Chapter Seven

C andace

Candace stretched, her golden hair catching the sun's rays as she lounged on a soft bed of cotton candy clouds. The sugary scent of her realm filled her senses, and a contented sigh escaped her lips. She wished Roderick was here with her, but he needed to recharge his powers back in her own realm. The first time they had made love, it had been for the sole purpose of creating the well—and for having fun. She had felt the first stirrings of love then, but now she was sure of it. Even though Roderick Stone was a moonsidhe, the King of Nightmares, and a stubborn pain in the ass, she was head over heels in love with him.

"Your Radiance!" a high-pitched voice cried out, shattering the serenity of her thoughts. Candace's eyes fluttered open just in time to see a group of candy fae hovering before her, their tiny wings vibrating with urgency.

"What's the matter, my little sugar sprites?"

"We found the problem," one of them chirped nervously, its gumdrop eyes wide with concern. "We've been investigating Whitlock like you asked, and you're not going to believe what we found."

With a collective grunt, the candy fae emptied a sack of potion bottles at Candace's feet, the bottles clinking together as they scattered across the floor.

"These were in several people's trash."

Another candy fae, its tiny wings dusted with powdered sugar, fluttered nervously in front of her. "We've run tests on these bottles," it explained, its voice trembling like the leaves of a delicate mint plant. "Our findings are quite troubling."

"What did you find?" Candace picked up one of the empty vials. It looked familiar.

"They're minor mind control potions," another candy fae chimed in. "Whoever drank them would be under the influence of someone else's will."

Candace's fingers tightened around one of the bottles as she examined it more closely. And that's when she saw it. It looked like the one Roderick had. The one he'd said was an energy tincture.

Had he slipped a mind control potion into her coffee? Was that why she was suddenly so head over heels for him?

"Leave me, sweeties," she said. "You've done well."

"What shall we do now?"

"I'm not sure. But rest and recharge your powers."

"Thank you." They all buzzed off in different directions.

Candace paced the length of her chambers, thoughts churning. Had it all been a ruse, Roderick worming his way past her defenses with artificial charm? She recalled his smirks, his cutting remarks that had slowly given way to playful banter, even flashes of vulnerability. Had it been nothing but a facade?

Yet she could not deny the authentic moments between them, the understanding that had blossomed. The way he had gently kissed her. His devotion to the town that, while different from her methods, was just as valid.

No, her instincts whispered, their connection ran deeper than any potion's influence. But doubt lingered. A shadow had fallen over her heart. She had opened herself to Roderick, only to face the possibility it had all been a carefully orchestrated lie. The hurt of it stung deeper than she cared to admit.

She needed to see him before they were summoned back to the well. She wanted answers and hoped he could reassure her. She followed the path to the edge of her realm and Roderick's, where the vibrant hues of her land gave way to the monochrome world of nightmares. Shivering, she stepped forward, crossing the boundary. The transition was jarring, the warmth and light of her land giving way to cold shadows and an eerie silence that tasted metallic.

"Ugh, how does he live like this?" she muttered, wrapping her arms around herself for comfort.

As she ventured deeper into the dark realm, Candace's thoughts raced, her mind a whirlwind of uncertainty. Had Roderick truly manipulated her feelings? Or was there something genuine beneath his gruff exterior?

"Roderick," Candace called out, her voice echoing through the cavernous space. "We need to talk."

Her heart raced as she awaited his response, the silence stretching on for what felt like an eternity. And then, finally, Roderick emerged from the shadows, his expression unreadable.

"Talk?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "About what?"

"About this." Candace held up one of the empty potion bottles, her hand trembling slightly. "These are mind control potions. Found in the townspeople of Whitlock's trash. Is this another one of your cheats? Did you put one of these potions in my coffee?"

Roderick's eyes, usually a stormy gray, now shimmered with pain as he stared at Candace, disbelief etched across his handsome features. "Candace," he whispered, the hurt evident in his voice. "I would never—I couldn't even fathom using such a potion on you or anyone else. Is this what you really think of me? That I would stoop so low as to manipulate your emotions?"

"How can I trust my feelings if I'm being manipulated by magic?"

"Trust me because of who we are. Look at everything we've been through together, every moment we've shared. Can you honestly say you felt nothing genuine between us?"

"Show me that my love for you isn't a lie."

"Love?"

Oops. She hadn't meant to say that. Not yet anyway. Not here and not now.

The eerie silence that followed hung in the air like a thick fog, obscuring any semblance of certainty. Candace's breaths were shallow and rapid as she studied Roderick's tormented expression. His once-impenetrable mask had crumbled before her eyes, revealing an ocean of vulnerability beneath the stormy surface.

"Can't you see?" Roderick's voice was hoarse, barely more than a whisper. "I would never do anything to hurt you. Is it so hard to believe that maybe, just maybe, our connection goes beyond some twisted magic potion? That perhaps there's something real between us?"

"I don't want to believe it. But the vials are the same as yours. Can I trust you, Roderick?" Her voice trembled, a single tear slipping down her cheek.

"Only you can answer that." He reached out, wiping away the tear with his thumb, his touch gentle and tender.

It felt like she was being torn in two, this doubt. If this wasn't real, she wasn't sure that she would survive. But if it was real, then she was being an asshole who was wrecking the best thing in her world.

"I can't. Not right now."

She left before she lost control and started sobbing.

RODERICK

She left a hole in his heart when she faded back into her own realm. She loved him. A sunsidhe loving a moonsidhe. The Sugar Plum Fairy loving Krampus. It was impossible. If he hadn't made the energy tincture himself, perhaps he would have thought they had been mind controlled. But it hadn't been him. That meant that someone was making mind control potions in Whitlock, and he had a feeling that he knew just who it was.

He should get Ben to help him with this, but first he had to be sure. The twisted maze of Zenaida's dreamscape enveloped Roderick in shadow. He saw her standing on a platform in the town square, addressing the citizens of Whitlock. Her eyes gleamed with ambition as she spoke passionately about her plans to become mayor.

He drifted past fragmented scenes of her imagined reign over Whitlock—citizens bowing before her, the mayor's chains in her grasp.

As he wandered deeper into the labyrinth of her mind, he caressed the crumbling walls of her fantasies, watching them fracture. With a flick of his fingers, her dreams of victory decayed. The triumphant crowds jeering, her mayoral sash torn away. The election posters that plastered the walls of Whitlock, once emblazoned with her triumphant smile, now bore her image crossed out in red. No matter how she clawed for control, it turned to dust in her hands.

Zenaida's face twisted in rage as her dreams of ruling Whitlock collapsed around her. Roderick watched with detached amusement as she pounded her fists against the cracking walls of her sinister lair.

"I know. I'll kill Ben Whitlock and become mayor that way." A wicked grin formed on her face as she plotted Ben's demise.

"Good luck with that," Roderick thought, smirking as he manipulated the dreamscape once more. In an instant, Ben transformed into an invincible hero, deflecting every one of her deadly spells with ease.

"Impossible," Zenaida seethed. "Why won't you just die?"

With a snarl, she turned and stormed away, her footsteps ringing out in the emptiness. The scenery shifted, and they were in a ritual chamber, surrounded by bubbling vials and ancient tomes. Zenaida stood before a great iron cauldron, fury etched on her face as she rifled through jars of arcane ingredients.

"The mind control potions were useless," she muttered. She grabbed powders and liquids, tossing them recklessly into the brew. It hissed and steamed as she bent over it, madness glinting in her eyes. Zenaida's muttering took on a feverish tone as she stirred the cauldron, the contents swirling into a sinister purple vapor. "All they did was make people miserable and crazy. This time I will brew something stronger, something that will bring Whitlock to its knees."

A gasp from behind him caught his attention. Candace was hiding as best as she could in the corner of Zenaida's nightmare.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, hating how his heart leapt at the sight of her.

"I felt you meddling in dreams again."

"And you came to check on me." He turned his back on her, disappointed.

"Zenaida was behind the mind control potions."

"No shit?" he said, deliberately pushing potion bottles off the shelves with his powers and having them break at Zenaida's feet.

Zenaida's cursing was imaginative and inspired. He'd have to remember a few of those.

"I'm sorry for doubting you earlier," Candace said meekly. Since meek wasn't her style, he took his attention off Zenaida to look at his favorite sunsidhe. She did look contrite. A part of him was relieved by her apology, her faith in him restored. But another part hesitated, worried that she only believed him now because she'd caught Zenaida red-handed. He wanted Candace's trust freely given, not simply acceptance of the obvious.

As he struggled inwardly, Candace drifted closer, her eyes soft. "I know you're only trying to protect Whitlock, in your own way," she said gently. "I should have trusted your intentions. But more importantly, I should have trusted my feelings. I love you."

Roderick opened his mouth, then closed it again. The words stuck in his throat. When was the last time he had heard those words?

Candace reached out and took his hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. The touch jolted through him.

"Will you forgive me?"

Roderick managed a jerky nod. The bloom of warmth in his chest was at once foreign and yet so very right. "I love you too."

A screech shattered the moment. "How dare you invade my mind?" Zenaida hissed. "I'll see you both destroyed for this. Starting with your precious wishing well."