I wish I could stop thinking about him now.
Phillip’s hair was auburn, darker than William’s, and Phillip’s eyes were dark brown, dark enough to lose yourself in, where William’s were a light tawny color, like amber being held up to a light. They were both tall. Both muscled, but not overly so. Both handsome. Where William was strong and steady, knowing what he wanted and unafraid to take it, Phillip looked at me and at the world around him with an intensity that made me question what I was seeing, and I hated it.
I hated that he saw the world as I couldn’t.
I had to remind myself that Phillip knew from the moment he saw me that I was a fae witch. I could see the fear and wariness on his brow. He was wiser than his brother. William knew we were half-fae, but didn’t fully appreciate our power. He didn’t know until his final moments what Aura and I were capable of.
I was glad Phillip was afraid.
Phillip’s fear was well-placed, but he had no idea what he’d gotten himself into. He would have been better off dying in the woods than face my sister’s wrath, and if she found out he was here, that was exactly what he would face.
Clutching the table in front of me, I willed the wicks of every candle positioned all around the room to ignite. The tiny flames flickered and then grew stronger. When the room was bathed in warm light, I went to work, gathering ingredients from the labeled bottles strewn across the countertop.
Thank God he hadn’t picked the locks and cleaned in here. Some of these ingredients were deadly.
Yes, Phillip had to go as quickly as possible, as soon as he healed well enough to run if he needed to. I could take him to the border, but if something happened between it and his palace, he would have to fend for himself. The people of Grithim, especially their King, hated faeries.
I wouldn’t betray William by letting something or someone harm his family, but I would only step so far onto Grithim lands. Malex had warned me against them in the spring, saying they’d caught and tortured several of his subjects who had wandered unknowingly into their forests. While I couldn’t be killed, I could still feel pain and didn’t want to feel helpless ever again.
I loosened my grip on the glass bottle of yellow root when I heard the telltale sound of glass fracturing. Deep breaths. I needed to focus on this potion. To heal his fractures, I would need bone. My fingers danced over the bottle tops until I found the ingredient. To heal his connective tissue, I would need exactly that. Now, where were my tendons and ligaments?
I plucked the bottle from the shelf and smiled.
Time to work the magic…and get the young Prince of Grithim the hell out of my house.
A few hours later, I poked my head out the door and called for him. “Phillip!”
“Yes?”
“I need something from outside and was wondering if you could retrieve it for me.”
“Of course. What do you need?”
So eager to help. “I need the feather of a dove. There should be some on the ground near the window sills. You have to hurry back in.”
“Why would there be dove feathers under your windows?”
Because my sister has no original thoughts in her mind, I thought with some measure of aggravation. I had a familiar—Ember—so she decided she wanted one, too. It was a dove named Peace, which I affectionately nicknamed Pieces. If Ember ever caught her, that was what she would be. Then we could roast her over the fire and enjoy the bird for the first time since she’d started visiting.
For now, I needed him to feel light as a feather so his body wouldn’t be strained while working with broken parts. “Did you hear the part about hurrying?” I shouted.
He’d been here for a week. I wondered if Peace had already seen him outside and reported back to Aura. If she knew he was here with me, Phillip was already in danger.
He brought the feather in and handed it to me, his finger brushing mine during the exchange and lighting a fire beneath my skin. “You need to stay inside unless I’m with you,” I warned.
“But I was just outside. Nothing happened,” he argued.
“Not this time, true, but look – even in the yard, it isn’t safe for you. And especially stay inside during the day.”
“Why?” he asked softly, his eyes locked on my lips as I parted them to answer.
I forced the bitter words from my throat. “Because I’m cursed and I can’t help or protect you during the daylight if you’re foolish enough not to listen to me.”
He opened his mouth but I cut him off.
“Thank you for the feather,” I said, dismissing him and shutting the door behind me.
When the potion was finished, I found Phillip inside the kitchen with his hands braced on the counter, looking out the colorful panes of glass. He’d listened to me and heeded my warning. “It’s still dark. Would you like me to cover the windows?” he asked solicitously.
“If you want to cover them, do so during the infuriating daylight, not in the comfort of darkness.”
He blinked away his surprise and stepped away from the window. “Very well.”
Holding the small glass of glowing blue liquid, I extended it to him. “Drink this.” His eyes locked onto the potion, a thousand questions flooding his features. “It will heal you,” I said gently. “You’ll be good as new in a few days, at the latest.”
Phillip swallowed. “A few days?”
“At the latest,” I repeated, punctuating each word. “I know what you’re thinking, but it will work. It’ll heal the ligament in your arm that’s torn and hanging on by a thread, the four ribs that are cracked, and the bone in your ankle that’s slightly fractured.”
“How do I know this isn’t poison?” he asked tentatively.
I threw my head back laughing. “If I wanted you dead, you wouldn’t have lasted a second after I awoke. I could have snapped your neck or sucked the air from your lungs, and there would’ve been nothing you could have done to stop me.”
He weighed my words, but in the end took the small glass and brought it to his lips, his eyes boring into me. Then he drank it down, absorbing the healing properties of the spell and ingredients that would speed his healing. In that split-second decision, he gained the power to heal himself from the inside out and I gained a sliver of his trust.
Phillip hid his pain well, but it was there. In every limp, every slight wince and catch of his breath, I saw it, heard it, and smelled the sweat on his brow.
There was no way I could find Malex tonight, which meant I would just stay here. Working the magic had taken its toll. I was pathetic. A simple spell wore me out on the first night of autumn. But since I needed to rest, I could watch over Phillip tonight and make sure he didn’t do something incredibly stupid, like walk out into the dark forest on his own because he felt a little better.
He was itching to get away from here, and I couldn’t blame him.
“You’re staying?” he asked as I came back inside with an arm full of vegetables.
“Someone has to cook breakfast. I haven’t eaten in months.”