Ivy dressed Sasha in blue: the dress, the hairband, and the long light-blue gloves.

  "I've missed you," Sasha said, hugging Ivy tightly.

  "You shouldn’t have come," Ivy said softly. "I wasn’t really in danger, and now you've lost all your magic."

  "What if you had been in danger?" Sasha countered.

  "You would have known," Ivy said, placing her hand on Sasha’s heart and tapping gently.

  Sasha could feel the soft healing power from Ivy. She was almost fully healed and really didn’t need it, but Ivy still pampered her.

  “We were so close…” Sasha began, unable to finish the sentence as angry tears welled in her eyes. Ivy stroked her back gently.

  “It’s never easy, Sasha, but we will win—maybe not now, but soon.”

  “I want to kill them.”

  “I know. But you have to believe me—that’s why I want you to stay close to Elias tonight. If you feel the urge to kill, take it out on him, not the queen, and certainly not the king.”

  “You won’t help me?”

  Ivy released Sasha and began to sing an old lullaby. As she looked around the room, she picked a flower from one of the vases and placed a white lily behind Sasha’s ear. The lily contrasted beautifully with Sasha’s silky black hair.

  “I want you to look innocent today, vulnerable. They must not suspect what you’re up to, Sasha. You have to earn their trust. Can you do that?”

  “No,” Sasha shook her head. “I’ll try to be quiet, but I cannot lie. If I speak, they’ll know.”

  Ivy ushered Sasha in front of the mirror—there was no gentle pull, and Sasha knew Ivy was irritated.

  “Smile, Sasha. Show me. We’ve practiced—I know you can.”

  Sasha felt the urge to bite her lip, but she did as she was told.

  “And now, what do you do if you want to punch something?” her sister asked. Sasha grinned, knowing exactly what she meant.

  “I kill Elias,” she declared.

  “Good, very good,” Ivy said. “Elias burned down your home—with you as a witness—so he’s off the hook. You can hate him all you want, but when the queen speaks, you must smile.”

  There was a chilling coldness in Ivy’s voice, and Sasha knew she had to rein in her feelings. It wasn’t the first time she’d gotten into trouble for not listening to her sister. This mission was too important to risk carelessness.

  Ivy smoothed Sasha’s hair and took a deep breath.

  “Don’t fail me on this one.”

  Sasha nodded and closed her eyes, trying to force a smile, though all she felt was the urge to weep.

  “I’ll just have to check my outfit,” she said, then disappeared into the bathroom.

  Sasha quietly closed and locked the door. She attempted to summon the warm magic from within, but it didn’t respond. Placing her hands on her heart, she forced a smile at the reflection in the mirror. The girl in the mirror looked ugly to her—her legs felt weak, and she slumped toward the floor. Thankfully, the room was clean.

  “Are you ready?”

  “No. Who will be there?”

  “The queen, the king, and their closest servers. They wouldn’t like too many people to attend.”

  “Not out of politeness, I would suppose?”

  “Certainly not,” Ivy laughed. “Although, dressed up and gorgeous as you are, that hideous blue eye of yours still disturbs the Lady.”

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  Sasha smiled. She could live with a blue eye—but what she couldn’t live with was not getting her revenge.

  “I need a weapon, Ivy. Do you know how to get one?”

  “Asking Elias?”

  “Yeah, sure—as if that would ever happen. He knows how I feel about the king.”

  “Too bad you got yourself a watchdog. Not planning on doing anything reckless, are you?”

  “If by reckless you mean hunting down a certain mister Aiden, then I suppose you’re right.”

  A heavy knock sounded at the door, and Ivy swirled around. In her light lilac dress, she looked as delicate as a small Linnea flower—too perfect to touch.

  “Good. I think I could arrange a weapon, but for now,” Ivy whispered, pointing toward the door, her blue eyes the color of ice (once again confirming that nothing about her was fragile), “smile.”

  “Yes, Miss Mastermind. I’ll smile for you.”

  “I know,” Ivy said, just as the door flung open. “Elias, how good to see you.”

  “You’re late,” Elias greeted.

  His eyes left Ivy’s and landed on Sasha. He involuntarily inhaled and raised a brow. Sasha smiled politely, trying her best to mimic the untouchable grace that Ivy so effortlessly displayed.

  “You clean up pretty well,” he said, reaching out his hand toward her. His amber-yellow eyes fixed on her, shining with the same intensity as when they wrestled. “Really nice.”

  “Thanks,” Ivy said as she slipped her hand into Elias’s.

  Sasha tried to cover her smile and took two steps after her sister.

  “All of my children in the same room,” the queen remarked, her eyes misty. She smiled as she looked at Elias and Ivy.

  “Mother,” Elias said, placing a gentle kiss on her cheek.

  “Darling, you will always be mine. And so will you,” the queen continued, welcoming Ivy with a warm hug.

  Her smile grew even brighter as she turned to Sasha. Sasha glanced at Ivy and managed a small smile, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. Her mother then took Sasha’s hands in hers.

  “I’m so sorry we’ve missed so much time.” She squeezed Sasha’s hands softly, and tears glistened in her eyes.

  Sasha felt a deep pain in her face; her smile was rigid—as if painted and sculpted in place. She couldn’t answer or reciprocate. The queen tugged her closer and gave her a soft hug.

  “You can call me Anna. I understand that this is hard for you.”

  “Anna,” Sasha tasted the word. Until now, she hadn’t even known her mother’s name—she was simply the almighty, the queen.

  “Leonard,” Anna said, glancing over her shoulder. “Come and welcome our children.”

  The king rose from his chair, looking fondly at the queen before gently squeezing her shoulders.

  “Three such lovely kids,” he said, glancing briefly at them. “You will make Anna happy.” He eyed them further. “I want Anna to be happy—to reclaim the years that were stolen.”

  Sasha felt real pain in her facial muscles.

  “But you have been lucky, having Elias to console you,” Ivy said. “He is such a fine man—a reflection of both of you.”

  “Well, isn’t he?” Sasha agreed, grinning naturally. “He plays with magic as expertly as the queen herself.”

  Ivy nodded approvingly while the queen and the king beamed. Elias looked at Sasha with narrowed eyes.

  “My ladies,” Elias said, pointing toward the table.

  He pulled out a chair, first ensuring that Ivy was seated by whispering something in her ear before turning to Sasha. Sasha heard her sister snicker and saw the queen’s approving look. Anna clearly had a soft spot for Ivy. The king, however, was completely absorbed by the queen’s dress.

  Elias then pulled out another chair, looking expectantly at Sasha.

  “You could dress a cat in the finest cotton, but the claws will still be sharp,” he said, laying a hand on her hip. He guided her into the chair, then seated himself between her and her sister.

  “If you say,” Sasha replied under her breath. “I assume you know her better than I do.”

  Elias chuckled. “You looked better as a mud wrestler, your skin soaked in dirt.”

  His low voice stirred fond memories, and Sasha squeezed her hands in her lap. Elias patted her on the back and then turned to his parents.

  “I assume it’s shrimps?” he asked as the waiters entered. “Or do we have something extra for the guests?”

  “It’s Friday,” the queen answered. “Of course we have shrimps.”

  Elias didn’t touch the bowl of seafood. He endured the dinner in silence, as did Sasha. She concentrated on the shrimps, listening to the queen and Ivy chatting. Elias reached forward and tore a piece of bread with his fingers, breaking it into small pieces.

  “About next month’s competition—do we add two extra, or am I free to go?” he suddenly asked, interrupting the queen mid-sentence.

  “They’ve all been looking forward to the competition,” the king said. “And it is a perfect opportunity.”

  Anna slowly pulled the head off a shrimp, savoring the taste.

  “It might be wise to reconsider—digesting this new landscape. Or what do you think, Elias?”

  “You’ve been prone to finding me a wife for the better part of the last year—just cancel the bloody tournament.” He took another piece of bread and shredded it into pieces.

  The queen rolled her eyes and frowned, while the king stared out the window, seemingly more interested in the sunset than in the conversation at the table.

  “Tournament?” Ivy asked.

  “They have created a magic labyrinth, designed to find me the perfect match,” Elias said dryly. “You know, these wonderful creatures with less than three brain cells, who can think of nothing better than to plan the next grand dinner for the castle.”

  Anna inhaled sharply and laid a hand on her chest.

  “Elias!” the king yelled. “That’s enough. It would make your mother happy to have more folks around here.”

  “Well, by hell, why don’t you get yourself some more children then?” Elias said, rising from his chair. “Sasha, you’re coming with me. We don’t have time for this. You need to train.”

  Sasha looked from Ivy to the queen. Ivy nodded very slightly—stay close, she had said, especially when you feel murderous. Sasha smiled broadly at Anna.

  “Well, you can’t have a weak witch, can you?” she said, hurrying after Elias.