Chapter 15

Garrick turned away and sipped his wine as he gazed at the Unseelie lands, his silhouette framed by the eerie glow of the twilight sky. He emptied his glass in one swift motion and set it beside mine, the soft clink of glass against glass breaking the heavy silence. "Sometimes a king desires something that has been denied to him," he murmured.

I was taken aback by this revelation, not sure if it was truthful or another lie spun around me to get me to drop my defenses. "Are you talking about Maggie?"

He gripped the balcony so tightly that his knuckles turned white. His face got a faraway look. "A portal opened while we were in the garden, and these creatures came pouring out. They were half-men, half-beast with pointed ears and a tail. Their gold eyes were full of hate." He bowed his head as if defeated. "I fought them, trying to protect Maggie, but they stole her from me."

I placed my hand gently on his arm. In that moment, I saw beyond the facade of the confident, sometimes cruel Unseelie King. I saw a man haunted by loss, consumed by a pain he couldn't escape. We stood there in silence, the weight of his confession hanging between us.

A howl echoed in the distance, and Garrick lifted his head. "That's her. She's running with the shadow wolves, planning on betraying me and taking my crown."

I stared at him. "You sent Justice there to see if he could change her, didn't you?"

He nodded. "She was to be my queen," Garrick whispered. His eyes glistened with unshed tears. "I offered her everything I had offered you, but she accepted it. We were planning on rebuilding this world. She filled my empty life with her love and changed me from a tyrant to an honorable man." He swallowed hard, his gaze falling to the ground. "Now, she's lost to me."

I cupped his wet cheek with my hand. "No, she's not. We have a plan to stop these demons. You'll get her back."

He leaned into my cheek and clasped my hand. "I don't know if that's possible." His voice cracked with such emotion that it brought tears to my eyes.

"Garrick, you're in love with her. I could never take her place. You have to fight for her and believe you can get her back. Not find another woman to be your queen, a woman you could never love like you do her."

I held my breath, hoping I had given him some hope that not all was lost.

His gaze searched mine. He nodded slowly, his jaw set with newfound determination. "You're right. I can't give up on her. On us."

I exhaled in relief. In Garrick's eyes, I saw a glimmer of the man Maggie had fallen in love with. A man determined to fight for what he believed in, to protect those he held dear. Our bond had deepened, not as potential lovers but as allies united in a common cause.

I tilted my head and studied him. "What did you think Justice could do to help Maggie?"

He shrugged in desperation. "I don't know. Use reason or even compulsion to get her to stop these evil plans and come back to me."

"Don't you want her to come back to you on her own?" My soft tone couldn't hide my displeasure at manipulating Maggie. No woman would want to be forced into a relationship. That would be slavery.

"More than anything. But I'd use any method to win her back, fair or unfair."

I held Garrick's gaze, my heart heavy with the realization of how far he was willing to go to reclaim what he had lost. While I understood his pain and desperation, I couldn't help but wonder if resorting to such methods would ultimately taint the love he sought to restore.

Someone cleared their throat, and we turned. A servant bowed slightly. "Your Highness, dinner is served."

Garrick clasped my hand. "Come. I promise none of the food is enchanted."

I allowed him to lead me back into the dining room, but I couldn't shake the uneasiness still gripping me.

The sight that greeted us was nothing short of opulent. Fine, dark porcelain dishes along the table shimmered with an iridescent sheen under the light of countless candles, their flames casting ghostly shadows on the high walls. The silverware was ornate, with handles twisted into intricate patterns that suggested thorns and vines, almost alive in their detailed artistry.

I felt like I had stepped into a Dracula movie. My stomach growled as I stared at the food. Coming through the portal had been an ordeal, and time was different here. So, I really didn't know how long it had been since I'd eaten.

My mouth watered as I gazed at the center of the table, dominated by an elongated crystal centerpiece that swirled with a low, ethereal mist. A garnet-colored sauce glazed platters of rich, dark meats. Bowls of exotic fruits emitted a deep, intoxicating aroma, their colors deep and saturated. Purples so dark they were nearly black, blues deep as the midnight sky, and reds like coagulated blood.

I wished Justice was here for the millionth time. He would know what I should and shouldn't eat. The only person I could ask was Garrick, and I needed a crystal ball to determine whether he was telling me the truth. At the moment, I didn't have one.

"Please, sit." Garrick gestured to the chair beside him.

I forced myself to do as he asked. Unease replaced the tender moment on the balcony. I could eat something here and change my life forever.

Liquids that seemed to shift in hue from dark violet to an opaque, ominous black filled various decanters beside thin, fine glass goblets. Much different than the wine we had earlier. I glanced at the bread in silver wire baskets. It held a strange, luminescent shine as if imbued with moonlight.

The servant placed a plate in front of me, and I sat as still as stone, unsure what to do next. I closed my eyes, silently wishing for Justice to burst through those double doors and reassure me everything was all right. He was a vampire. Transforming into a bat and swooping in to save the day should be within his capabilities.

A disturbing thought jolted me from the spread.

Garrick noticed the change immediately. "What's wrong?" he asked with a hint of irritation. "I told you the food wasn't enchanted. Don't you believe me?"

My heart sank to my toes. I clasped his hand, trembling. "Garrick, do you think what happened to Maggie could happen to Justice?"

He withdrew his hand abruptly and shook his head. "He's a vampire, Sawyer, and a powerful one," he intoned dismissively.

His tone did nothing to soothe my fears.

The servant filled our glasses with wine, then stood at attention as if awaiting Garrick's next command.

I tightened my grip on my glass, needing something solid to hold onto. "You didn't answer my question. Are those damn demons powerful enough to enslave him like they did Maggie?"

Garrick picked up his knife and fork, focusing on the thick slab of roasted meat on his plate. The flickering candlelight cast shadows across the dark wooden table, and the faint sound of wind whistling through the castle walls added to the ominous atmosphere. "This tastes like venison. It's quite delicious," he remarked.

I wanted to grab his broad shoulders and shake him, to see the concern that must be hidden behind his calm facade. I wanted him to answer me, to tell me I was overreacting, being a silly woman. As I studied his chiseled features, I noticed the slight furrow in his brow and the tightness in his jaw.

He finished chewing his meat, then sipped the wine. "If I didn't think Justice was powerful enough to withstand those creatures, I never would have sent him out there."

Garrick wasn't fooling me. I heard the doubt in his voice, the slight tremor that betrayed his fears. Justice might be more powerful than one demon, but a horde of them? My heart raced at the thought of what they might do to him. I didn't realize how much I cared about him until that moment.

The thought of losing him left me feeling hollow, like part of my soul had been ripped away. I couldn't breathe, and a tingling sensation spread through my fingers, a physical manifestation of the fear that gripped my heart. Memories of him putting himself in danger to protect me flooded over me, a testament to his bravery and selflessness.

I remembered when we first met at the Shadow Mine, how the Demons of Greed had attacked us without warning. Justice had lifted me out of the way, his strong arms carrying me to safety as the demons closed in around us. His eyes blazed with determination, and at that moment, I knew he would do anything to keep me from harm.

Then, there was the night at the Twilight Tavern when he left me with Damon to investigate a shadow lurking in the darkness outside. I had begged him not to go, but he only smiled that infuriatingly brave smile of his and told me he would be back before I knew it. Yet he almost didn't come back at all. The shadow nearly killed him, and when I saw his broken body lying on the street, I felt like my world had shattered.

Justice had always been there for me, protected me from danger, even sacrificed himself for me. He was my rock, my anchor in a world that seemed determined to tear me apart. Yet, I never told him how much I cared about him, how much he meant to me. The words always seemed to stick in my throat, held back by a fear of losing my family and something else, something I couldn't quite name.

Now, with him out there facing a horde of demons alone, I couldn't hold back any longer. The idea of losing him forever shattered my heart into a million pieces, and I knew if I never got the chance to tell him how I felt, I would regret it for the rest of my life.