Maybe I shouldn’t. Iwasmarried. That was a stupid thought to have. Nate had been my friend for years, and my marriage wasn’t real. Besides this was a friend checking in on me and it meant I didn't have to go sit alone at home.
“Alright.” I nodded.
He smiled as he finished the food and led me up the street to the tavern. We walked in and saw the place was full. People were laughing loudly, and men fell into me as we snaked our way through the crowd. I waited as Nate ordered us a couple of drinks before heading to the only small table in front of the window. My gaze moved around the tavern. I’d never been to a place like this before.
Men and women danced across the room from us, and men were gambling at a few tables in the back, smoking cigars. The smell of liquor permeated the space. Nate sat down across from me, and I took a big gulp of the fae wine he brought.
“So, why do you look so sad?” he asked. “You look like something’s weighing on you. Especially since this morning. You seemed excited to cook for your friend.”
I looked at Nate and sighed. My instincts were to lie to him. I didn’t want to burden him or anyone with the fact that I was always sad.
“I’ve just been wondering lately why I must pay for the mistakes of my mother.”
He cocked his head to the side, surprised. I never spoke about my family with him. The mere thought of my family had me lifting the alcohol to my lips and gulping it down.
“What did she do?” He took a sip of his drink.
I almost didn’t want to tell him in case he judged me for it too like my coven did.
“She stole another queen witch's fated mate with a spell and had me. Then she died, and the spell broke, and my father abandoned me when he realized what my mother did. Then his real mate, Jade, cursed me for the mistakes of my mother. And my coven hates me for it.”
I had never said that out loud. Maybe I thought that if I kept that truth inside, then it wouldn’t be true. But it was.
He stared at me for a moment, his mouth slightly open in shock as he tried to take in everything I said. He gave himself a little shake and said,“Wow, that is a lot to take in. But your coven? I’m sure they don’t hate you.”
I stopped him, my hand resting on his.
“They do.” I frowned. “They hate me. They leave when I sit down. They won’t eat anything I make. They will gossip behind my back. They will not celebrate anything with me. They blame me for the state of the coven even though I didn’t do anything to them. Everyone is shutting me out. I can’t argue people into liking me. The only thing I can do is break this stupid fucking curse, but I am worried that I can’t.”
Nate frowned as I traced the rim of my goblet.
“They sound like assholes. Seriously, it’s not your fault that your mother did that.”
I took another big gulp of my drink and felt my body buzzing at the alcohol.
“What’s the curse?”
“No one in my coven can produce a child until I find the one I was meant to love—my fated mate, but Jade took away my mating bond so I can’t see it. She wants my coven to slowly die with me. No children means the coven will die.”
“A mate.” Nate looked at me oddly. “How will you know if you find them?”
“I won’t.” I sighed and finished my drink. “Jade made it nearly impossible to break the curse. Gods, I need another drink.”
I was getting more depressed talking about all of this. I didn’t tell Nate the more painful details, that I could only fall in love once, and if that man didn’t love me back then I would never fall in love again. I’d be doomed to lose them. I'd die alone.
“Here, let me get it.” Nate stood up and went to get a refill.
I watched as women turned to watch him. Nate was handsome, but I felt nothing romantically toward him. Part of me wished I did though, because then I could get over Abram.
Nate came back a minute later and set my drink down. I immediately began sipping on it. He watched me for a moment.
“I’m sorry that your coven treats you horribly. Hopefully, you can find your mate and make everything better.”
I looked up at him.
“Sometimes I think of leaving the coven. Even if I break the curse, they have always treated me like an enemy and hated me. Maybe I should just pack up and move somewhere else.”
I had daydreamed about it a lot actually. Maybe if I started over somewhere new, I could be happy.
