“Shut up,” I whispered, clutching my chest. “Please, just—”
You want Abram to love you,she crooned, her voice silk and venom.You want him to say he chooses you. But he won’t. You were never chosen, Elowyn. Not by him. Not by your father. Not by anyone. Only by me.
I stumbled, my knees hitting damp earth. The sky above me had darkened to near black, thunder rumbling low like a warning.
“Stop,” I begged. My palms pressed into the dirt, shaking. “Please, stop.”
But she didn’t.
You made yourself small for everyone thinking it would make them like you,Nyxthra taunted.You pretended it didn’t hurt every time he called you “wife,” like it isn’t a title created by a sham. You smiled through it, and for what? So he could tell you it’s “partly real”? He doesn’t care for you.
My magic pulsed under my skin, hot and unstable. The air shimmered, leaves lifting into a quiet storm around me.
“Nyxthra,” I warned, my voice breaking. “Don’t make me—”
Make you what? Lose control? You already have.
The world cracked. A tree beside me splintered, bark exploding outward from the force of my power. The wind screamed. My hair whipped across my face as black veins traced my arms, humming with Nyxthra’s laughter.
The longer you let yourself pretend with him, the more control you will lose. And when he leaves you, which he will, it will destroy you.
“Stop it!” I cried, though I didn’t know if I was talking to her or myself.
And then, just as fast as it came, the surge broke.
I fell forward, my hands sinking into the soaked earth, trembling. My body felt hollow, emptied of everything except that one unbearable truth—He could never love me. Not the way I needed. Not the way I wanted him to.
Nyxthra went quiet, satisfied.
You see?she whispered.Pain makes you powerful. Keep feeling it, and one day you’ll stop needing him at all. You don’t need anyone but me.
I lifted my head toward the dark horizon as rain beginning to fall in cold, heavy drops. My throat ached as I stared at the sky. A moment later, Abram was standing over me.
“I’m sorry,” I cried just as the rain started pouring.
He leaned down and scooped me up, kissing my forehead as he carried me back inside. Abram didn’t say anything as he took me to the washroom. His magic swept across the bathtub and filled it with water as helped me out of my clothes that were covered in mud now.
“I’m sorry,” I said again.
“It’s okay.” He helped me into the water. “It was Nyxthra talking, not you.”
I shook my head. “No. She feeds off my thoughts and feelings. She speaks the truths I try to bury, and apparently, she’s had enough of my pretending.”
He frowned, leaning his elbows on the rim of the tub as he watched me sink beneath the water. The warmth stung against my cold skin, grounding me.
“You don’t have to apologize for being upset.” He reached forward and wiped a tear that had slid from my eye without me noticing. “I’m sorry I hurt your feelings; it was never my intention. You know I care about you, right?”
I hesitated. Did I know that? I nodded, but clearly he noticed that I wasn’t sure. Abram’s face fell as he watched me. He cleared his throat softly. No, I didn’t know that he cared for me.
“Clearly I have not shown you that I care. Let me take you out on a date.”
“A date?”
“Yes, like a real date outside of the house. It’s what I wanted to do today with you. There is a festival in Akecia that I think you might enjoy. It has food, vendors, music, and other entertainment.”
He wanted to go out in public with me.
“Really?”
