“I told you what I wanted, and this certainly isn’t it.”
Cyrus gripped the bridge of his nose. “Such a selfish thing to say for someone who doesn’t understand why we’re placed together in the first place.”
“Then tell me. And it better be for a reason other than a power trip.”
Cyrus’s hand fell from his face. “Adora, I’m offering to give you the fairytale you’ve always wanted. I promise we will be happy. Far happier than you’ll ever be with Kane—”
A clearing of a throat interrupted us, and I glanced across the room to see a rosy, stout woman standing in the doorway, her discomfort beaming from her cheeks. She wiggled her pert nose. “Excuse me, miss. I brought you fresh linens for the night. Where would you like me to put them?”
Cyrus nodded. “There is fine, Alice. Thank you.” He turned to me and dragged in a breath. “We will talk about this later. In the meantime, Alice will stay with you while you sleep and accommodate your needs. And I want you to come get me if you need anything. At any time.”
He stepped away, and my posture stiffened.
“I have things from home I’ll need.” My words came out meekly, tired, defeated.
“Alice,” Cyrus said with a nod of farewell, ignoring me. When he reached the doorway, he paused, then turned back one last time. He tapped the door frame once, and before leaving, he said, “Just so you know, I never loved your sister.”
CHAPTER 16
ADORA
Early morning of November 26, 2020
63 days until the Crimson Eclipse
66 days until the Cantini-Sullivan wedding
One pleasant thingabout this room was the steadfast roll and crash of the sea from the open window. This and the creak of Alice’s rocking chair became my lullaby. Though her unshakeable stare never left me, the sound of her rocking put me at ease, and I began to drift, drift,drift.
This was when the prickle came.
It started on my arm, and my eyes sprang to life.
My gaze darted to Alice, but an empty chair sat beside the open window.
A rhythmic rocking back and forth,back and forth, with no one there.
I gasped, trying to get up, but my arms were locked at my sides.
My legs were stiff and unmoving.
I was paralyzed on my back, and my eyes drifted to where the prickle started.
A black spider was crawling up the length of my arm.
It was bigger than any spider I’d seen before, and all I wanted to do was swipe the spider away. I begged my arm to move, but my body wouldn’t let it. My every muscle was tense and tight, and I was forced to feel every ticking leg scamper across my skin.
Then the spider made a slow crawl toward my neck.
I tried to close my eyes but couldn’t.
Something had a hold on me.
I used everything within me to turn my head away from the spider, and my neck cracked when it stretched.
The spider’s legs ruffled a strand of my hair, and a whimper escaped me—a little noise that scratched my throat.Stop, stop, stop, stop, I chanted, but the words didn’t make it out of my head. They were stuck in my brain and bouncing around.
I held my breath, pinning my lips tightly so the disgusting thing wouldn’t crawl into my mouth. Instead, its legs crept across my collarbone and over my breast. Fear stretched my eyes wide open. Bulging. They were dry. The salty air from the open window burned my eyes, but I couldn’t shut them. Something more powerful than me wouldn’t let me close them. To even blink.
