Chapter Twenty-One
Cole left Helena alone with Estevan and hadn’t returned. She didn’t know how long it had been, but she sat beside her oldest brother, staring at him as if he’d disappear again.
She stroked the damp hair away from his face.
Helena held back the tears threatening to break free. Estevan needed her strength, not her weakness. If she’d ever had doubts coming to the palace, they vanished the moment she set eyes on Stev.
“You’re supposed to be dead,” she whispered. “We mourned you.”
Edmund. His name popped into her mind so suddenly, she pulled her hand away. If Helena and Edmund had known Stev still lived, would they have come for him sooner?
Helena thought Stev was still sick with fever, but though his skin was damp, it wasn’t warm. He didn’t shiver, yet there was an al
