I pull back from the hug, pleased to see Gideon standing a little straighter.
Together, we tiptoe down the hallway, gently opening her door. It turns out there was no reason to be quiet.
Sheena is long gone.
SHEENA
I slide down the gutter, limbs shaking violently as the wind gusts around me. My head is still throbbing from using my powers. Every few seconds, I have to wipe away the blood dripping from my nose. It's a miracle I don't fall and break every bone in my body, but somehow I make it to the bottom with just a few bumps and scrapes.
I have to get away. This is my only chance.
I woke up in the bed to the sound of Callum interrogating Ciprian. Eavesdropping on that angry exchange finally forced me to listen to my instincts and not my irrational feelings. I didn't catch the entire conversation, but I heard enough to make the decision to run.
Staying here was a mistake. It’s clear Callum doesn't trust me, and Gideon didn't bother to tell me we’re magical soul mates. Neither of those things matters now that they know what I can do. I won’t be caged again.
Another drop of blood trickles down my chin. It hits the ground like a grisly exclamation point, emphasizing just how serious my situation is.
I don’t have a name for whatever my power is, but it’s unnatural, and it drains me. Even though it’s been years since anyone forced me to grant a wish, I can tell I’m weaker this time around. I won’t make it much farther on foot.
Where is that barn?
It’s hard to navigate in the dark. Nothing looks familiar. But I need to find those ATVs and use one to get away. My conscience burns. I don’t want to steal from them, but I’m desperate. I don't have a car, and I abandoned my worn hiking boots in my hurry to put distance between the house and me.
Once again, I’m starting over with almost nothing, just my duffle and the will to survive. My head throbs in time with my footsteps. But the hardest pain to ignore is the throbbing in my heart. The more ground I cover, the more it aches. With only a few minutes’ head start, I can't afford to stop or rest yet. I tune out the pain.
No pity.
I think of the words that poured out of Gideon in the kitchen and my guilt flairs stronger. He wished to explain in a way that made me understand. I feel bad for turning his fear into reality, but I know it won’t stop there.
This ability, this curse I'm afflicted with—it makes people insane. No one should be able to access their wildest dreams by saying a handful of words. That kind of power, hovering on the tip of your tongue—it creates a hunger that's impossible to satiate. Nobody can resist that.
Maybe Gideon wouldn't use me to give himself riches or dominate someone else, but what about couching his weaknesses? Sure, it was an accident this time, but that eloquent explanation wasn't real. It wasn't his choice.
Trust no one.
Part of me knows leaving and denying him a chance to prove himself isn’t fair, but neither is life. If it was, I wouldn’t have been dropped at a fire station as a newborn, my best friend wouldn't have abandoned me in high school, and no one would have kidnapped me in the first place. If life was fair, this cursed power wouldn't exist at all and I wouldn’t need to run.
Keep it moving.
GIDEON
Her duffle is gone, but her boots remain on the porch. Sheena’s tattered shoes are the only sign in the entire house that she was ever here.
She left me.
The realization nearly brings me to my knees, but I'm not actually surprised. Sheena is a runner. I was right not to trust her to stay. While this rejection hurts, I can survive it. Better it happened now, before the bond sealed. If she’d decided things were too hard down the road, the agony could have actually killed me.
I wanted to be the reason she took a risk.
Callum is obsessing over what happened in the kitchen, but I don't give a flying fuck about that. At the end of the day, floating hair and glowing eyes don't matter. If she doesn't think what wehave is worth fighting for, then our future will never outweigh her past.
“We have to go get her,” Callum says, checking his phone and heading towards the door. “She has no transportation, and there's another storm coming.”
He keeps shooting glances at me like I'm the one acting weird, but he’s not seeing the full picture. We never stood a chance. Our biggest mistake was ever thinking we did.
“If she wants to leave, that’s on her.” I shrug, trying to look unaffected. “I told her she had a choice. She’s made it.” I crack open a beer, sitting at the counter and ignoring the gut wrenching fear I feel at the thought of her being alone outside and exposed to the elements.
“Look, it's shitty that she took off,” Callum says, frowning at me. “But I think we can assume panic is driving her right now. She freaked the fuck out. We need to make sure she's okay, then, once it’s less raw, we can put everything out on the table and sort through it together.”
