There was absolute silence. Arms slid around me, and I turned into them. Her hand rubbed small circles on my back. I let out a shuddering breath.
“Well, it is no wonder you left him. I would have done the same.” Her words were indignant, and I let a little laugh slip out.
“It’s been hard,” I admitted—my most profound shame. “I’ve missed him so much.”
“I know you have. We knew something damaging happened, but Rian said that it was your business when we asked of it. Just know that you made the right choice. Mates are sacred and should be treated as such. He disrespected that and does not deserve the rare gift.” I rubbed my chest where the ache gradually spread. A need to see my sister filled me. She was familiar, and the only affection I could count on. I swallowed hard to push back the emotion tearing through me.
I pulled back and offered her a shaky smile. “They won’t let me leave, will they?”
She pursed her lips, her expression determined. “They want you to be safe. You are the only hope we have… So, it won’t be an easy argument, but we might be able to convince them.”
A flash of relief flooded through me. She was going to help me fight for some freedom. Hopefully, I wouldn’t have to see Roark. I’d find a way to evade him.
Conan strode in with Rian and Ty behind him. They spoke in hushed tones as they took their seats around the table. All I heard was his name as they crossed the doorway, and my eyes narrowed in on them as the conversation stopped. Ty smiled at me tightly, but otherwise evaded my questioning gaze.
Conan’s long-legged stride took him to the seat next to Cora, and he slumped into the chair, slamming his booted feet up onto the table. Rian’s disapproving look did nothing to sway Conan, who just winked at him.
“Before you debrief us on your findings, my love, Rae has something to say.” Cora turned to me with an encouraging smile. I narrowed my eyes at her. Damn her for putting me on the spot.
A plan spawned as she gave me an encouraging look. “Rian, do I still have that magical residue?”
“No,” he answered curtly and looked at the ceiling as if he knew what I was about to propose.
“I’ve been here for a while, and I would like to go to the human side to check on my sister and friends—in person. I don’t even know how long it’s been in human time. For all I know, she could be an old lady now.” My words came out in a rush and, even to myself, a bit frantic.
“She’s not,” Conan said softly as if he were speaking to a child. Jealousy that he’d gotten to see her made my teeth grit.
“You’re trying to run, Rae,” Rian said. “This is what you do. Run.”
His words took me aback, and if I were honest, they hurt a little. Yes, I knew I was running again, but couldn’t he see that it was how I dealt with things? I was always running because I didn’t want to deal with shit. It was a way to preserve. It was how I’d always come out okay.
“That is not terribly fair, Rian,” Cora scolded, glaring at him. “She has people she loves in the human world. When I came here, I disliked my family. You can’t take that from her.”
“We have to figure out how to unbind—”
“Yes, we know she has a duty. She knows it, too,” Ty interrupted Rian. I shot him a small smile of appreciation.
“It may be our only hope,” Conan interjected, and Cora threw him a lovelorn glance while Rian glared at him. “I took so long because you can only see goblins during a full moon and only after I almost died to get the substance. They refused to speak to me and demanded to talk to the Queen. Because you have something they would like to trade for the information.”
That made my stomach drop. Oh, God, what if they wanted an unborn child, or a limb or— I shook my head, trying to dislodge the morbid thoughts.
“I am concerned about the other Unnaturals. If they find the Queen of Faerie, they will kill her.” Ty’s brows dipped into a frown.
“It’s not like she can access her magic for them to sense her. She won’t be traced.” Conan sat back, looking satisfied.
“She can’t go without protection,” Ty urged. “I will go with her.”
Rian snorted. “Tyran, you have never even seen the human realm. The best bet here is to send Conan with her.”
“No.” I sat up, and everyone’s attention whipped to me. It wasn’t until then that I realized I had yelled. “I won’t have Conan leave Cora for however long. They’ve been separated enough. I know you guys think I’m weak and that I can’t handle anything remotely important.” I couldn’t help the sardonic edge to my tone.
“It is not that, Rae,” Ty said before I could continue my rant. “You were human before you were dragged into our world.” Well, that was quite literal. “We are trying to take as much stress from your shoulders as we can so you can concentrate on gaining control.”
Irritation flashed through me. “Be that as it may, if these goblins have information on how to do it, I have to talk to them. It’s time I do something. Luz gave me life so that I could help your people. Coddling me won’t aid anything.”
Finished with my tirade, I sat back down and stared them down as they looked at one another. Cora shot me an appreciative look. There were crickets for several long moments.
“You can’t keep her in the dark forever,” Cora muttered. Rian shot her a warning look. They kept me in the dark?
“Fine,” Rian said, and I ignored the angry look he sent me. Shock coursed through
