Was it just chance that he had lived in every city I had, for the same lengths of time, and relocated at the same time we had? Was itcoincidence that he’d moved in with me after purchasing every house in Nimorran?
Did he know who I was before I came here?
The sharp click of the front door opening cut through my spiralling thoughts.
My head snapped up. I dropped the phone, rising to my feet. My pulse hammered as I moved to the door, letting in a deep breath before I opened and walked out.
I stopped at the top of the landing, staring down.
He stood at the first step, one hand on the railing, about to climb. His head lifted, his gaze colliding with mine. And then he stopped.
So did I.
Before he could say anything, I clenched my fists, dragging strength from somewhere deep inside me. My nails bit into my palms, his eyes skimming over me as he stood there in his coat and gloves, making me wonder if he was coming back from the cave.
He took one step up the stairs. “What’s wrong—”
“You…” I stepped back, needing to say it while he was far away enough, where his hands couldn’t touch and distract me. “You didn’t kill her.”
Thrax froze, his expression unreadable, before a small shake of his head betrayed that he knew what I was talking about but didn’t want to admit it. “You don’t look good. Let’s—”
“You…” I drew in a long breath, my tone firmer. “You didn’t kill her.”
He exhaled. “What did you dream about?”
“That day,” I said quietly. “The day it happened.”
He nodded once, running a gloved hand through his hair, sending a few strands falling back over his forehead. “And your conclusion is that I didn’t kill her?”
I frowned. “It was obvious,” I said, remembering the dream, the way she had begged him to drive the pin through her. “Besides, youwere unconscious when she started the ritual...you couldn’t have stopped her—”
“I killed her, Sanora. I thinkthatwas quite obvious.”
I blinked at him, confused. “It wasn’t your fault. Why are you saying all this?”
He let out a short laugh. “It was my fault. She died because of me.”
“That doesn’t equal you killing her.” I shook my head, staring at him, wondering if he’d actually carried that guilty burden all along, making himself believe he was a monster who killed her. He hadn’t killed her, yet he was cursed and made a bad omen, everything evil in one man.
Thrax took another step up towards me, the wood creaking under his foot. Instinctively, I stepped back, hand lifting between us.
“Why am I seeing all these dreams?” I wasn’t buying his convenient explanation about my dreams bending around him because he was near. There was more. I couldn’t be seeing something from over a thousand years ago just because we were under the same roof.
“Because I’m—”
“No, Thrax.” My voice rose, echoing against the walls. “Don’t give me that. There’s something you aren’t telling me.”
“That’s because you don’t need to know.”
I went still for a heartbeat, staring. “So there really is something you’re hiding.”
He closed his eyes, drawing in a breath. “Sanora—”
“Why am I dreaming about your past life, Thrax? Why did I see all that?”
His jaw clenched, and from that alone, I knew he wouldn’t tell me.
I let out a shuddering breath and began to pace the landing, fingers raking through my hair. Tugging at it was like flicking aswitch, a stupid assumption snapping into place. “Is it...can your curse be broken?”
