*Isla*
Sleeping had been nearly impossible. I’d tossed and turned for much of the night, not sure how to proceed with my alleged cousin, Antony Moon a.k.a. Commander Pepelos. I kept thinking about his mother, how awful it must’ve been for my Aunt Mary knowing that her own husband had killed her to strengthen her powers, how she’d tried to stay loyal to him until he started a war, making my family leave the island, and so many people died.
Then… apparently, my aunt had something to do with the awful earthquake that rocked the island and made it uninhabitable for many people.
And then there is the curse….
Antony seems to think that I can somehow break that curse, and that I’m the only one who can do it, but I have no idea why he thinks that or how I would even begin to do it.
I’m sure he will use my uncertainty about my baby to try to manipulate that situation. He will do whatever he can to get me to the island, and then, who knows what might happen?
Mystica is right when she says I shouldn’t trust someone who calls themselves Commander Liar.
Nevertheless, I know the only way I’m going to get more answers is from him, so I arrange to meet with him after breakfast. I can’t see the harm in sitting down with him and discussing what he knows, what I know, and what he wants from me.
Poppy takes the lid off my tray and sets it aside rather sharply. The cloche vibrates around on the table, making a clatter. My eyes widen as I stare at her, trying to figure out why she’s so angry.
“What’s the deal, Poppy?” I ask her, though I think I already know the answer. I pick up my fork and take a bite of my eggs. I’m not that hungry, but I know if I don’t eat some protein first thing in the morning, I’ll be unsettled later. It often makes my morning sickness worse, and sometimes it lasts all day, so I’ll find a way to force these couple of eggs and some bacon down.
“What’s the deal?” Poppy repeats. “What do you mean? I think you know what I’m upset about. I think you should stay as far away from this man as possible. In fact, I think you should let Alpha King Maddox know right away that he’s lying about who he is, that he’s pretending to be someone else to get close to you and manipulate you. The last time that happened, you were kidnapped and nearly killed. Don’t think I’ve forgotten!”
“I haven’t forgotten either,” I tell her with sympathy in my tone. I get it. She had fought hard to help me, and she had been there to rescue me and helped nurse me back to health, so yes, I understand what she is saying. But I can’t turn Antony into Maddox at this point because he might actually be my cousin, and family is important to me.
I would say it’s important to everyone in my family, but if Antony is Tony’s son, then that means his father literally killed his mother for his own selfish purposes.
So even if he is who he says he is, I shouldn’t trust him. I have no reason to think that he won’t kill me….
“You can come with me if you’d like,” I tell Poppy.
“Where? To the islands?” Her voice is full of terror, and I can’t help but laugh.
“No, to meet with Antony. I already told you, I’m not going to the islands. Not until after my baby is born anyway, and it’s not like I’m going to take an infant to the islands or want to be away from my child for as long as it takes to get to the island, do whatever he wants me to do, and then come back here.”
No, there’s no way I’m going to Maatua any time soon. Not unless there’s some sort of indication that that’s the only way I can save my baby’s life, and it does seem like I should be able to save my baby myself since my tears and blood apparently hold healing power within them.
“If you’re going to meet with him, I’ll definitely be there,” Poppy says, as if she can just tell me that is the case. It’s fine, though. I’ve already asked her. “I’ll be there, and if he tries anything with you… I’ll let him have a piece of my mind.”
I can’t help but smile at her. She’s so passionate about protecting me. Beta Seth certainly chose the right person all of those months ago when he assigned her as my personal maid.
After breakfast, Poppy and I walk out to the garden where I’ve arranged to meet Commander Pepelos. I thought Poppy would be happiest if the meeting happened out in the open where anyone walking by would see us together, and he wouldn’t be able to kill me.
Not that I expected him to even try. But if we’d met in some back room somewhere, who knows what Poppy might’ve imagined could happen?
He isn’t there when we arrive, so we sit down near a fountain that will help mask some of what we are discussing should anyone walk by. Most of the time, the people in the castle are in such a hurry to get from one place to another, I doubt anyone will be trying to eavesdrop, but one never knows. We will need to be a bit cautious.
After about five minutes of us sitting there, Poppy pops up and begins to pace. “Where is he?” she demands. “Why is it taking so long? How hard is it to be on time?”
“Calm down, Poppy,” I say. “I’m sure he’ll be here in a minute. He’s got a lot on his plate right now. He’s in charge of the castle, after all.”
“Yeah, because he’s a fraud. A liar….” That was mumbled, and I am glad she didn’t say it too loudly since I can see Antony coming around the corner now.
“Poppy,” I caution.
She stops walking and her eyes lock on him. Her hands shoot to her hips, and before she even opens her mouth, I know exactly what she’s going to say. “Well, it’s about time.”
“Oh, good. It’s you again,” he says dryly, eyeing Poppy. Then he turns to me. “Why is she here?”
“Because—” Poppy interjects before I can reply, “she is my best friend, and I’m going to make sure that you don’t do anything to hurt her.” She has her chin in the air, and she’s being incredibly bold for someone who still holds the rank of a maid, but she’s speaking to a commander, whether or not he got there legitimately or not.
“Poppy helped save my life when I was kidnapped,” I explain to my alleged cousin. “So that’s why she’s here.”
“So she’s your bodyguard now?” He scoffs at her. “She’s pretty tiny for a pit bull.”
In response, Poppy literally growls at him.
“Poppy, calm down,” I say, trying not to get drawn into whatever it is that is going on between them. “Antony, have a seat.” I gesture for him to sit next to me so we can keep our voices down.
He sits down and turns to face me, but he doesn’t speak.
I clear my throat. “The pack healer is from Maatua.”
“I know,” he says with a nod. “Mystica. Her reputation is known throughout the land, including back on the island.”
“I thought the island was cursed and no one lives there,” Poppy says, plopping down on a bench nearby.
Antony glares at her before he says, “A few people live there. Less than a hundred. Scattered, mostly in the jungle.”
“Why is that?” I ask.
“Because of the curse. My mother brought all of the buildings down with the earthquake, and she also made it so that anyone who ever lives there again will be stricken with an awful disease.”
“But why would she do that?” I ask him. “I don’t understand why she would want to hurt the innocent people that live there.”
“She wanted everyone to leave. She didn’t want my father to have a chance to rule at all.”
“And your father is dead?” Poppy asks him.
He nods. “Yes, my father is dead. But my mother is very much alive, and that’s the problem. Only she can break the curse—or someone who is strong enough to kill her. When she is dead, the curse will die with her.”
“But—you said you think I can lift the curse,” I remind him.
“That is exactly what I said,” he replies with a nod. “I think you are the only one strong enough to kill her.”
My mouth drops open. “You want me to kill your mother?”
He nods. “That’s the only way to free the people of Maatua so they can reestablish the great kingdom that once existed there.”
“So why don’t you just change her mind? Get her to lift the curse,” I suggest to him.
He shakes his head adamantly. “I’ve tried that, but she won’t listen to me. My last attempt to discuss it with her sent her flying back into the jungle to hide. Now, we’ll have to find her again and get her to lift the curse. Until then, no one from Maatua is safe. The disease she has stricken people with is spreading, and there’s a good chance your child will have it .”
“What?” Poppy shouted. “That’s not true! Her baby has never been anywhere near the island!”
“It’s a curse, lady!” he says, looking at her with daggers in his eyes. “It can go wherever the fuck it wants to!”
I think there’s a chance he might just be trying to scare me. Maybe he wants me to go there to save the island so he can be the King of Maatua, and this is all a hoax to trick me into doing it.
I shake my head. “No, I can’t go there. I’ve already told you, Maddox will not let me do that, and I don’t want to anyway. I refuse to leave the safety of the castle while I’m pregnant, especially on a whim that there might be something wrong with my baby. You don’t know that.”
“You’re right, I don’t know that,” he says, and I can hear the irritation in his voice. “But I do know that there’s a blood test that can be done when your baby is twenty-eight weeks gestation that can tell you whether or not the child will carry this awful disease.”
“Hogwash!” Poppy shouts. “You’re just trying to scare her. You’re going to tell her that she has to go to Maatua to get that test done, aren’t you?”
He wheels on her, and his eyes are just slits now. “Actually, no. Mystica can do it right here. Listen, I’m just trying to help you and help my island nation. I’m not sure why you’re attacking me about it.” He turns back to face me. “Either way, you’re going to have to face off against my mother eventually. You’re the only one who can do it. And if you refuse to go there and face her, kill her, then there’s really only one other outcome that can happen.”
When I ask my next question, I’m pretty sure I don’t want to hear the answer to it. But I ask anyway. “And what’s the alternative?” I ask him.
His answer is confident when he says, “She will kill you.”