“If only you could see what I see.” My voice was monotone, and I didn’t look at her when I said it.
“I believe you, but you will not be the one,” she stressed, anchoring her full attention to me. It was heavy, forcing me to look at her. “Promise me, Adora. Promise me you will never do anything like that again.”
“Promise.” I said it too easily, not even believing myself.
When she sighed, her breath fluttered her black hair laying over cheek. “Geez, murder, Adora?” Her expression hardened, disappointment in her eyes. “If you had just talked to me.”
I stepped closer to her. “I tried,” I said, then stopped and listened for Dad or Fable in the house. I lowered my voice to a whisper. “Something is seriously wrong with me, and I’m scared, okay? I’m sleepwalking, being mean, callous, nasty thoughts inside my head. I want it to stop. It’s like there’s all this hate inside me, and I don’t know where it's coming from. So, yeah if anyone knows what Mom went through, it’s me. She doesn’t deserve this.”
“Maybe we should go to the coven.”
And I wished I could trust my coven. However, as long as Augustine Pruitt ran Sacred Sea, I could never be proud of it. Leaving the coven wasn’t an option either. Sacred Sea was my family, and the only way to make sure things would get better was to stay.
“Look at what they did to Mom. What do you think they’re going to do to me if they find out? Especially after Augustine just sentenced Kane in the cell for six months. If he finds out it was my fault, my punishment will be worse.”
“Cyrus would never let anything happen to you.”
“Even in murder? Do you think Cyrus, the most honorable man in Weeping Hollow, would protect me then?” I asked, and she didn’t answer. “Ivy, last night, he could have fought harder for me, but he didn’t. Not that I need him to fight my battles, but it would have been nice to know he would have done anything. But he didn’t. It’s like he froze up.”
Ivy’s brows scrunched together. “That’s not like Cyrus.”
“I know.”
“Could it have anything to do with the Heathen who showed up and got on his knees for you? The one who was looking at you at the meeting like he was about to launch across the room at any second.”
“A Heathen?”
“Don’t be coy, you know exactly who I’m talking about.” She set her mug down, her eyes burning a hole in me. “The same Heathen I had to hear about from Cyrus, and how you left with him. The same one you failed to mention this morning.”
I hid my mouth behind my moon milk. “Oh, you mean my husband.”
She glanced up at the ceiling, a dubious smile sailing across her lips. “That’s not funny.” But then it got quiet. When she realized this, she looked back at me. “Adora?”
The room turned serious. “Clarence performed the ceremony last night.”
Her gaze dropped to the ring on my finger, and she swiped my hand from the counter. “Oh, god. What did you do?” She spun it, seeing Stone’s name engraved into the ring. Her voice and fingers began to shake, and the vein popped in her forehead, terrified tears flooding her eyes. “Adora,” she cried. “Please, this is not funny. Tell me you’re joking.”
“I can’t,” I whispered, unable to look her in the eyes any longer. “I found Stone on the beach half-dead and we spent almost two months together before either one of us knew he was a Heathen. But it was already too late, Ivy. I was already in love with him.”
Her palm struck my cheek, stunning me.
It caused me to step back.
I cupped my face, and my gaze darted back to her.
She’d never hit me before.
It stung as water welled in my eyes.
Tears were raining down her face.
And we just stared at each other.
She cupped her mouth. “What have you done?” she cried, shaking her head. “You married a Heathen, Adora. Why would you do that?”
“Because I’ve felt nothing but anger and hate inside me, and for the first time ever in my life, I imagined a future, a marriage, children, a life. And I only see it with him ... because he makes me so happy,” I cried. “And I want that, Ivy. I want that so badly with him.”
The doorbell rang.
