“Maybe I should have, but I’m glad I didn’t,” I admit, and she nods, accepting the truth in my words.
“So I did do it?” she asks, hope dancing in her eyes as she glances at me, and I nod. “What did I do exactly?”
“Honestly, I’m not quite sure, but it was special, Elodie.”
She tries to hide the smile on her face, but I catch it. “How did that make you see me differently?”
“It didn’t.”
Her eyebrows furrow as she waits expectantly for another explanation.
I drag my hand down my face as I take a deep breath, eyeing the dining hall in the distance. Instead of taking the pathway that leads us there, I opt for the direction that brings us to the small smattering of restaurants and cafés.
This conversation doesn’t need to be held in a public place like the dining hall.
“I saw you exactly as I’ve seen you all of this time. I just actually allowed myself to look properly,” I admit, spying the pink hue across her cheeks.
“And what did you see?”
“Everything. My wants. My desires. My future. So I chose hot.”
“Hot feels… nice,” she whispers, squeezing my hand as she stares at where we’re connected, and my heart clenches. “I also didn’t anticipate that you meant it in the literal sense,” she adds, a pointed look ghosting over her face, and I rub my lips together,aware that she looks mad, but eternally grateful that I can sense her feelings.
She’s not mad.
Thankfully.
I don't know how to respond, but it seems she's not looking for a response when she clears her throat and brings her gaze to mine. “What did you mean when you said, ‘fate or choice’?” she asks, and my heartbeat stutters. A moment later, her eyebrows knit together with a hint of confusion as she uses her free hand to rub at her chest.
Again, I'm like an open book, a new version of myself. Like I’ve been completely changed out for a new binding, cover, and title, yet it doesn’t feel as though the content has changed inside.
“They will rise with fire in their bones and ruin in their wake, step the shadows that you reap and give more than you shall take. Blood shall bind you, love shall break you. Only in the face of death shall the path be clear; the world mourns with the final tear.”
She stares at me with wide eyes for a moment as my words hang in the air before she clears her throat. “What is that, exactly?” she asks as we bypass the dining hall and continue down the quaint path, heading closer to the Italian restaurant I'm hoping has a spot available.
“That's the thing with prophecies, you never truly know what they mean. Only that they foreshadow your future, and that has practically been my motto for as long as I can remember,” I admit, raking my hand through my hair as I speak the truth.
Clearing my throat, I sense her eyes on me as I take a moment to try and compose myself. For what? I’m not entirely sure, but it does nothing to help. Instead of letting the silence turn awkward, I decide to flip the questions on her when she doesn't immediately throw another one at me.
“What madeyougive in?” I ask, repeating the same question she started with.
“Give in?” she repeats, and I nod.
“When you walked into your bedroom, and I was sitting there, you could have turned around and run for the door. You could have screamed for help, damn, you could have slapped me across the face, but you didn't do any of those things,” I ramble, and her gaze lands on our joined hands again as she thinks for a moment.
“Did I have any idea that it would be you under that hoodie? Absolutely not. But did I also know that sleep and dreams clung to me in a different way every night that I woke up the following morning to notifications that you had been there? Yes.” Her voice is almost trance-like, as if she’s still in disbelief.Me too, Echo. Me too.“You defied the lock on the door, but never to harm me. I was always settled in your presence, and I couldn’t wrap my head around why I would literally watch myself nuzzle into you. I never would have guessed it was you. Not with the whole back and forth,” she admits, and my pulse thunders in my ears.
“I don't like it when you cry in your sleep,” I mumble, hearing her short intake of breath at the truth. “I could hear you from across the hall, so I started coming earlier and earlier in hopes of making it stop.”
This time, when our hands lift in the air, it's for her to bring my knuckles to her lips, pressing the sweetest kiss as our eyes meet.
“There's that bitch!” The shrill voice cuts through the air, breaking our moment and drawing our attention to the red-headed she-devil that continues to infiltrate Elodie's life.
At the sight of her, Elodie's hands drop from mine—not with embarrassment, but in preparation.
The last time I saw the two of them in close proximity, Willow was not faring too well at the hands of Elodie's fists. That was when we were in the Institute Games and no one had access to their magic.
This time, Willow has her wolf on command, and she's not alone either. She's joined by her second-favorite vampire, who seems intent on aiding her demise.
