Page 46 of Villainous Greed
Chapter Eighteen
August
Despite learning what Harvest had done, my chest felt light as we left the memory. Nova was still in my arms, tucked against my chest, and I felt like a god. For a blissful second, everything was as it always should have been, until she stiffened.
My grip on her tightened as she pushed at my chest. She was unnaturally quiet as she tore out of my arms and turned away from me. The only reason I released her was because Melinda watched us.
Melinda cleared her throat. “Do you know what happened now?”
Before either of us could answer, the castle shook. Melinda stumbled forward as chunks of brick ripped from the walls. My knees wobbled as I reached for Nova, but she didn’t move. My essence blazed around her frozen body. She stared ahead, unseeing.
“Nova!” I shouted.
The rumbling of the castle stopped. Nova blinked and looked at me, then at her hands. “Did I cause the rumbling?”
“Your magic is unsettled as you are. Learning the truth is a lot,” Melinda said. “You’re going to be okay, though.”
“Am I?” Nova whispered.
The truth of the past didn’t change the hardships Nova experienced. While I might be in bliss to have her near, my heaven could be her hell. I still failed to save them back then. I had to make sure I never let her down again.
Melinda said, “You can redeem yourself, Nova. You’re not what Harvest forced you to do.”
“Sofia…” Nova’s voice was barely a whisper.
“I can take you to Sofia,” I told her.
My essence spread out around Nova. Her hair rose in the air. Melinda swayed and then her feet left the ground. Next, I floated above Nova and extended my hands.
“Nova, my little star,” I spoke gently. My heart ached to see her like that.
The levitation ended, and I gracefully landed on my feet. To prevent Melinda from falling, I used my power to support her. Tucking her dress down, she thanked me.
While glaring, Nova smoothed down her curls. “I’m not doing it on purpose.”
“We know,” Melinda said. “Your magic has been bound to another your entire life. It will take time to adjust.”
Nova lifted her chin and straightened her shoulders. “I should leave.”
“Absolutely not!” I yelled.
She turned her head and avoided facing me. “I don’t expect to be welcomed here. Not after everything.”
Stepping toward Nova, I gripped her chin and tilted her head up, so I made eye contact. “You’re my mate. We’ve been apart long enough, and I refuse to go another day without you. We don’t have to be alone anymore.”
The castle shook again.
“Why do you call me your mate? And what do you know of loneliness? I rotted in a cell while you paraded around the city!”
Her words were like a sucker punch to the gut. “It kills me to imagine what you went through.”
“And it kills me to know everything that I know, too!” Nova shouted.
“If I could rewrite the past, I would save you all,” I said.
Nova’s eyes shut. As her body tilted forward, I realized she was unconscious and scooped her up before she hit the floor.
Melinda moved closer. “I put her asleep.”