"Don't hurt him," I beg. I've lost all control over my royal facade, but I'm too scared for Shadow to do otherwise. I've never seen anyone hurt him so easily, so completely. It shakes me to my core.
Again, Adena cocks her head and blinks at me with that slow, impassive curiosity that could mean anything. "You are the Nexus."
Shadow slumps as Adena releases him from whatever supernatural hold she had over him.
"Yes," I grit the word out through clenched teeth. That's the one thing Ihavecome to understand. “But I don't know what that means,” I push forward. “What it means toyou. What it means to them." I gesture back the way we came.
Adena takes a few steps closer until I can see the sparkle of her skin is not the result of makeup. There are countless little crystalline sparkles where any regular human would have pores that give her skin an icy, ethereal quality. “The Nexus is the bridge between the world of humans and the Nightmare Realm. Because of you, our world is able to thrive. Grow. Because you live, the Nightmare Realm can feed from the energies of the human world. We are honored to receive the greatly revered Nexus in our court." Then she bows so deeply, she practically kisses the floor.
I understand the words individually, but together? And how they relate to me? It doesn't penetrate. I'm unable to absorb what she's saying. So I try to put it into little bit size pieces.
I'm a bridge.
This is the Nightmare Realm.
The realm grows because I exist.
Nope. None of it is sinking in.
When I try to take a steadying breath my lungs catch on the rough, gritty air and I end up in a coughing fit again. Each cough wracks my ribcage with bone shaking violence as it tries to expel what I'm breathing in exchange for fresh air.
"Evie," Shadow says, hovering by me.
I hold up a hand to keep him back, needing space as my face turns hot and tears leak out the sides of my eyes. I gasp and choke a little longer before I manage to even out. My fingers find purchase on Shadow's chest, needing the physical support for a moment.
Just a moment. Maybe two.
When I’ve gotten hold of myself, I drop my hand from Shadow to wipe away the tears. "He says I'll die if I stay here." I address Adena.
"Your human lungs cannot effectively absorb the atmosphere here," she states matter-of-factly.
"So I should go back," I say quietly. My shoulders slump, as dread fills me from my toes up to my throat.
Go back to your shitty apartment.
Deal with the man with the toothpick.
The police who suspect you of the murders you've committed.
One of these worlds is a fever dream, but I'm not sure which.
But I do know I want to stay in the one I know less of. The one where they treat me with respect without even knowing me.
"We will celebrate the coming of the Nexus," Adena says, wrapping her long fingers around my shoulders. "And then we shall return you to the human world, where you shall continue to act as the bridge between our worlds."
"We must go back now," Shadow says to only me in a low voice.
But he's too late. Hope has already sparked inside me. "I want to stay for the celebration and then go back." The way I say it leaves no room for argument, though we still lock in a death glare that lasts a good long time. "If you want to go back on your own, you're more than welcome to," I offer with saccharine sweetness.
HIs shadows roil and ripple and I know I've won. I can't help the smug smile that spreads on my face as we follow Adena through the strange castle and to an ornate bedroom.
"You shall be supplied with a dress for your celebration. Until then, refresh yourself, Nexus," she says before closing the door behind her.
Shadow and I are left alone in the room.
We turn toward each other, a volatility cackling in the air that’s about to explode, and we might not survive it.
Lies We Tell Each Other
