ChapterForty-Six
ANNORA
Emerin.
My eyes fly open, and I find her sitting in a chair pulled up near my bed.
“Emerin.” I smile and sit up quickly. Too quickly. The room spins for a second before righting itself.
Sunlight dances off her copper hair as she moves to sit next to me on the mattress. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m well. Especially now that you’re here.” My brow furrows. “But how are you here?”
“Your husband sent Reeve to get me.”
Reeve?
Jasce’s other brother is here?
I glance around, expecting to find him nearby, but he’s not. “Where’s Jasce?”
“I think he wanted to give me time with you.”
How thoughtful of him.
I take a deep breath, trying to remember what happened to me. The last thing I remember clearly is going to the kitchens for an almond pastry. Everything after that is a blur of pain and nausea.
Emerin seems to read the unspoken question on my face. “You were poisoned.”
A cold fist of fear squeezes my lungs at the thought of someone trying to kill me.
Is it because I’m from House of Silver? Does someone want me dead because I’m married to their chieftain?
I run my fingers across my eyes as I recall the servant girl handing me the almond milk. Was she the one who poisoned me? Surely, the cook wouldn’t have tried to hurt me. She’s always so kind.
“Rora,” Emerin says, pulling my attention back to her. “Would you like some water?”
I nod, and Emerin hurries to retrieve water from a vase sitting on the nearby table. When she returns, she hands me the goblet. I grab it from her and take slow sips.
The bed creaks as she sits next to me and darts her gaze over my face, studying every detail, as if she cannot believe I’m truly sitting in front of her.
“I’ve missed you so much, Em,” I whisper, my voice wavering with emotion.
“Oh, Rora.” Tears well up in her eyes. “Nothing has been the same since you left. My heart aches every day that you’re not there. And Ashes…” She sniffs and wipes away the tears. “She’s so sad. So angry. It’s like a part of her died when you left.”
“I’m so sorry.” Guilt twist in my gut like a knife as I continue. “I never meant to hurt either of you.”
She curls her fingers around my free hand. “Do you love him?”
“Yes.”
“Does he love you?” When I nod, Emerin’s grip tightens. “Then, I am thrilled for you, and I want you to be happy. You deserve that and so much more.”
My heart soars with relief, knowing that she doesn’t condemn me or hate me for my choices.
“Thank you.” I lift my hand to my seashell pendant and squeeze my fingers around it. “Where is Asha right now?”
Emerin shakes her head. “I do not know. She left with her army days ago.”
