There was nothing worse than a love you’d lost. You could burn away with anger until only relief remained. But to find a love that had been pure, earned through years of patience, and then have it taken from you—that was another kind of torture. Queen Cali lived with her memories like treasures locked in a chest she couldn’t help but open.
The feel of her husband’s calloused palm against her cheek. The corner of his mouth quirking up when he tried not to smile. His laugh, rare as gold. Eight years ago today, Jareth had been taken.
Only one piece of her king remained solid and real. Their son. “Tell me again,” Henry said quietly. “About the day father left.
”
He had Jareth’s dark hair, the same stubborn jaw. He was eight years old today. “Your father loved you,” Cali began. The words were worn smooth from repetition.
“More than anything. ”
It was true. She remembered the moment Henry was born. The way Jareth had looked like they’d given him the entire world.
They’d had minutes together 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. “Take me instead,” Jareth had said. They’d taken him, leaving Cali alone with their newborn son and a severed mate bond. “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 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 with tears.
“But if he really loved—” Henry 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. The certainty rose 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 had drugged him, shattering his control. Then Henry was born, and Bellatrix came.
“He isn’t happy there,” Cali said, meeting her son’s gaze. “He could never be. Not without us. ”
Henry studied her face.
“Then why haven’t you tried to find him? Have you actually tried? ” he asked. “Or have you just been sitting here being queen, pretending everything’s fine?
”
Eight years of searching. Eight years of consulting every mage and scholar in the kingdom. Eight years of refusing to give up while everyone, even Mira, told her to move on. As if she could.
“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? ”
“I didn’t want to promise you something I couldn’t deliver. ”
Henry was quiet for a long moment. Something fierce sparked in his eyes, replacing the hurt with determination.
“But you’re still looking? ”
“Of course I am. ”
“Promise? ”
Cali pulled her son into her arms.
“Always. I will never stop looking for your father. ”
She was going to find him. Whatever it took.
—
The familiar path took Cali past the portrait gallery. Jareth’s coronation portrait hung there, and 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 when Cali entered her workroom.
She was 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 ultimately led to him being taken. Cali regretted it and treasured it in equal measure.
It had cost her Jareth. It had given her Henry. “He asked about his father again? ” Mira guessed.
Cali sank into a chair, suddenly exhausted. “Henry’s starting to resent me for Jareth’s absence. He believes I haven’t been trying to find him. ”
“That’s not fair to you.
You’ve done everything possible. ”
“Does it matter? All my son sees is that his father is still missing. ”
Mira grimaced.
“Did you tell him you’ve been searching? ”
“Yes, but what if I’m failing them both? Jareth trapped there, Henry growing up without his father. ”
“Jareth made his choice to protect Henry.
That’s not on you. ”
“Henry is starting to doubt Jareth’s love for him,” Cali said. “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. “I told him he was wrong, obviously. ”
Mira crossed her arms. “What if he’s not?
Wrong, I mean. ”
Cali jumped to her feet, anger flashing hot. “Mira, you were there the night Jareth was taken. You saw his face.
How can you even suggest—”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t understand how you’re still so certain. He left with his ex-lover, his former mistress. ”
“He didn’t leave. He was taken.
”
“I know, but—what if he chose to stay with her? What if after all this time he adapted, moved on? ”
Cali gritted her teeth. “My mate was taken by a vindictive fae who couldn’t accept that he’d chosen me over her.
And you think he would choose to stay with the woman who threatened to take our son? ”
Mira clenched her jaw. “Fine. But what if he’s gone?
”
Cali’s hand flew to her chest, pressing against her sternum where the severed bond ached like an old wound. She closed her eyes and focused on breathing. “If he were dead, I would know. I would feel that absence, and I don’t.
He’s alive. ”
“Your faith is extraordinary. ”
“After everything. Seven years of distance during our 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? ”
“I might have found something. ” Mira pulled out a leather-bound journal. “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, not permanently, but at certain times, with specific alignments of moon and season, gateways can open. ”
“Gateways? ” Cali’s heart began to race.
“Our world and the fae realm exist alongside each other, layered like two pieces of fabric. At certain locations, during certain celestial events, it thins. And if you know the right ritual, the right sacrifice—”
“You think I could cross over? You found one?
A gateway? ”
“The Whispering Woods at the eastern border. Under tomorrow night’s full moon, the fabric will be thin enough. But Cali, the gateway requires a sacrifice.
Something precious, given freely. ”
“I’ll give anything,” Cali said without hesitation. She pulled free the ring that hung around her neck—Jareth’s wedding ring. “This.
It’s precious, and I give it freely for the chance to bring him home. ”
Mira hesitated. “Are you sure you want to leave Henry? ”
“He needs his father,” Cali said firmly.
“He’s starting to resent me, starting to doubt whether Jareth loved him. If I don’t at least try, Henry will never forgive me. ”
Mira nodded slowly. “I see there’s no changing your mind.
”
“There isn’t. You’ll look after him 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. Cali and Mira stood before a massive oak, its trunk wider than three men standing side by side.
“Here. ” Mira pressed 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. She 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.
“I offer this freely, for passage to the fae realm. ”
She pressed the ring against the oak’s bark. The metal grew hot, then blazing, then melted into the wood, vanishing as though it had never existed. The tree trunk split open, revealing shimmering air that bent and twisted.
Through the distortion, Cali glimpsed impossible colors. She 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 faced the gateway. Her wolf surged forward, recognizing something beyond that shimmering barrier. Not home, but the path to it.
The path to him. She stepped through. The world inverted. Colors screamed and went silent.
Alien magic crashed over her, through her, remaking her 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, in a crystalline palace that caught the perpetual twilight, Queen Bellatrix watched her court move through the gardens like living jewels.
But she saw only one figure among them. Jareth walked alone, silver eyes distant. Even from here, she could see the tension in his shoulders, the way he held himself like a man barely tethered to the ground. She’d given him finery.
She’d placed him at her side. She’d tried to make this work. “Your majesty, the evening meal is prepared. Shall I summon—”
“No.
I’ll dine alone tonight. ”
She returned her gaze to the window. Her reflection stared back—ice-blue eyes, silver-white hair falling like water down her back. 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, before that wolf queen, before faded mate bonds. They’d had three years together. Three years where his smile had been genuine.
She needed him. Without him, without his love, she began to think of other things again—and she could not afford it. A sharp chime echoed through her chambers. The warning bells that guarded her realm’s borders.
Someone had breached the gateway. Bellatrix’s power unfurled instinctively, reaching out to taste the intruder’s essence. Wolf. Female.
Mortal. Beneath it all, a desperate determination that tasted like iron and hope. She knew who it was. Something cold and hot surged through her chest simultaneously.
Anger. And beneath it all, something dangerously close to relief. 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. The forest was beautiful, but in the way a knife blade catching light was beautiful.
Sharp and cold. She walked and walked. The path curved, opened into a clearing dominated by a massive oak. Not an oak—something that resembled one.
Cali stopped. Dread settled cold in her stomach. She’d been here before. An hour ago.
“No,” she whispered. She turned and retraced her steps. The same oak again. “Damn it!
”
“Lost little mortal? ” came a voice. Cali spun. A man stood at the edge of the clearing.
No, not a man. Fae. Tall and impossibly beautiful, sunlight woven in his hair, eyes bluer than summer sky. “Who are you?
”
He looked at her the way a cat looks at a wounded mouse. “I’m not a mortal 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. ”
“Are you now? And what business does a mortal wolf have with the queen? ”
“That’s between me and her.
”
He laughed. “Bold words for someone who’s been walking in circles for the past three hours. ” He circled her slowly. “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 tilted his head. “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. He’s been decorating the queen’s court for eight years now.
”
“Then help me reach him. ”
“Why would I help you? What’s in it for me? ”
Cali had read enough about the fae to know nothing was free here.
“What would you like? ”
He studied her, then smiled—beautiful and terrible at once. “I suppose it is rather painful to watch Bellatrix cling to your king like a drowning woman to driftwood. 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 and becomes obsessed with a full mortal man. ”
“I didn’t know fae could be half mortal. ”
“From my mother’s side.
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 pouted, then smiled once more. “Here’s my proposition, human queen.
I will guide you to Bellatrix’s palace. I will help you gain an audience. In exchange, you will make her see reason. Make her let your king go.
”
“That’s what I came here to do. Why do you need to bargain for something I already want? ”
“Because bargains have power here. 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.
This was vague, and thus dangerous. It gave the fae too much power. “It’s also your only option,” he said pleasantly. “Unless you’d like to spend the next eight years walking in circles around that tree.
”
Cali looked at the midnight oak. 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. But her mind kept spinning forward, to how she might soon see her husband again. “So,” Evander said, breaking the silence. “How exactly do you plan to challenge Bellatrix for your king’s return?
”
“Challenge? ”
“Well, did you plan on asking her nicely? I’m sure your husband already tried that, and he’s still here. ”
Cali’s jaw tightened.
“So I must challenge her. Would she accept that? ”
“Probably not. She quite likes her pet where he is.
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.
It wasn’t a fair bargain—asking him not to claim his mate for ten years, to bear no children. Evander stopped walking, staring at her for a long moment, then laughed. “Is that what it was? That is cold.
And here I thought Bellatrix had lost her edge. ”
“She even specified that he wasn’t allowed to tell me about it for the duration of the ten years. I thought my husband hated me. ”
Evander actually had to pause to wipe his eyes.
“Well, that is cruel—dare I say particularly twisted. ” His eyes shone with something uncomfortably like admiration. Cali stared at him in disbelief. “What?
You have to admire a woman for her ability to make others suffer. It’s an enormous quality here in the fae realm. ” He met her horrified gaze with complete sincerity. “And besides, it’s your husband who broke his side of the bargain.
If anyone is lacking here, it’s him. ”
“He wasn’t aware of his actions,” Cali snapped. “My sister gave him a drug, and so—wait. Are you saying the contract was obtained through improper means?
”
Evander stopped walking abruptly. “So he wasn’t in his right mind when the conception occurred? ”
Cali felt heat flood her cheeks. “Well—only because deep down it was something he wanted.
He wasn’t unhappy about the conception. He was unhappy about the curse and its consequences. ”
Evander waved that away. “No, no, child, you’re not following.
This is a major loophole in the contract. By fae law, contracts obtained through coercion or manipulation, or without proper consent, are contestable. 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 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.
“You might actually have a chance. ”
They walked in silence until the forest parted. Something glittered ahead. “There.
The crystal palace. ”
It rose from the forest like a dream made solid—crystalline spires, impossible architecture, walls carved from frozen starlight. The most beautiful thing Cali had ever seen. Fae courtiers moved through the gardens, beings so beautiful they hurt to look at.
They stared as Cali passed, whispered in that almost-language, smiled with too many teeth. Evander ignored them all. And they let him through. Bowed to him.
Stepped aside with respect and something that might have been fear. Cali had imagined Evander was a rogue, someone operating on the fringes. Clearly she’d been wrong. The palace doors opened without touch.
Corridors of polished crystal reflected Cali’s image back a thousand times. She looked small here, desperately out of place among all this inhuman beauty. And then the throne room. Soaring ceilings.
Fae nobles lining the walls. And on the throne, arms crossed, a smirk curving her lips, Bellatrix stared at Evander in a mix of satisfaction and annoyance. “So you’ve returned? Did you miss me?
”
“Did I miss you? ” Evander’s tone matched hers. “I barely noticed you were gone. ”
“Strange, because I distinctly remember you sending three messengers to find me last week.
”
“Someone from my council must have sent them. Nothing personal. ”
“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—”
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. But Cali wasn’t looking at her 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. Her wolf surged forward with a howl of recognition and joy and desperate relief. He looked worn—the silver of his eyes dimmed somehow—but he was alive.
He was so close. He hadn’t looked at her yet. He stood with that same distant expression she remembered from their marriage. Present, but not present.
“The mortal queen is here to bargain,” Evander announced. The throne room fell silent. Bellatrix descended from her throne, moving toward Cali like a predator approaching prey. “Bargain?
”
“Yes,” Cali said, lifting her chin. “I’m here to bargain for my husband’s freedom. ”
—
The fae court watched with predatory interest as Cali stood before Bellatrix’s throne. She could feel their eyes on her—hungry, amused.
Not that it mattered. She’d spent eight years preparing for this moment. “I challenge the validity of your contract with King Jareth,” Cali announced, “on grounds of compromised consent. ”
The murmur started immediately.
Bellatrix’s expression remained cold and amused. “Do explain, little wolf. This should be entertaining. ”
“The contract terms specified that any child conceived within the first ten years of marriage would belong to you.
”
“Correct. And he chose to offer himself in place of the child. ”
“Except the conception itself was obtained through manipulation. Jareth didn’t willingly consummate our marriage that night.
He was drugged. His consent was compromised. ” Cali cleared her throat. “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. 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, thoroughly entertained. “She’s done her homework, Bellatrix.
Wouldn’t you say? ”
“No one asked for your commentary, Evander. ”
“And yet here I am, commenting. But do go on, Bella.
I’m curious to see how you’ll wiggle out of this one. ”
Bellatrix turned back to Cali, composure sliding back into place like a mask. “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. “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?
”
“Of course he chose me. We’re fated mates. ”
“Exactly my point. Fated mates don’t choose.
Fate chooses for them. Where’s the free will in that? Where’s the genuine love? ”
The fae court was riveted.
“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. “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. ”
Cali’s mind raced.
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. ”
“So confident? 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. Cali finally let herself look at Jareth. He stood among the fae courtiers, watching with an expression of detachment, as if this didn’t concern him. She rejected that thought immediately.
She knew Jareth. Knew his heart. “I accept,” she said, her voice steady. “Three trials.
I’ll prove our love is real. ”
“Excellent. Then let’s begin. ”
“Right now?
Don’t I get time to prepare? ”
“This isn’t a tournament, mortal child. Let the first trial begin. ”
Cali squared her shoulders, lifted her chin, and prepared to fight for everything she’d ever loved.
—
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. “The first trial is simple,” Bellatrix announced. “You claim your bond is real.
Prove it. Convince him to leave with you willingly. ”
Cali’s heart leaped. That was it?
Just convince him? “And the time limit? ”
“Sunset, which in the fae realm comes when I say it does. Let’s say an hour.
”
Cali looked at Jareth—really looked at him for the first time. He was thinner than she remembered, the sharp angles of his face more pronounced. “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 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, and—
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“But who are you? ”
The throne room erupted. Laughter—high, crystalline, cruel—washed over Cali like ice water. “She didn’t know!
” someone crowed. Her own husband didn’t know her. Jareth was looking at her with genuine confusion. “Have we met?
” he asked again, more uncertain now. Cali felt her knees threaten to give out. This was magic. Enchantment.
Bellatrix had done something to his memories. “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. ”
“You 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. “I know you,” she 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 going. “Seven years where we lived in the same castle, ruled the same kingdom, while maintaining careful distance. You’re exhausted. Not just tired—exhausted down to your bones.
And 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 widened slightly. “You’re not happy here.
I can see it in every line of your body. You’re going through motions, existing but not living. 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.
“I ignored your suffering once. I was so focused on my own pain that I didn’t see what was right in front of me. I won’t make that mistake again. You don’t have to trust me.
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. Come with me, and I swear—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, not of her, but 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. “Now, wait a minute, Bella. ” Evander’s voice cut through hers. Every head turned toward him.
He stood at the edge of the trial space, arms crossed, ice-blue eyes fixed on Bellatrix. “This isn’t fair. The trial—it’s not fair, and you know it. How 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. And the terms were met. What’s your point? ”
“My point 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.
”
Something dangerous flickered in Evander’s eyes. “You’ve been clinging to that mortal for eight years like he’s the only thing keeping you standing. I think I speak for everyone here when I say it’s getting rather tedious. ”
The throne room went silent.
“How dare you—”
“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 give the trials a fair chance.
Prove that your claim on him has any validity at all. Go on. I dare you. ”
Bellatrix’s hands clenched into fists.
For a long moment, she just stared at Evander. Something raw and vulnerable flickered across her perfect face before her mask slammed back into place. “Fine. If only to prove you wrong.
” She turned toward Jareth, raising one hand. “The enchantment will be lifted. But he still has to pass the test. ”
“Agreed,” Cali said quickly.
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, 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,” he said, her name broken, desperate. “You’re—how are you here?
”
“I came for you. Of course I came for you. Did you really think I wouldn’t? ”
Jareth took a step toward her.
“Callie, is Henry—”
“He’s safe. 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, and the throne room began to shift. The air shimmered and distorted—and suddenly there wasn’t one Callie standing there. There were a hundred. Everywhere Jareth looked, 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 impossible. “You get one choice,” Bellatrix continued. “Walk through them, examine them.
Take all the time you need. But when you choose, you only get one chance. Begin. ”
The binding released Jareth.
He could move freely now. 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—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. ” He traced the line of Cali’s jaw with infinite gentleness. “But I’ve been observing her for years. ”
He turned to face Bellatrix, keeping one hand on Cali’s face.
“Seven years where we lived in the same castle and I wasn’t allowed to touch her. So 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 your collarbone when you’re nervous. The small scar on your right hand from when you were seven and fell out of a tree. 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.
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.
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. “The seven years,” Cali whispered, understanding finally, completely.
“Those seven years were never empty. ”
“Never,” Jareth confirmed. “It was torture and salvation both. I couldn’t touch you, couldn’t be near you, but I could see you.
”
“Yes, yes, all right, we get it,” Evander interrupted, giving Bellatrix a carefully neutral look. “Second trial passed. The king identified his wife. ”
Bellatrix stood frozen, her expression cracked and vulnerable in a way Cali hadn’t seen before.
Evander noticed. His jaw tightened. “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. ”
—
“The final trial is simple,” Bellatrix announced, her voice ringing through the crystalline throne room.
Evander conjured himself a chair and leaned back. “Oh, this should be good. ”
“One of you may leave,” Bellatrix continued, turning to Jareth and Cali. “Return to your realm, to your child, to your life—free and unharmed.
” She paused. “The other stays forever. You must choose: who leaves, who stays? ”
“Brilliant,” Evander said.
“Self-preservation versus love. You always did save the cruelest for last. ”
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.
”
“Callie, please. 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. 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.
Then I had you for eight months completely. Losing that—I won’t survive it again. ”
“You will. 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. ”
Impasse. 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? Or find a new toy to play with? ”
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? ” Bellatrix exploded, the palace walls shaking. “Is it true? ” she demanded, stalking toward Evander.
He didn’t look up. “Is what true? ”
“Did you make a bargain with the mortal? ”
Evander finally looked at her, smiling peacefully.
“What if I did? ”
“Why? What’s with you all and this mortal woman? What makes her so special?
” Bellatrix gestured wildly, her composure completely shattered. “She’s certainly not prettier than me. It’s not like she has any magic. She can turn into a wolf, but I can turn into anything I wish.
I don’t understand why you’d choose her over me. ”
“She’s my mate, Bella,” Jareth interrupted quietly. “You know that. ”
Bellatrix stopped mid-rant and blinked.
She looked almost embarrassed, like she’d completely forgotten he was even there. Cali realized—she hadn’t been talking to him. “You have feelings for him,” Cali said, the words 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? ” she asked, her voice strangled. Cali hesitated.
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. ”
“You’re ridiculous, mortal,” Bellatrix finally said, but her voice shook.
Cali watched Evander’s expression shutter completely at that word. “Am I though? That’s why you offered me the bargain,” Cali said, watching him carefully. “I was going to come here to find Jareth anyway.
But you offered to help. To make sure I would get him out. Because you wanted him gone. ”
Evander’s hand paused mid-pour just for a second.
“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 quite 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. “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. ”
Cali looked at Evander.
He’d gone completely still, his ice-blue eyes fixed on Bellatrix with an intensity almost painful to witness. Bellatrix stared at the floor like it was the most fascinating thing she’d ever seen. “Fine,” she said abruptly, her voice too loud. “You’ve proven your love.
You may go, both of you. Get out of my palace. ”
Cali should have jumped at the chance. Should have grabbed Jareth and run before Bellatrix changed her mind.
But there was something here. If they left now, these two fae would continue their dance of denial for another century. And while Cali 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. Evander’s throat worked as he swallowed. When he spoke, his voice was rough, uncertain.
“Is it true? ”
“Do you care about what I think more than you care about—” Bellatrix gestured toward Jareth, frustrated. “What does it matter? ” Bellatrix snapped.
“You never cared about how I feel. ”
“I want to know. ”
Bellatrix looked at him then. Really looked.
“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.
“I do. ”
Bellatrix stared at him. Something like dawning understanding crossed her face. “Yes,” she said finally, the word resentful.
“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.
“Why? ” Bellatrix 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, and when she spoke again, there was a hint of a smile. “You’re rather bad at it, though. ”
Cali cleared her throat gently. “Since you have each other now, 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.
“You? You’re never around. ”
“I wasn’t going to hang around watching you moon over him. ” Evander gestured at Jareth.
“It was depressing. ”
“Depressing for you? ” Bellatrix echoed. Now she was definitely smiling.
“Terribly. ”
Bellatrix rolled her eyes. But there was no real annoyance in it. “Fine.
” She turned to Cali and Jareth, her imperious mask trying to slide back into place. “You fulfilled your contract and proved your love is genuine. Besides, I’m getting awfully bored with the two of you. 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.
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, Callie. ”
“I know,” Cali said, tears streaming down her face. She could feel him trembling.
“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 has your hair,” Jareth whispered, his voice thick with emotion. “And your eyes.
Gods, Callie, he’s perfect. ”
“He’s been waiting for you. Every single day for eight years. ”
Jareth’s hand tightened on hers.
She could feel him trembling. Henry stirred, blinking awake. 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.
“Yes. It’s me. 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 pouring 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. ”
Callie sank down beside them, wrapping her arms around both of them. Her family. 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.
