Fragile Reign (Mortal Enchantment Book 2) Read Free Page A

again. “I’d love for you to stay and talk to me. Tell me what’s going on with you. I’m sick of talking about my problems.”
    Ariel leaned her head against the wall. “I took Marcus to see my parents.”
    “Oh, juicy gossip.” I leaned to the side, facing her. “Perfect. What happened?”
    She lowered her eyes, looking like she was about to cry. “Exactly what I expected. They refused to let me out of my engagement to Aiden. Oh, and they threatened to have me exiled from the court.” Her entire demeanor changed. It was as if someone had deflated her.
    I pulled her into a hug. “You will never be exiled from our court. I can promise you that.”
    She let out a sniffle. “It’s not just that. They called Marcus a mongrel. They were so mean to him. They made it clear they would never accept him. It was awful.”
    I pushed back, gripping her shoulders. “Who cares what they think? If Marcus is the one for you, then you should be with him. You should be with whoever makes you happy.”
    “I wish it were that simple.” Ariel said, wiping away tears on the sleeve of her yellow sweater. “I have to think about my younger brothers. If I marry Aiden, I join a family with clout in the court. My brothers are almost guaranteed a knight position. It’s been their dream since they were children.”
    Ariel always thought of her family before herself. When I was sure there had been a trap and refused to return to the castle, she walked straight into danger. Her concern for her family was always more important than her own safety. She was one of the most selfless people I’d ever known, which was why the situation with her parents was so unfair. Was she really expected to live the rest of her life unhappy because it was better for everyone else?
    “I think it’s amazing how much you care for your brothers, but you also have to think about your own happiness. I believe they wouldn’t want you to be miserable for their sake.” I nudged her side. “Plus, hello , your BFF is the future queen. I believe I have some pull in our court as well. And, I would knight them if it gave you the freedom to be with whoever you wanted.”
    “I should’ve told you about this a while ago, but things never slowed down—” She turned away as her eyes welled with tears.
    “Hey,” I said, grabbing a tissue out of a nearby box and handing it to her. Ariel wiped underneath her eyes. Her emotional reaction turned the volume up on my already frazzled nerves. “Whatever it is, you can tell me.”
    Rubbing the sides of her arms, she said, “My mother heard a rumor. She said it was circulated by someone on the council. They think we’ve been keeping them away from your father because we’re trying to hide the truth of his condition.”
    I rolled my eyes. “It doesn’t matter what they think. Dad will recover, and when he does, I will make sure he knows all about this petty rumor.” I sounded a lot more convincing than I felt. On the inside, this was my greatest fear. What if he never regained his power? Would the council support me as their queen? Not from what I could tell from those council meetings.
    “Do you really believe he will make a full recovery?” she asked.
    “Absolutely.” Yeah, I was a big-ass liar. I needed to get out of here. “Come on, I need your help.” I grabbed her hand and led her farther down the hallway.
    “Where are we going?”
    “My room. I have to get ready.” All of the anguish I was feeling melted away when I thought about my plans. I tried to hide my excitement. “I’m meeting Rowan at sundown.”
    Ariel glanced out the windows as we passed each one. “You better get moving. You’ve probably got less than an hour.”
    The minutes could not pass quick enough. In the chaos of the last week, seeing him was all I’ve had to look forward to. When he heard about the damage from the natural disasters, he took off in a hurry for the mortal world. There was no time for discussion, which left too