A sick weight settles in my stomach. I think of the stories I’ve grown up on—Camille the hated bastard child, the mad Queen fighting to keep power with her progeny, the hidden plan to seize power.
“You were framed,” I breathe. “But how did they fake the bond? Does that mean the King's true mate was still out there?”
Her smile is bitter. “Of course I was. It was my bond that was stolen, but even without it, I loved him. And when Camille was born… when he asked me to keep her a secret, I was driven with this intense feeling of pain I couldn't comprehend. That was when I went to a powerful healer and found out the truth about what happened. Then, when she was gone I started to see the signs in Camille. The whispers in his sleep, the shadow in his eyes. He was touched by her magic, even in t
