiful features took the wrong shape, and her olive skin turned pale.

“Here.” Mylendra came back and was offering me a cool wet cloth.

I took it, surprised by the gesture. “Thank you.”

Watching anxiously, I pressed the cloth to Daniella’s forehead. At last, she gave a shudder, and slowly her breathing went back to normal. She remained on the bed for a long moment while I dabbed her forehead. When she was ready, I helped her sit up. She took several deep breaths, then slid to the floor. She was a couple of inches taller and watched me with foreign green eyes.

I forced a smile to my face. It was unsettling to see my beloved’s warmth in those calculating eyes. Still, I refused to show her anything but love, no matter what.

“By Erilena!” Mylendra exclaimed as she examined Daniella’s matching appearance. “It is eerie to see you thus.”

“I can imagine,” Daniella responded in a tired tone that wasn’t her own. She sounded exactly like Mylendra, who blinked even more bewildered.

“Please, forgive me, Daniella,” Mylendra said.

Behind her, Kryn frowned, looking surprised, as if he’d never heard an apology from his younger sister.

“I… I was unfair to you. I…” She trailed off, clearly unaccustomed to putting her pride and haughtiness aside.

My mate, on the other hand, wore her virtues like a badge and said. “No ill feelings, Mylendra. We are all in a high-stress situation, trying to make the best of what we’re offered. I can very well imagine how the thought of being forced to marry that awful male must have made you feel. But I can tell you’re strong. Sometimes we females have to build a tough exterior to survive.”

Mylendra’s eyes silvered with a line of tears that she fought to keep at bay. Daniella’s words seemed to touch Kryn as well because he reached for his sister’s hand and gave it a squeeze. They exchanged a rare warm look, then she rushed into his arms.

“Oh, brother, thank you,” she sobbed. “And thank you both,” she added, without letting go of Kryn.

I was assaulted by the idea that she was my sister too. Perhaps, one day we could tell her, she would understand that the termination of our engagement was a blessing and not something to bemoan.

“Now, I need a gown and shoes.” She wiggled pale toes. “I need to visit your father.” A cautious expression shaped Daniella’s face, and she said no more.

Whether we could trust Mylendra with the exact details of our plan was irrelevant. We couldn’t risk any of it being divulged purposely or otherwise.

Mylendra nodded and gestured toward a door that I assumed led to her closet. They went together, and ten minutes later, Daniella walked out, wearing a gown of the finest silk, its threads interwoven with the deepest green. The bodice was low-cut, and the sleeves were long and flowing. No question about it, Mylendra was beautiful in her own way, but not like Daniella. And though they shared fierce wills, Mylendra lacked the vivacity and aura of warmth and kindness that my mate possessed.

Wasting no time, we headed back the way we’d come, making our way toward the earl’s chambers. On our way there, we dropped Mylendra off in Kryn’s room and left her with the others.

Since Kryn had warned me of guards posted at different intervals, leading to the earl’s tower, I pulled back and blended into the shadows, letting Kryn and Daniella lead the way. She walked with a slight affectation that gave her that haughty air that seemed to emanate from Mylendra and made her a convincing replacement.

We passed several guards, who only bowed to the earl’s son and daughter. It wasn’t unusual for them to visit their father without an invitation, so they passed unmolested. When we reached the door to his chamber, the guard there seemed a bit surprised, but recognizing the visitors, he relaxed.

Kryn knocked on the door, while surreptitiously Daniella reached for the guard’s hand. He jumped in surprise when her fingers brushed his. The immediate lascivious spark in his eyes had me on the brink of throttling him, but I was able to prevail over the impulse. Though only because I knew what was coming next.

Whatever immodest thoughts were crossing his mind quickly died out, turning to panic as Daniella drew his life force. She only held on for a couple of seconds, then the guard’s knees gave out and he started to fall. Swiftly, I became corporeal and caught him before he hit the floor alerting others. I eased him down, pulling him out of sight around the bend, then waited as Kryn and Daniella walked into the earl’s chamber and closed the door. I wasn’t to go in, in case the earl could sense my presence. We didn’t know enough about shadowdrifters’ powers to understand all the possibilities, so we needed to be safe rather than sorry.

Besides, I had no doubt that Kryn and Daniella could handle Earl Qierlan without trouble.