CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“It’s pretty impressive how you both got here so fast without any reinforcements at all,” Pine said, her eyes gleaming as she sat on her burgundy throne, looking entirely comfortable. Roxie remembered sitting there just a few weeks ago when Pine had been kidnapped, feeling so helpless at the burden of not being able to tell anyone or knowing how to deal with the political game that was handed over to her.
“It wasn’t a hardship,” Isaac replied offhandedly, standing beside her and looking straight ahead. The three of them were locked tight in the main hall so no one else could see them, and both Isaac and Roxie had been given robes to quickly change into before they were presented to the queen. Pine looked visibly impressed, though her expression was more directed towards Isaac.
“I guess with someone as powerful as you, it really would be very easy,” Pine murmured, looking him over. The way her gaze traveled down Isaac had Roxie inwardly bristling, but she controlled her reaction and tried to appear as blank as possible. Finally, Pine finished her perusal and stood up. “Well, I did promise you I’d remove the curse if you deliver my daughter here safely.”
Roxie stilled at the words. Then her head jerked in Isaac’s direction, trying to meet his gaze. Isaac looked ahead, refusing to look at her—and Roxie realized that her mother was speaking the truth.
She didn’t know what to think about it, but she understood his decision well enough. His clan came first, and if that meant she was part of the bargain, then he was going for it. It had been the same for her when she’d gone to his place to approach him.
But things had changed for her now, and it was her who didn’t know how to deal with it.
She forced a smile on her face, genuinely happy for him. Then Pine continued speaking again, and the smile slowly died off.
“To be quite honest, I hadn’t expected your rescue to be so successful.” Pine sighed, flipping her golden hair to the side. It glistened perfectly against the hall’s low lighting. “When I said rescue, I had been thinking you’d drop her somewhere along the way and be done with it, then lie to me and tell me she was dead. I’d have been perfectly fine with that.”
Pain slashed at Roxie’s heart at such casual words, and she tried to find the words to speak up. But it was Isaac who spoke first.
“You mean you wanted her dead?” he asked softly.
“Maybe. Not entirely,” Pine replied. “Roxie, you’ve been such a pain in the court lately. I’ve returned thinking you’ve done a good job in my absence, but all you did was give more free food to the public. Now, that just won’t do, and I believe you deserve punishment.”
She stepped forward, panic hitting her. “Mother—”
“I curse you, Roxie K'Lashtama.”
The words flowed over Roxie, warm and tingling and wrapping her with magic. It sparked into a glowing coat of gold, sliding inside her like silk.
“The Winter King feels that you’ve betrayed him completely, and he’s headed this way. I need to banish you from here before anyone discovers your presence—both of you—as I need to establish good communications with him.”
“He kidnapped you,” Roxie snapped out, stepping forward.
Pine’s eyes flashed. “And it won’t happen again. While I deal with this, I curse you, Roxie, to never step foot here again. You will stay with this panther shifter until I deem it safe for you to come back.” She sighed. “I hate wasting curses like this, but you’ve forced my hand.”
“So, I can come back?”
Pine shrugged. “Depends on my mood.”
Roxie felt her heart constricting at the casual tone, but she shook it off and turned to Isaac. His jaw had flexed, and she knew he didn’t like this anymore than she did—probably more. She could feel a dangerous aura surrounding him as he stepped forward, his gaze boring into Pine’s.
Pine merely raised a brow from her spot. “Any protest?”
“No,” Isaac murmured. A beat of a silence, then, “Aren’t you forgetting something?”
Pine laughed, and melody filled the room. Her power spread out, making the gold in the castle glisten brighter. She stood up from her chair, her golden gown outlining her curves as she held out her hand.
“I remove your curse, Isaac Hart. You are no longer chained to the boundaries of your clan.”
Bright light filled the room, and Roxie watched as Isaac went rigid before stilling completely, his eyes closing. A visible sigh of relief came out of him, but when he opened his eyes, his expression was as unreadable as ever.
“You understand why I’m doing this, don’t you, Isaac?”
Isaac nodded calmly. “To remind me of what you can do.”
“Good.” Pine looked pleased. “Never forget my powers. I’m sure my daughter’s presence will remind you to never say no to me again.”
“I’m sure,” Isaac said agreeably. His fists clenched behind him, and only Roxie could see.
Pine smiled smugly. “Now get out of my court. Use the side door. Do not let anyone see you.”
Isaac nodded. Roxie was still numb from what had happened, and he had to yank her back to remind her of what they still needed to do. When they were out of sight and out of earshot from the queen, Isaac turned to her, and it was Roxie who looked away now.
“Any friends you need to say goodbye to?”
Yes. But she shook her head, knowing her mother meant it when she said they couldn’t be seen by anyone. She needed to be strong about this.
“Where’s the ripe spot?” Isaac was asking.
“Outside. Let’s go.”
She needed to be strong about too many things now.
*****
They snuck out of the castle in no time, avoiding the people and using the cloak provided to them to blend in. The smell of autumn leaves filled Roxie’s nostrils, and an ache settled in her as she realized how much she missed this place. This was her home and the place she’d grown up in since she was a kid, and she didn’t know how to live anywhere else.
Her mother had often told her things: about how she wasn’t really wanted there, about how she was never going to succeed in ruling the place when her time came. Tiny insults, said in a playful manner, sometimes with a hug or two. That was just how Pine was, and Roxie had built up a wall so as not to let the words affect her. But this was the first time that those words had taken fruit, and she realized her mother was more serious than she thought.
She also realized her mother had probably just been waiting for her to be the one to give up first and leave.
Isaac was silent as they kept walking until they finally reached a lake in the middle of a clearing. It was deep blue, a direct contrast to the orange and red trees and perfect because of it. Roxie liked coming here to think and be alone, and the pang hit her again.
She closed her eyes against it and concentrated on using her magic.
“Roxie?”
“Quiet. I’m concentrating.”
He growled. “But you just used your powers and need to rest. I was just asking for the spot because—”
“Quiet,” she repeated, more firmly this time. She kept her eyes closed and tugged at the reserve inside her, feeling something respond even while she already used up most of it earlier. This was all the Autumn Court’s doing, of course, enhancing her magic. She let it out slowly, taking her time, imagining the portal in her mind as well as the spot near Isaac’s home.
A hand took her wrist and tugged her forward. Her eyes snapped open as she looked at Isaac, who was studying her closely.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” she replied, her voice steady.
He had no response to that. His jaw tensed again, and she figured he was still not fine with Pine’s decision.
“I’m so—”
“If you say sorry one more time, I’m going to strangle you.”
“—delighted to be welcomed into your home,” she said instead.
His lips quirked. She stifled a smile. Then she looked at the castle from afar one more time before turning to him with a deep breath.
“Let’s go.”