“Damn, Olida. I really wanted to not like you, but you’re making it rather hard,” I said after my third gulp.
She beamed, wrinkles forming around her unnatural lavender eyes. “I’m going to take that as a compliment. Now, let’s get back to it. Where did my mate leave off? I’m sure I can finish it from there and make this less painful.”
I had so much happening in my life that I didn’t agree with. So much that I thought I needed to be leery of that I decided in that instant, regardless of her past choices, Olida and I were going to be friends. She emitted a powerful aura even I couldn’t ignore. There was something soothing about her. After the shitshow that had been happening, I wasn’t going to deny that I needed more of a calming effect in my life.
Finn set his now-empty cup down. “He just finished telling us how he did nothing to save my sister when he knew what was happening.”
Olida glared at Mosi and waved her hand. “You’re fired from storytelling. Finn, your sister is going to be okay. Don’t you worry about that. She is strong. I have seen it myself. Now, what is really important here, is that all of those past choices made it possible for the two of you to find each other. Can we accept that and move on?”
I shrugged and glanced at Finn. I wasn’t the one upset. Olida was right. Ivy was stronger than I think Finn had ever given her credit for, and she’d acknowledged her fate long before I showed up. Finn just had to accept it as well.
One of the ways I’d been able to move on so easily after I’d been banished from the fae realm was because I took the worst of those memories and moved on. I didn’t dwell on them. Tucking them far into the recesses of my mind helped me to become the person I was today.
Although, I wasn’t completely oblivious to how not dealing with those things was biting me in the ass now.
When neither of us responded to Olida’s question, she repeated herself. “We will move on, correct?”
“Sure. Whatever,” Finn muttered.
Or he could just pretend to agree and stew about it by himself. That worked, too.
Olida didn’t seem deterred by his flippant comment and carried on. “So, Lucinda. You have a magic within you that was placed at birth and again when you were ten. From what I could tell when I healed you, that voice you no longer hear inside your head was from that magic. I believe Zephyr placed it there in hopes of using it to control you, but little did he know, you’re stronger than that.”
My jaw tensed as I considered her words. I wanted to tell her she was wrong. The voice had been a vital part of me. It was my own conscience taking on a more powerful role. There was no way it could have been fabricated. But then, I thought about everything Zephyr had done, all that he was capable of, and I couldn’t deny the plausibility of her statement.
When I didn’t respond, she continued, “When Finn showed up, the natural bond between the two of you began to form and threatened the power within you. Again, just going off speculation, I assume the voice you heard had already begun trying to guide you in certain directions. As you got stronger by being near Finn, the dark magic became more desperate. Did you sense that happening before you lost control after the fight at the castle?”
As I met her gaze, it was as if she could see into my soul. I didn’t like that one damn bit. I opened my mouth to lie to her, and she smirked, giving her head the slightest shake.
I turned toward Finn. “Where the hell did you find these people?”
He shrugged. “They found me.”
As much as I liked her no-nonsense attitude, I wasn’t telling her anything else. Olida could roll with her “speculations” and I’d just keep listening. For now.
“I will take your non-answer as answer enough. Well, now that you’ve bonded with Finn, the foreign magic within you has been destroyed. You are, for the first time in your existence, completely in control of yourself,” Olida said, leaning back and still grinning.
Gods, she reminded me of myself and Neva put together. It was annoying and intriguing all at the same time.
I pointed a finger at Olida then Mosi. “You two are something else. I’m not sure what, or if I even care to figure it out, but regardless, thanks for the story time. Now, while I decide if any of it makes a difference to me, why don’t you tell me how it all factors into destroying Zephyr?”
Mosi sighed, glancing at his mate. “She’s going to be even more stubborn than we foresaw, isn’t she?”
Olida patted his knee. “Not stubborn, dear. Strong. Magnificent. Resilient.”
A part of me still wanted to dislike Olida, but the fae was making it damn hard. I’d never had anyone look at me with such hope. Though, I wasn’t going to take that wistfulness and pretend it didn’t mean they might be using me for their own benefit. I’d be nice to both of them, but my guard would remain up.
Finn refilled my cup, then his own, with more hot toddy. “So, what now? When do we head back to the castle? I won’t leave my sister there forever. My patience will only last for so long.”
“I understand, and I appreciate your trust in me with my plans. I promise it will not be for nothing. Our time to face Zephyr is coming soon. First, you must find Maddox, and Neva needs to come back.”
Maddox. I’d completely forgotten about him and probably owed him an apology, even if he didn’t realize it.
“Is he even alive?” I asked, and Finn flinched beside me.
Mosi nodded. “Yes, but he won’t be for much longer if the two of you don’t act at just the right time. You will find him on his farm, but be wary. Not all of the Renegades were captured by my people, and the guards still hunt for the both of you. We won’t know for some time who is truly on our side.”
My wings twitched under my shoulder blades at the thought of the guards. I pictured Gabriel’s face and the shame for not slicing his head off when I had the chance rolled through me, causing a shudder.
“We find Maddox, get Neva back here, and then we can save my sister and kill the king?” Finn pressed, still hoping for confirmation.
Mosi sighed. “I cannot say for certain, but that is my hope. The future is not as sound as one would hope. I will keep watching and guiding as best I can, but my gift is not without its faults.”
Finn grimaced beside me while I finished the warm whiskey. Once I set my cup back down, I decided I was done with this meeting. “Well, I need some air. How far are we from North Island?”
“A day’s flight. We are at the furthest point from the castle. You will need to teleport to Finn’s farm, but not just anywhere. Only certain spots are safe,” Mosi answered.
“While the rest of you figure out the details of our next move, I’m going to stretch my wings. And don’t take too long, or I’ll leave without you and deal with whatever risks come my way.” I winked at Finn when he glowered at me.
I wouldn’t really leave without him—we were in this together at this point. But I would go without Mosi’s permission if I felt it was right.
I might not fully accept the bond with Finn, but I wasn’t stupid. I’d heard Olida, and I did feel stronger without that incessant voice inside my head. Whether I liked it or not, I was beginning to see that maybe bonding hadn’t been the end of the world for me.