“There was nothing worse than a love you’d lost and proven false. You could burn away with righteous anger until nothing remained but relief. But to find a love that had been pure, earned through years of patience and so profound it felt like breathing, and then have that love taken from you—that was a devastation with no salve. ”
“Tell me again,” Henry said quietly.
“About the day Father left. ”
He had his father’s dark hair, the same stubborn set to his jaw. He was eight years old today. Eight years since Jareth had been taken, since only one piece of her king remained solid and real in her life.
Their son. “Your father loved you,” Cali began, the words worn smooth from repetition. “More than anything. ”
It was true.
She remembered the moment Henry had been born, how Jareth had looked like they’d given him the entire world. They’d had minutes together, minutes as a family, before the fae queen Bellatrix arrived to collect what her curse entitled her to—the child conceived in their marriage’s first ten years. “But then why hasn’t he come back? ” Henry’s voice cracked.
“It’s been eight years, Mama. If he loved us so much, why hasn’t he found a way home? ”
The accusation in his tone cut deeper than any blade. “When the fae queen came to take you, your father offered himself instead.
He saved your life, Henry. ”
“I know that. ” Her son’s eyes welled up with tears. “But if he really loved…” He bit his lip.
“He should have come home by now. ”
“He’s trapped in the fae realm, my love. ”
“Or he’s happy there,” Henry challenged, sounding small. “He’s happy with her and so he stopped trying to escape.
”
“No. ” Cali said, certainty rising within her like a tide washing away doubt. She hadn’t known about the curse. Hadn’t known that Jareth’s former lover, the fae queen he’d left when he recognized Cali as his fated mate, had bound him with magic.
Claim your wife within ten years, and any child conceived belongs to me. Hadn’t known that every moment of distance had been her husband protecting their future until her sister Mira drugged him, shattering his control. And then Henry had been born, and Bellatrix had come. “He isn’t happy there.
” Cali met her son’s gaze. “He could never be. Not without us. ”
Henry studied her face, searching.
“Then why haven’t you tried to find him? ” His eyes were bright with unshed tears and something worse. Doubt. “Have you actually tired?
Or have you just been sitting here being queen, pretending everything’s fine? ”
Eight years of searching, consulting every mage and scholar in the kingdom, refusing to give up when everyone, even Mira, told her to move on. As if she could. As if any other love could compare to what she’d had with Jareth.
“I have been trying,” she said quietly. “Every single day for eight years, I’ve been looking for a way to bring your father home. ”
Henry’s expression shifted. “You have?
”
“Yes. ” Cali squeezed his hands. “I’ve never stopped looking. Your aunt Mira has been helping me research.
”
“Then why didn’t you tell me? ” His voice was small now, wounded. “I didn’t want to promise you something I couldn’t deliver. ”
Henry was quiet for a long moment.
Then something fierce sparked in his eyes, replacing hurt with determination. “But you’re still looking? ”
“Of course I am. ”
“Promise?
” Henry whispered. Cali pulled her son into her arms. “Always,” she swore. “I will never stop looking for your father.
”
She was going to find him, whatever it took. That night, Cali made her way through the castle corridors to Mira’s workroom. The familiar path took her past the portrait gallery, where Jareth’s official coronation portrait hung. She paused before it, drinking in the details—the set of his jaw, the silver of his eyes, the strong hands that had held their son with such devastating gentleness.
Eight years, and the ache hadn’t dulled. If anything, it had sharpened. “Evening, sister. ” Mira greeted her, hunched over ancient texts with dark circles under her eyes.
Every time Cali looked at Mira, she remembered the night her sister had given her that potion, the one that shattered Jareth’s control completely, the night that led to him being taken. She both regretted it and treasured it in equal measure—regretted it because it cost her Jareth, treasured it because it gave her Henry. “He asked about his father again? ” Mira guessed, taking one look at Cali’s face.
Cali sank into a chair. “Henry’s starting to resent me for Jareth’s absence,” she confessed. “He believes I haven’t been trying to find him. ”
Mira’s expression softened.
“That’s not fair to you. You’ve done everything possible. ”
“Does it matter, though? ” Cali interrupted.
“All my son sees is that his father is still missing, Mira. ”
Her sister grimaced. “Did you tell him, though? That you’ve been searching?
”
“Yes, but Mira—” Cali’s voice cracked. “What if I’m failing them both? Jareth trapped there, Henry growing up without his father. ”
“Stop.
” Mira’s tone sharpened. “Jareth made his choice to protect Henry. That’s not on you. ”
Cali sighed, the sound heavy with defeat.
“Henry is starting to doubt Jareth’s love for him. He thinks if his father really loved us, he would have found a way home by now. That maybe he’s happy where he is. ”
Mira remained quiet at that, her gaze sliding away.
“What? ” Cali frowned at her reaction. “What if he’s not? ” Mira challenged.
“Wrong, I mean. What if he chose to stay with her? What if after all this time he adapted, moved on? ”
Cali jumped to her feet, anger flashing hot and bright.
“He didn’t leave. He was taken. Kidnapped by a vindictive fae who couldn’t accept that he chose me over her. And my mate was taken,” she said, quietly and fiercely.
“I would know if he were dead. I would feel that absence, and I don’t. He’s alive. ”
Mira held up her hands in surrender.
“After everything—seven years of distance during your marriage, the curse, eight years of separation—you’ve never once doubted him. ”
Cali thought back to those seven years. She’d tortured herself watching Jareth maintain careful distance, interpreting every averted gaze as rejection rather than what it truly was—desperate, aching love held back by sheer force of will. “I doubted whether he wanted me.
Spent seven years thinking I was unwanted. But now I understand. Every choice he made was love. Staying away was love.
And I won’t dishonor that by giving up on him. ”
Something shifted in Mira’s expression. “What if I told you… the search might be over? ”
Cali’s breath caught.
“What? ”
Mira pulled out a leather-bound journal, flipping it open. “I’ve been corresponding with a fae folk expert in the northern mountains. There are places where the fabric between realms becomes thin—not often, and not permanently, but at certain times, specific alignments of moon and season, gateways can open.
”
“Gateways? ” Cali breathed, her heart beginning to race. “The Whispering Woods at the eastern border. Under tomorrow night’s full moon, the fabric will be thin enough.
” Mira met her eyes. “But the gateway requires a sacrifice. Something precious, given freely. And once you cross…”
“I’ll give anything,” Cali interrupted.
“What did she have that was precious enough? ” Jewelry? Gold? But no—fae magic didn’t work like that.
It wasn’t about monetary value. “What’s wrong? ” Cali asked, watching Mira avoid her eyes. “This is our first real lead in years, and you look like you’re attending a funeral.
”
“Well, I’d rather not have to attend yours, sister. ” Mira snapped. “The fae queen isn’t going to just let you walk away with Jareth. ”
“I’ll find a way,” Cali said immediately.
Already her mind was spinning ahead—stepping through the gateway, searching for Jareth, finding him. That moment when their eyes would meet after eight years apart. She could almost feel the warmth of his embrace. “What if you can’t come back?
” Mira’s voice cut through the fantasy. “What if the gateway only works one way? Henry would lose both parents. ”
“If there’s a chance,” Cali said, the words coming instantly, without hesitation.
“Any chance at all to reach him, I’m taking it. How soon can we leave? ”
Mira studied her face, then sighed in defeat. “Tomorrow night.
The gateway only opens under the full moon. After that, we’d have to wait months, maybe years. ”
Tomorrow. One more day, and she could finally go to him.
She reached for the chain around her neck and pulled free the ring—Jareth’s ring, the one he’d given her on their wedding day. “The sacrifice,” Mira said quietly. “It has to be something that truly matters to you. ”
“This,” Cali said.
“It’s precious, and I give it freely for the chance to bring him home. ”
Mira’s expression softened. “Are you sure? ”
“I’m sure I want to give the ring,” Cali said firmly.
“I meant, are you sure you want to leave Henry? ” Mira said. “He needs his father,” Cali replied. “He’s starting to resent me, starting to doubt whether Jareth loved him.
The only way to fix that is to bring Jareth home. If I don’t at least try, Henry will never forgive me. ”
Mira nodded slowly. “There’s no changing your mind, then.
”
” There isn’t. ” Cali grabbed her hand. “You’ll look after him, won’t you? While I’m gone.
”
“With my life,” Mira swore. “I’ll look after him. You know I will. ”
Cali closed her eyes.
After eight years, she was finally going to see Jareth again. She was going to bring him home. Whatever it took. The Whispering Woods earned their name.
Even in stillness, the ancient trees seemed to murmur secrets in a language Cali’s wolf could almost understand. She and Mira stood before a massive oak, its trunk wider than three men standing side by side. “Here,” Mira said, pressing her palm against the bark. “The gateway is here.
”
Cali could feel it now—a thrumming power that made her wolf pace restlessly beneath her skin. Magic, old and vast and entirely foreign. “The sacrifice,” Mira reminded her. Cali held up Jareth’s ring, the metal gleaming silver in the moonlight.
For eight years, this piece of him had rested against her heart. Giving it up felt like tearing away a part of herself. But for the chance to reach him, she’d sacrifice anything. “I offer this freely,” Cali said, her voice steady.
“For passage to the fae realm. ”
She pressed the ring against the oak’s bark. The metal grew hot in her hand, then blazing, then melted into the wood, vanishing as though it had never existed. The tree trunk split open, revealing not wood, but shimmering air that bent and twisted.
Through the distortion, Cali glimpsed impossible colors and crystalline structures that hurt to look at directly. “That’s it,” Mira breathed. “That’s the gateway. ”
Cali turned to embrace her sister one final time.
“Thank you, Mira. For helping me search. ”
“Come back to us,” Mira said fiercely. “Both of you come home.
”
Cali stepped back, facing the gateway. Her wolf surged forward, recognizing something beyond that shimmering barrier—not home, but the path to it. The path to him. She took a breath, squared her shoulders, and stepped through.
The world inverted. Up became down. Colors screamed and then went silent. Cali’s wolf howled in distress as alien magic crashed over them, through them, remaking them in ways she didn’t understand.
Then her feet hit solid ground, and the disorientation shattered. Cali stood in a forest—but wrong. The trees were too perfect, their trunks silver-white and smooth as glass. The grass beneath her feet was blue-violet, soft as silk.
The fae realm. She’d made it. Beyond the forest’s edge and fields of golden flowers, in a crystalline palace that caught the perpetual twilight of the fae realm, stood a queen. One hand pressed against glass that had been spun from starlight, Bellatrix watched the courtyard below—her court moving through the gardens like living jewels, dancing and scheming and playing their endless games of power.
But she saw only one figure among them. Jareth walked alone through her gardens, silver eyes distant as he moved between topiaries shaped like impossible creatures. Even from here, she could see the tension in his shoulders, how he held himself like a man barely tethered to the ground. She’d given him finery, placed him at her side, elevated him above nobles who’d lived for centuries.
She’d tried to make this work. And yet—
“Your majesty. ” One of her ladies-in-waiting approached. “The evening meal is prepared.
Shall I summon—”
“No. ” Bellatrix’s voice came out sharper than intended. “I’ll dine alone tonight. ”
Another dinner where Jareth would sit across from her, politely eating food he barely tasted while she pretended this was what she’d wanted.
Not tonight. She returned her gaze to the window. Her reflection stared back—ice-blue eyes, silver-white hair. She’d been beautiful for over three centuries.
And yet, the one man she’d managed to keep couldn’t even look at her. Jareth had chosen her first. That was the truth she clung to. Before that wolf queen, before fated mate bonds, he had wanted Bellatrix.
Freely, without coercion. They’d had three years together—three years where his smile had been genuine, where his promises had felt real, where the empty ache inside her hadn’t felt so raw. She needed him. Without him, without his love, she began to think of other things again.
And she could not afford it. Would not. She rarely came to court these days anyway—always some excuse about diplomatic matters. But she knew better.
Knew he was watching her, judging her for keeping Jareth here. As if he had any right to judge her choices. A sharp chime echoed through her chambers—the warning bells that guarded her realm’s borders. Someone had breached the gateway.
Someone had found a way through. Bellatrix’s power unfurled instinctively, reaching out to taste the intruder’s essence. Wolf, female, mortal. And beneath it all, a desperate determination that tasted like iron and hope.
She knew, before the knowledge fully formed, who it was. Something cold and hot surged through her chest simultaneously. Anger. But beneath it all, something that felt dangerously close to relief.
Finally. Finally, this stalemate would end. The little wolf queen had finally come. The fae realm was wrong in ways that made Cali’s wolf howl in distress, like the very air was watching her.
Time felt slippery, like trying to hold water in cupped hands. The forest was beautiful, but in the way a knife blade catching light was beautiful—sharp and cold. She walked and walked, and with each step came the growing certainty that she was hopelessly, utterly lost. The path curved ahead, opened into a clearing dominated by a massive oak.
No—something that resembled an oak. Cali stopped, staring. Then dread settled cold in her stomach. She’d been here before.
An hour ago. “No,” she whispered. She turned, retracing her steps. The path should lead back the way she’d come.
Should take her deeper into the realm, toward wherever Bellatrix’s palace waited. But instead, there was that oak again. “Damn it! ” The words exploded out of her.
Magic trapping her here, keeping her walking in circles while Jareth remained out of reach. But then—
“Lost little mortal? ” came a voice. Cali spun, her wolf surging forward in defensive instinct.
A man stood at the edge of the clearing. No, not a man—fae. Everything about him screamed other, sunlight seemed to have been woven into each strand of his hair, his eyes bluer than summer sky. “Who are you?
” Cali asked. He was looking at her the way a cat might look at a wounded mouse. “I’m not the one wandering in a foreign land like a stray, that’s for sure. ”
Cali forced herself to stand straight.
“Very well. I’m seeking Bellatrix’s palace. ”
The fae raised an eyebrow. “Are you now?
And what business does a mortal wolf have with the queen? ”
“That’s between me and her,” Cali said, keeping her voice steady. The fae laughed. “Bold words for someone who’s been walking in circles for the past three hours.
” He circled her slowly, studying her. “I don’t see what’s so special about you, human queen. Even for a mortal, you’re rather plain. ”
Heat flooded Cali’s cheeks, but she lifted her chin.
“I didn’t come here to be admired. ”
“Clearly. ” He stopped in front of her. “You came for the shifter, yes?
Bellatrix’s little wolf pet? ”
Cali’s heart stuttered. “His name is Jareth. You know where he is?
”
“Everyone knows where he is, mortal child. ” The fae rolled his eyes. “He’s been decorating the queen’s court for eight years now. ” Something dark flickered across his perfect features.
“A rather pathetic display, if you ask me. ”
“Then help me reach him,” Cali said. The fae’s eyebrows rose. “Why would I help you?
What’s in it for me? ”
“Of course. ” Cali thought. She’d read enough about the fae to know nothing was free here.
“What would you like? ” she asked carefully. The fae studied her, then smiled—beautiful and terrible at once. “Well.
I suppose it is rather painful to watch Bellatrix cling to your king like a drowning woman to driftwood. ” He frowned in disdain. “She’s become bitter and boring, and for what? Some mortal?
For centuries she won’t give me the time of day for being half mortal, and then she goes ahead and becomes obsessed with a full mortal man. ”
“I didn’t know fae could be half mortal,” Cali replied neutrally, sensing she was treading a sensitive path. “From my mother’s side,” Evander shrugged. “”Well, she used to be mortal.
After she married my father, she became fae. But that didn’t stop Bellatrix from mocking me at every opportunity. ” He paused, pouted, then smiled once more. “Here’s my proposition, human queen.
I’ll guide you to Bellatrix’s palace. I’ll help you gain an audience with our queen. In exchange, you will make her see reason. Make her let your king go.
”
“That’s what I came here to do,” Cali said slowly. “Why do you need to bargain for something I already want? ”
“Because bargains have power here,” Evander’s voice dropped, serious for the first time. “If you succeed, the debt is paid and you’re free.
If you fail, if you leave this realm without your king, then you owe me one favor. ”
“Unspecified? ”
“To be called in at my discretion. ”
Cali’s pulse quickened.
Vague. Dangerous. It gave the fae too much power. “It’s also your only option,” Evander said pleasantly.
“”Unless you’d like to spend the next eight years walking in circles around that tree. ”
Cali looked at the oak, its glass leaves chiming softly. Looked back at Evander’s ice-blue eyes, seeing alien amusement there. She thought of Henry, waiting at home.
Of Jareth, somewhere in this realm. “I accept,” she said, extending her hand. Walking next to Evander, Cali tried to focus on the path ahead, keeping her breathing steady despite her wolf’s constant agitation. But her mind kept spinning forward—to how she might soon see her husband again.
“So. How exactly do you plan to challenge Bellatrix for your king’s return? ” Evander asked. “Challenge?
”
“Well, did you plan on asking her nicely? ” Evander’s eyes glinted with amusement. “I’m sure your husband already tried that, mortal child, and he’s still here. ”
The casual cruelty of it made Cali’s jaw tighten.
“So I must challenge her. Would she accept that? ”
Evander shrugged. “Probably not.
She quite likes her pet where he is. And besides, she has a hold on him because he broke his side of the bargain, and she collected her due. Contracts are sacred here, unbreakable. ”
Cali’s stomach sank.
“Unbreakable, but contestable,” Evander continued. “”By fae law, contracts obtained through coercion, manipulation, or without proper consent are contestable. ”
Cali’s breath caught as understanding dawned. “A loophole?
”
“Indeed. Your king didn’t willingly break his bargain. He was forced through artificial means. That’s good.
”
Hope surged so violently in Cali’s chest that she felt dizzy. “So Bellatrix has to let him go? ”
“Not quite so simple. She’ll argue, find counter interpretations.
Fae law is complicated, layered. But you have grounds to challenge the contract’s validity. With the right argument, presented before the court… ” He glanced at her, assessing.
“… you might actually have a chance. ”
They walked in silence. The forest changed, the trees growing taller, the colors more vivid, the sense of watching presence intensifying until Cali’s wolf was a constant snarl beneath her skin.
Then through the trees ahead, something glittered. “There,” Evander said. “The crystal palace. ”
Cali’s breath caught.
It rose from the forest like a dream made solid—crystalline spires and impossible architecture, walls seeming to be carved from frozen starlight. The most beautiful thing she had ever seen. “Come,” Evander said, gentler now. “”Stay close.
The palace has protections against mortal intruders. ”
He led her forward. Fae courtiers moved through the gardens, beings so beautiful they hurt to look at, dressed in impossible fashions. They stared as Cali passed, whispered, smiled with too many teeth.
Evander ignored them all, moving with the confidence of someone who belonged. And they let him through, bowed to him even, stepped aside with respect and something that might have been fear. Cali had imagined Evander was some kind of rogue, someone with nothing to lose, operating on the fringes of fae society since he’d sought her out in the forest and was helping her challenge a queen. Clearly she’d been wrong.
The palace doors opened without touch, revealing corridors of polished crystal that reflected Cali’s image back at her a thousand times. She looked small here, desperately out of place among all this inhuman beauty. And then—the throne room. Soaring ceilings that seemed to touch the sky, walls that shifted colors, fae nobles lined the room, their faces turned toward Bellatrix.
Arms crossed, with a smirk curving her lips, she was staring at Evander. . ” So you’ve returned? ” she asked, her voice carrying effortlessly.
“Did you miss me? ”
“Did you miss me? ” Evander replied, matching her casual mockery. “Miss you?
” Bellatrix arched an eyebrow. “I barely noticed you were gone. ”
Evander’s jaw clenched. “Strange, because I distinctly remember you sending three messengers to find me last week.
”
“Someone from my council must have sent them. ” She shrugged. “Nothing personal. ”
“Of course.
” Evander’s smile sharpened. “Just like it’s nothing personal that you’re wearing the colors I said suited you best. ”
Bellatrix’s expression flickered. “You’re insufferable.
”
“And yet you—” Evander began. Cali cleared her throat, interrupting them. Bellatrix’s gaze snapped to her and everything changed. “You dare bring her here?
” she breathed, rising from her throne. The last words were directed at Evander, sharp with betrayal. But Cali wasn’t looking at either of them anymore. Because there, standing to the left of the throne among a cluster of fae courtiers, was Jareth.
Eight years. Eight years since she’d seen him, touched him, heard his voice. And now, he was right here. Cali’s wolf surged forward with a howl of recognition and joy and desperate relief.
He looked worn—the silver of his eyes seemed dimmed—but he was so close. He was alive. Her hands trembled. She wanted to run to him, but she forced herself to stay still.
She had to be strategic, careful. Like Jareth was being. He hadn’t looked at her yet. He stood with that same distant expression she remembered from their marriage—present, but not present.
There, but not there. Cali’s chest ached. Was he afraid to show his joy? Soon, she promised him in her mind.
Soon I’ll reach you. “The mortal queen is here to bargain,” Evander announced to the assembled court. The throne room fell silent. Bellatrix’s eyes narrowed, her gaze shifting between Evander and Cali.
“Bargain? ” She descended from her throne, moving toward Cali like a predator approaching prey. “Yes,” Cali said, lifting her chin. “”I’m here to bargain for my husband’s freedom.
”
“I challenge the validity of your contract with King Jareth,” Cali announced, her voice carrying through the crystalline throne room, “on grounds of compromised consent. ”
The murmur started immediately. Fae nobles leaning toward each other, eyebrows raising with interest. Bellatrix’s expression remained cold and amused.
“Do explain, little wolf. This should be entertaining. ”
Cali squared her shoulders. “The contract terms specified that any child conceived within the first ten years of marriage would belong to you.
”
“Correct,” Bellatrix said. “And he chose to offer himself in place of the child. ”
“Except the conception itself was obtained through manipulation,” Cali’s voice hardened. “Jareth didn’t willingly consummate our marriage that night.
”
The murmurs grew louder. The court was paying attention now. “Oh, I’m sorry,” Bellatrix snorted. “”Did you have to torture it out of him?
”
Laughter echoed through the throne room and Cali felt herself blush, but she pursued. “He was drugged that night. His consent was compromised. By fae law, contracts obtained through coercion, manipulation, or without proper consent are contestable.
”
Bellatrix’s smile thinned. “And who told you that? ”
“Doesn’t matter. ” Cali stepped forward.
“You claim Jareth broke the contract by conceiving a child. But if he didn’t consent to the act that created that child, then he didn’t truly break the terms. ”
“Fascinating logic. ” Evander’s voice cut in from the side of the throne room.
He was leaning against one of the crystal pillars, looking thoroughly entertained. “She’s done her homework, Bellatrix, wouldn’t you say? ”
Bellatrix shot him a look that could have frozen fire. “No one asked for your commentary, Evander.
”
“And yet here I am, commenting. ” Evander’s smile was sharp. “But do go on, Bella. I’m curious to see how you’ll wiggle out of this one.
”
“I don’t need to wiggle out of anything,” Bellatrix snapped. Then she turned back to Cali, composure sliding back into place. “Your argument has merit, I’ll grant you that. ”
Relief started to bloom in Cali’s chest.
“However,” Bellatrix continued. “If we’re questioning consent, then perhaps we should question the entire foundation of your marriage bond. If Jareth didn’t consent to consummating your marriage, did he truly consent to the bond itself? Was your marriage ever real?
Or was it simply fated mate biology forcing him into something he never actually chose? ”
The relief died. Cali’s stomach dropped. “Oh, that’s clever,” Evander murmured, sounding genuinely odd.
“Twisted, but clever. ”
“Hush, you. ” Bellatrix winked at him before turning back to Cali. “You claim your husband didn’t choose to break the contract.
But can you prove he ever chose you at all? That your bond was genuine, and that I didn’t save him from a fate of forced love? ”
Cali’s mind raced. A trap.
But what choice did she have? “Of course he chose me. We’re fated mates. ”
“Exactly my point.
” Bellatrix smiled. “Fated mates don’t choose. Fate chooses for them, hence the name. Where’s the free will in that?
Where’s the genuine love? ”
The fae court was riveting now. “So here is my counteroffer,” Bellatrix continued. “Since you’ve challenged the contract’s validity, I’ll give you a chance to prove your marriage was real.
Three trials. Three tests to demonstrate that what you and Jareth share is genuine choice, genuine love—not just magic forcing you together. ”
Cali’s heart hammered against her ribs. “And if I succeed?
”
“Jareth goes free. ”
”
“And if I fail? ”
“Then you’ve proven the marriage was never real to begin with. Which means Jareth never truly belonged to you at all.
” Bellatrix’s smile sharpened. “And he remains here forever. ”
The throne room fell silent. Cali’s mind worked frantically.
The trials could be anything, impossible tasks designed to make her fail. But if she refused, Bellatrix would use her own legal argument against her. “She’s trapped you rather neatly,” Evander observed. “Though I have to wonder, Bella, darling, are you certain you want to go through with this?
What if the little mortal actually succeeds? ”
“She won’t,” Bellatrix said flatly. “So confident? ” Evander pushed off from the pillar, moving closer.
“But then, you’ve always been confident about things you perhaps shouldn’t be. ”
Something flickered across Bellatrix’s face—pain, anger, something raw—before her mask slammed back down. “None of this is of your concern. Do you accept my terms?
”
Cali finally let herself look at Jareth. He stood among the fae courtiers, watching the proceedings with an expression of detachment, as if all this ultimately didn’t concern him. She tried not to let it deter her. He was probably trying to avoid making Bellatrix angry by showing joy at the sight of his wife.
Unless—was he angry she’d come? Or had eight years here changed him so fundamentally that he truly didn’t care anymore? No. She rejected that thought immediately.
She knew Jareth, knew his heart. “I accept,” she said, her voice steady despite the fear coiling in her stomach. “Three trials. I’ll prove our love is real.
”
Bellatrix’s smile was cold and satisfied. “Excellent. Then let’s begin. Right now?
Don’t I get time to prepare? ”
“This isn’t a tournament, mortal child. ” Bellatrix interrupted. “Let the first trial begin.
”
The throne room reconfigured itself with fluid grace, crystal walls sliding and reforming until a clear space opened in the center. The fae courtiers pressed closer, forming a circle around the designated trial space. Bellatrix stood at one end, and on the other, near the fae nobles, Jareth remained where he’d been standing, still watching with that same detached politeness. “The first trial is simple,” Bellatrix announced.
“You claim that your bond is real. Prove it. ” She gestured toward Jareth. “”Convince him to leave with you willingly.
”
Cali’s heart leaped. That was it? Just convince him? “And the time limit?
” she asked. Bellatrix glanced toward the sky. “Sunset, which in the fae realm comes when I say it does. Let’s say an hour.
”
An hour. Plenty of time. Cali looked at Jareth, really looked at him. He was thinner than she remembered.
“Begin,” Bellatrix said. And there was something in her voice—satisfaction, anticipation—that should have warned Cali. But she was already moving, crossing the crystalline floor toward her husband. “Jareth.
” She said, and gods, just saying his name made her voice catch. “I’ve come to take you home. Henry is waiting. He’s eight years old now, and he misses you so much.
He asks about you every day. Please come home with us. ”
Jareth frowned, searched her face. Then—”I’m sorry,” he said.
“But who are you? ”
The throne room erupted. Laughter, high and crystalline and cruel, washing over Cali like ice water. “She didn’t know!
” someone crowed. “Look at her face! ” another said. The laughter built and built until it was all she could hear.
All she could process through the sudden, crushing weight of understanding. Her own husband didn’t know her. Jareth was looking at her with genuine confusion, not recognition. “Have we met?
” he asked again, a little more uncertain now. Oh, I forgot to tell you,” Bellatrix said. “He was missing you so much that in my grand generosity, I thought I’d soothe his suffering. I took his memories.
For his own good. Anyway, the trial stands. You have less than an hour to convince Jareth to leave with you. ”
Cali’s hands were shaking.
She looked at Jareth again, really looked. He looked lost, hollow. “I know you,” Cali said quietly, stepping closer. “Even if you don’t remember me, I know you.
”
Jareth’s expression flickered. “I watched you for seven years,” Cali kept her voice steady even as her heart shattered. “Seven years where we lived in the same castle, ruled the same kingdom, existed in the same space while maintaining careful distance. ” She moved around him slowly.
“You’re exhausted. Not just tired—exhausted down to your bones. Your jaw is tight, which means you’re grinding your teeth. You did that during council meetings when you were frustrated but couldn’t show it.
”
Jareth’s eyes had widened slightly. “You’re not happy here,” Cali continued. “I can see it in every line of your body. You’re going through motions, existing but not living.
And I recognize that because I saw it before—during those seven years when you were suffering in silence to protect our future. ”
“I don’t understand,” Jareth said, but there was less certainty in his voice now. More confusion that bordered on distress. “I ignored your suffering once,” Cali said.
“I was so focused on my own pain that I didn’t see what was right in front of me. ” She met his eyes. “I won’t make that mistake again. ”
The throne room had gone quiet.
Even the fae courtiers seemed caught by something in her tone. “You don’t remember me,” Cali said. “But I don’t need you to remember. I just need you to trust that I see you, really see you.
I know you’re miserable here. I know because I memorized you, Jareth. I spent seven years learning every detail of who you are. ”
Jareth’s hands curled into fists at his sides.
“How can I trust you? I don’t even know you. ”
“You don’t have to trust me,” Cali said simply. “You don’t have to know who I am or trust our past.
Just trust that you don’t belong here. This place is killing you slowly. ”
Jareth’s expression cracked. “Come with me, and I swear on everything I have—you’ll be happier.
”
Jareth looked at her hand, looked at her face. Something was happening behind his eyes—recognition, but not of her. Recognition of truth when he heard it. “Yes,” he said.
And the word seemed to surprise him as much as it did Bellatrix. “I’ll go with you. ”
Relief crashed over Cali. “First trial complete,” Evander’s voice rang out before Bellatrix could speak..
“The king has chosen to leave with her willingly. The terms are met. ”
Bellatrix’s face twisted with fury. “Two more trials.
And the next one won’t be so easy. ”
“The second trial will—” Bellatrix began, but Evander’s voice cut through hers. “Now, wait a minute, Bella. ” Every head in the throne room turned toward him.
He stood at the edge of the trial space, arms crossed. “This isn’t fair. The trial—it’s not fair, and you know it. How exactly is the mortal queen supposed to prove their love was real when you’ve locked away every memory he has of their life together?
”
“The first trial didn’t require memory,” Bellatrix pointed out. “And the terms were met. What’s your point, Evander? ”
“My point,” he said, stepping closer to her.
“Is that you claim you want proof their love is real. But how can they prove choice when you’ve removed his ability to remember making that choice in the first place? ”
Bellatrix’s jaw tightened. “Why do you even care?
This doesn’t concern you,” she snapped. “You’ve been clinging to that mortal for eight years like he’s the only thing keeping you standing,” Evander snapped back. “”I think I speak for everyone here when I say it’s getting rather tedious. ”
The throne room went silent.
“How dare you? ” Bellatrix said. “How dare you come here and mock me when you’re—”
“Yes, yes, half mortal, not worthy of your time. ” Evander interrupted, stepping closer.
Bellatrix actually retreated a step. “Yet you’ve made this entire court watch your pathetic display over a completely mortal man for eight years. So—the least you can do is listen to someone half fae and give the trials a fair chance. ”
Bellatrix stomped her foot.
“I don’t have to do anything you say. ”
“Then do it for yourself. Prove that your claim on him has any validity at all. Go on.
I dare you. ”
Bellatrix’s hands clenched. For a long moment, she just stared at Evander. Something raw and vulnerable flickering across her face before her mask slammed back into place.
“Fine,” she spat. “If only to prove you wrong. The enchantment will be lifted, but he still has to pass the test. Memory or not.
”
“Agreed,” Cali said quickly before Bellatrix could change her mind. Bellatrix snapped her fingers. The sound echoed through the crystalline space like breaking glass. Jareth gasped, staggering as though he’d been struck.
His hands went to his head, silver eyes going wide with shock and pain and sudden, overwhelming awareness. “Jareth. ” Cali started forward instinctively. He looked up.
And this time—this time—his eyes truly saw her. His face transformed. Shock gave way to disbelief, disbelief to desperate hope, hope to something that looked like agony and joy twisted together. His silver eyes filled with tears he didn’t try to hide.
“Callie. ” Her name came out broken, desperate. “You’re—how are you here? ”
“I came for you,” Cali said, tears streaming down her face.
“Of course I came for you. Did you really think I wouldn’t? ”
Jareth took a step toward her, reaching. “Callie—is Henry—?
”
“He’s safe,” Cali said quickly.. “He’s home with Mira. He asks about you every day. ”
Jareth’s face crumpled.
His hand covered his mouth, a sob catching in his throat. “Eight years. I’ve missed eight years of his life. ”
“Now that you have your precious memories back,” Bellatrix interrupted coldly.
“Let’s see if they help you at all. ”
She gestured. The throne room began to shift. The air shimmered, distorted.
And suddenly there wasn’t one Cali standing in the throne room—there were a hundred. Everywhere she looked, she saw herself—identical copies wearing the same travel-worn clothes, the same expression of shock, the same golden hair and green eyes. “The second trial,” Bellatrix announced.! “One hundred perfect copies of your wife, King Jareth.
Identical in every way—same appearance, same voice, same scent. I’ve even replicated the mate bond across all of them. ”
Cali’s heart sank. That was—that was impossible.
“You get one choice. Walk through them, examine them. Take all the time you need, but when you choose, you only get one chance. ” She turned to the court.
“Begin. ”
The binding released Jareth. He could move freely now. Walk among the copies, try to find his real wife among the perfect duplicates.
Cali watched him take a single step forward. Watched his eyes scan across the crowd of her doppelgangers. Watched him smile. And then, without hesitation, without pausing to examine anyone, without even a moment of uncertainty, he walked directly through the crowd of copies in a straight line.
Straight to her. His hand came up to cup her face, thumb brushing across her cheekbone, the touch so familiar it made her sob. “Found you,” he said simply. The throne room erupted in shock and disbelief.
Bellatrix looked like she’d been struck. “That’s impossible! How did you—how? ”
Jareth didn’t take his eyes off Cali.
“Because your copies are based on what you’ve observed of her—what you know, what you’ve seen. But I’ve been observing her for years. ” He turned to face Bellatrix, keeping one hand on Cali’s face like he couldn’t bear to stop touching her. “Seven years where we lived in the same castle and I wasn’t allowed to touch her.
So I looked. Gods, I looked. I memorized everything. ” He turned back to Cali, his silver eyes full of love and pain.
“The way you tilt your head slightly to the left when you’re thinking deeply. How you touch right here when you’re nervous. ” His thumb traced her collarbone. Cali’s hand flew to her collarbone, realizing he was right.
“The small scar on your right hand from when you were seven and fell out of a tree. The way you breathe—I could hear you breathing across a crowded throne room and know it was you. ” His voice dropped. “The exact shade of gold in your hair, the way you say my name, the sound of your footsteps.
I know everything that makes you you. I could find you blind,” Jareth said fiercely. “I could find you deaf. Because I spent seven years starving for you.
”
Cali was crying openly now. He pulled her closer, pressing his forehead to hers. “Your copies are perfect,” he said to Bellatrix without looking at her. “But they’re based on surface observation.
I know all of Cali, every detail, every tell, every tiny thing that makes her herself. ”
The throne room had gone absolutely silent. Cali stared at him, something breaking open in her chest. “The seven years—those terrible, painful seven years where I thought you couldn’t stand to look at me, where I believed I was unwanted—you were memorizing me.
”
“Never,” Jareth confirmed.. “It was torture and salvation both. I couldn’t touch you, couldn’t be near you. But I could see you.
And I did. ”
“Yes, yes, all right, we get it. ” Evander interrupted. “Second trial passed, the king identified his wife.
”
Bellatrix stood frozen, her expression cracked. Evander noticed, his jaw tightening. “Did he ever know you like that? In all the years you had him, did Jareth ever memorize you?
”
“Stop,” Bellatrix whispered, but she didn’t look at him. “You know the answer,” Evander said, bitterness threading through his words.. “You’ve always known. ”
Bellatrix’s hands were shaking.
“Two trials passed,” she said finally, her voice brittle.. “But there’s still one more. This time I won’t be so generous. ”
“The final trial is simple,” Bellatrix announced.!
“One of you may leave—return to your realm, to your child, to your life—free and unharmed. The other stays forever. ”
Cali’s stomach dropped. “You must choose.
Who leaves, who stays? ”
“Brilliant,” Evander said, conjuring wine.. “Self-preservation versus love. You always did save the cruelest for last.
”
Bellatrix beamed. “I knew you’d like it. ”
But Jareth and Cali spoke simultaneously. “I’ll stay.
”
Their eyes met, desperation mirrored in both. “I won’t leave her,” Jareth stated.. “I stayed away for seven years to protect her. I won’t abandon her now.
”
“No,” Cali interrupted, heart pounding.. “I didn’t spend eight years searching just to abandon you. You sacrificed everything. It’s my turn.
”
Evander groaned. “This is going to take forever. Anyone need refreshments? ”
Bellatrix snorted despite herself.
“Cali, please. ” Jareth cupped her face.. “I can’t lose you again. Eight years nearly destroyed me.
”
“That’s why I should stay. You’ve already given up eight years. ”
“No. ” Jareth grabbed her hands..
“Those seven years staying away from you—that was the worst torture I’ve ever endured. Every day seeing you and not being able to touch you. It was dying slowly. ” His voice cracked.
“Then I had you for eight months completely, and losing that—I won’t survive it again. ”
“You will,” Cali said fiercely.. “For Henry. He needs you.
You gave me everything. Let me give this back. ”
“I don’t want freedom if it means leaving you here. ”
“And I don’t want you trapped for another eternity.
”
Impass. Cali’s mind raced. They’d both refused, both chosen sacrifice. Wasn’t that proof enough?
“Neither of us will sacrifice the other,” Cali announced to Bellatrix.. “We’ve both chosen to stay. Isn’t that proof our love is real? ” She lifted her chin.
“Will you let him go? Have I convinced you? ”
Something flickered in Bellatrix’s expression before her face hardened.. “No.
”
“Liar. ” Evander said lazily. Bellatrix whirled. “Shut up.
Why don’t you drink yourself unconscious? Why don’t you find a new toy to play with? ”
Evander shot back, hurt beneath the mockery. “Why don’t you—”
Another thought struck Cali.
“I should stay,” she said to Jareth.. “I made a deal with Evander. Even if I left, he could call in his favor, trap me somewhere else. ”
Jareth’s expression shifted to horror.
“What? ”
“What?! ” Bellatrix exploded. The palace walls shook.
Fae courtiers stumbled. “Is it true? ” Bellatrix demanded, stalking to Evander. He didn’t look up.
“Did you make a bargain with the mortal? ”
Evander finally looked at her, smiling peacefully. “What if I did? ”
“Why?
” she exclaimed.. “Why would you? ” She turned on her heels and began pacing. “What’s with you all and this mortal woman?
What makes her so special? She’s certainly not prettier than me, and it’s not like she has any magic. She can turn into wolf, but I can turn into anything I wish. ” She was gesturing wildly now, composure shattered.
“I don’t understand why you’d chose her over me—”
“She’s my mate, Bella,” Jareth interrupted quietly.. “You know that. ”
Bellatrix stopped mid-rant and blinked, sending him a look. Her mouth opened, closed.
She looked almost embarrassed, like she’d completely forgotten he was even there. Because she hadn’t been talking to him, Cali realized. You have feelings for him,” she said, coming out soft with wonder. “For Evander.
”
The throne room went utterly silent. Evander’s head snapped up, ice-blue eyes fixing on Bellatrix with sudden intensity. The fae queen flushed—actually flushed. Color rising in those perfect cheeks.
“What did you just say? ” her voice strangled. Cali hesitated. Perhaps this wasn’t her place.
But she needed an out, one for her and her husband. And suddenly she thought she may have found one in the fae lord who’d helped her here. “I said you have feelings for him,” she insisted gently. She turned to Evander, who was determinedly not looking at anyone.
“That’s why you offered me the bargain,” Cali said, watching him carefully.. “I was going to come here to find Jareth anyway. You knew that. But you offered to help—to make sure I would get him out.
Because you wanted him gone. ”
Evander’s hand paused mid-pour. “Well, of course I want him gone. She’s been obsessed with moping over him for eight years and it’s depressing.
”
“Depressing for you? Because you’re in love with her? ”
The wine bottle shattered in Evander’s hand. He stood abruptly, staring at the broken glass like he couldn’t understand how it had happened.
“Not at all. I wouldn’t waste my time being in love on a woman who spent the last century calling me worthless. Making sure everyone knows I’m only half fae, reminding me at every opportunity that I’m beneath her. ”
“Oh, good,” Bellatrix interrupted, her voice sharp and wounded..
“Because it would be really embarrassing if you had feelings for me after all that—”
“Well,” Jareth interrupted. :”You did spend our entire relationship talking about him. ”
Every head in the room turned to stare at him. Cali felt him tense beside her.
But his expression was calm. Almost sympathetic. “What? ” Bellatrix’s voice was barely a whisper.
Jareth met her eyes with something that looked like understanding.. “The whole time we were together. You kept comparing everything I did to Evander. Praising me for it, but ultimately… thinking of him.
”
The silence stretched. Bellatrix looked everywhere but at Evander. At the walls, at the ceiling, at Cali. “You’re ridiculous, mortal,” she finally said, but her voice shook.
Then—”Fine,” Bellatrix said abruptly, her voice too loud.. “You’ve proven your love. You may go, both of you. Get out of my palace.
”
She still wasn’t looking at Evander. Cali should have jumped at the chance. Should have grabbed Jareth and run before Bellatrix changed her mind. But there was something here.
Something important. And while she didn’t care much for their happiness, she did want to make sure Bellatrix was never tempted to come back for Jareth. “See? ” Cali said quietly..
“Now you’re so embarrassed about him knowing you love him that you’re willing to let us go. ” She turned to Evander. “If anything, this shows she cares more about what you think than about Jareth. Wouldn’t you say?
”
The silence that followed was deafening. Cali watched Evander’s throat work as he swallowed. When he spoke, his voice was rough, uncertain. “Is it true?
” He wasn’t looking at Bellatrix directly now. Had turned his gaze to the wall behind her throne. But his whole body was tense, waiting. Bellatrix was also determinedly looking anywhere but at him.
Her chest was rising and falling rapidly. “What? she asked, and everyone in the room knew exactly who she was talking to. Evander’s jaw clenched.
He made a frustrated gesture. “Do you—” His voice broke slightly. He tried again.. “Do you care about what I think more than you care about—” He gestured toward Jareth frustrated.
“What does it matter? ” Bellatrix snapped.. “You never cared about how I feel. ”
Evander flinched like she’d struck him.
“I want to know. ”
Bellatrix looked at him then. Really looked at him. for the first time since this exchange began.
“You want to know if I care more about you than I care about him? ” Her voice had gone quiet. “A man I stole away from his family out of sheer desperation because I couldn’t have you? ”
Evander looked away sharply, his whole body going rigid.
his jaw clenching so tight Cali could see the muscle jumping. “I do,” he managed. Bellatrix stared at him. Watched her expression cycle through emotions.
Then something that looked like dawning understanding. “Yes,” Bellatrix said finally. The word coming out resentful. Evander’s head snapped up and she went on as their eyes finally met.
“Of course I care about you more. I can’t believe you even have to ask. ”
Evander looked stunned. Then something like joy began to break across his face.
Bellatrix noticed. “Why? ” she asked with a smirk. “Were you jealous?
”
“No,” Evander said immediately. It sounded absolutely transparently fake. Bellatrix’s lips twitched despite herself. “How convenient you’re half mortal.
You always were able to lie when you wished. ” She paused. “You’re rather bad at it, though. ” She smiled—tentative, uncertain, but genuine.
Cali cleared her throat gently. “Since you have each other now,” she said softly.. “Could Jareth and I perhaps go? We’ve proven our love to you.
”
Evander turned to Bellatrix and pouted. “I would like your pet gone. If you’re amenable. ”
Bellatrix studied her nails with affected disinterest.
“Well. How will I keep busy without him? Nothing ever happens around here. ”
“I could be persuaded to entertain,” Evander offered, also feigning disinterest.
“You? You’re never around. ” Bellatrix said with a pout. “Well.
I wasn’t going to hang around watching you moon over him,” Evander said, gesturing at Jareth.. “It was depressing. ”
“Depressing for you? ” Bellatrix echoed.
and now she was definitely smiling. “Terribly. ”
Bellatrix rolled her eyes. But there was no real annoyance in it.
“Fine,” she said. She turned to Cali and Jareth. “You fulfilled your contract and proven your love is genuine. ” She waved a hand dismissively.
“And besides, I’m getting awfully bored with the two of you. As is everyone here, I’m sure. You can leave now. ”
She snapped her fingers.
The world inverted. Colors screamed and went silent. Cali felt Jareth’s hand tighten on hers,. the only solid thing in a universe that had suddenly lost all rules.
She held on desperately, terrified of losing him now when they were so close. Then her feet hit solid ground. They were standing in the castle courtyard. Home.
The familiar stone walls rose around them. And Jareth was there. Solid and real and finally, finally free. He pulled her into his arms so violently they both staggered.
Cali did the same. Her hands mapping the familiar planes of his face, the breadth of his shoulders, the strong line of his jaw. “Eight years,” Jareth said against her hair, his voice wrecked.. “Eight years, Cali.
”
“I know,” Cali said, tears streaming down her face. She could feel him trembling. Could feel her own body shaking with relief and joy andthe overwhelming reality of having him back. “I know.
But we’re here now, together. Finally together. ”
They held each other as the sun set over their kingdom. Two people who’d fought across realms and years and impossible obstacles to be exactly here.
Home. Safe. And utterly, completely in love. Henry’s door was open.
Cali stood in the doorway with Jareth, watching Henry sleep in the pre-dawn light. He looked so much older than when she’d left. Had it really only been two days? It felt like a lifetime.
“He has your hair,” Jareth whispered, his voice thick.. “And your eyes. Gods, Cali, he’s perfect. ”
“He’s been waiting for you,” Cali said softly..
“Every single day for eight years. ”
Jareth’s hand tightened on hers. She could feel him trembling. Henry stirred, his eyes blinking open.
For a moment he looked confused. Then his gaze landed on Jareth and his whole face transformed. “Papa? ” he murmured.
The word was barely a whisper—uncertain, hopeful, afraid to believe. Jareth dropped to his knees beside the bed. And suddenly he was the one who looked uncertain. “Yes.
It’s me. I’m—I’m home, Henry. I’m so sorry I was gone so long. ”
Henry launched himself into Jareth’s arms with a sob.
Jareth caught him, pulling their son close. And Cali watched her husband break apart. Eight years of grief and longing and desperate love poured out as he held the child he’d sacrificed everything to protect. “You came back,” Henry sobbed into Jareth’s shoulder..
“You came back. You came back. ”
“I’ll never leave again,” Jareth promised, his voice raw.. “Never.
I swear it. ”
Cali sank down beside them, wrapping her arms around both of them. Her family. Finally.
Finally whole. Eight years of searching. Eight years of faith. Eight years of refusing to give up.
And it had led them here—home, whole, and finally at peace. Their story had a happy ending after all.
