“You only visited once a year,” he says, popping up a shoulder. “Did you expect me to send you a wisp every day?”
“Decided I wasn’t worth your time anymore?” I arch a brow.
“It wasn’t like that.” He casually scans the broken wilderness, his bland tone fueling my anger.
“Great. Thanks for the explanation.” Jaw tight, I stand. “I’ll let you continue your creeping alone.” Walking back the way I came, praying he doesn’t ask about my small satchel. I’ve hiked it over my shoulder. I can’t afford to leave it behind, and I’m not going to stick around until he gets suspicious.
“You’re going in the wrong direction.”
I freeze a few steps in front of him, swallowing. My heartbeat thumps in my chest. He eyes the strap over my shoulder, knowingly.Of course he knows. He’s always been able to read me.And why else would I be out in the middle of the elemental lands?
“I believe she was closer to the portal.” He states pulling his eyes back up to my face.
My brow scrunch. “She…?” I ask, gulping so hard I’m sure if the wind hadn’t started blowing the dead limbs, he’d actually hear me swallow.
“Nova. That's why you’re here, right? To see where she died…” His voice trails off, and his gaze goes to my satchel again, an eyebrow lifting.
The color drains from my face. I should be trying to cover my shock, but I’ve never been good at hiding my emotions.
He takes a step towards me, his head tilting. I match the step, retreating.
“You didn’t know,” he says.
“No… yes—”Shit,he just gave me a reason to be here. “I mean, I heard the incident happened here, but it’s a whole different thing than confirming it. No one will tell me anything.”
His face is impassive as he mulls over my lie. I know I should do more to distract him from why I’m truly here, but this small piece of information is too much to take in.
“Do you know what happened?” I can’t stop scanning the area, but instead of looking for the portal, now I’m searching for any trace of my sister. Flexing my hand open, I reached out my magic to the forest, hoping it will offer even the slightest hint about what happened to my twin.
His eyes soften, and I get a glimpse of the boy from my childhood. Before everything fell apart. His throat bobs as if he’s deciding if he’s going to answer, the male notch there reminding me that he’s no longer a boy.
“Come on.” He abruptly turns and starts walking. “I understand them wanting to keep the details quiet so the kingdom doesn’t panic, but you’re her sister….” He quickly glances back to see me hurrying to catch up.
For the first time since my twin bond with Nova snapped, I think I may get some answers.
“They believe a small group of rebel humans broke through the portal while Nova was here. She was outnumbered, and the Guardians didn’t get here in time. I was told it happened somewhere over there.”
Nova’s death wasn’t an accident. It was an attack.
My brain doesn’t know how to process all of the questions swirling through it. “Humans attacked her…?” I shake my head, trying to clear it. “Did she suffer?” I scan the area for signs of violence.
I had no idea humans were so volatile. Vampires, sure. But then, I don’t really keep up with intra-world politics.
“I don’t know.” He comes to a stop a branch ahead of me, near a clearing and points to the left.
My eyes linger on the spot. But nothing stands out, nothing calls to me. Shouldn’t the place where my twin, my other half,died feel different? Shouldn’t I be able to tell that she was here? This is where Nova’s body and spirit went back to join the Goddess, and I can’t feel her. Had we grown that far apart?
Ahead, remnants of a stone archway are visible through the crumbled rock of a cliffside. I can just make out stairs that climb the cliff before they disappear directly into the rock face.
The human world portal.
My heart stops. I realize I’m standing halfway between the location where Nova died, leaving her legacy for me to carry on. And halfway to my escape, away from this royal life that killed her and moved on like she never existed. I’m literally standing between the two lives that I’m faced with. Be the queen that Nova was destined to be—orrun.
I clinch the skirt of my dress in my hands. My mind is screaming for me to race for the portal, the exit from this life I’m being caged into by a Goddess who doesn’t care.
“Are you okay?” Cillian’s voice rips through my thoughts, grounding me back to the moment. His eyes trail down to my clenched fists.
I immediately release the fabric and smooth the wrinkles. Once I would have done anything to have his eyes on me, but right now, he is seeing right through me, and nothing good can come from that.
