“Oh, shut up, Fynn, don’t pretend like you give a damn that Harlot left us; if you had, you would have told this one you’d come back for her later, but instead, you chose her over your family, your own blood. And due toyourselfish behavior, your sister is now entangled in the old Gods know what.”
Mother looks at me, then at Jodelle.
“She can’t stay here, Fynn. Please tell me you have only slept in that bed together, please,” she pinches her nose as she pleads with me.
The sorrow in Mother's voice is evident; guilt builds inside me. I swallow before I answer her question.
“We did not just sleep, Mother…” The words leave my mouth in a mere whisper.
Mother's gaze is dolorous when I confirm her worst nightmare.
DIARY ENTRY:
I told Keir. I hope you hate me for it as much as I hate you. He didn’t believe me at first. It took everything to convince him I wasn’t lying. He thought I wanted to leave him. He became hysterical. But I love him. I know I do. I know part of me loves him with all my might, for real.
He wants to make a plan, find a way to circumvent it all, circumvent you, but I know that isn’t possible. I have been going through the older entries, butthere’s no mention of going around you. And I can’t imagine anyone has tried it before. I read to him the entries that brought up the partners. It wasn’t pretty, and I had never seen Keir so pale in my life. I could tell you didn’t like that I found a loophole to spill your damn secrets. I hope you suffer like I suffer.
A Bare Verity
HARLOT
Chapter 8
Reluctantly, Emrys lets me go, as we both know I need to return to the inn to face my mother. That morning, when Fynn grabbed my arm, it took everything in me to convince Emrys not to appear from the shadows to rip my brother’s throat out for laying a finger on me again with the sole purpose of hurting me. It doesn’t matter to Emrys that he knows his mind is being poisoned against his will, too. His rage is palpable, pulsating through the bond and from the shadows surrounding me in the room, as if they were in sync with his raging mind. I’m convinced he would gladly scorch himself to death just to tear every limb from my brother’s body. It is apparent that Fynn felt Emrys’s presence vibrating through me; his startled eyes gave him away.
As I was waiting upstairs for Fynn the other day, Emrys informed me that the witch at the inn—a Death Witch—downstairs had told my brother that something had changed about me. Still, she is too scared to tell him the whole tale, although she knew immediately that I bonded with a being darker than vampires and witches combined. It is a smart move on her part to try to remove as many shadows as possible beforespeaking to my brother about me, but my mate controls the shadows; the shadows do not limit him. She might be a witch wielding shadows, but she still has much to learn.
Her golden eyes follow me as I set foot into the inn, all curtains still wide open, daylight pouring into the dark dining area. I grin, then scoff at her to let her know I understand what she’s trying to pull off, as if that will help.
“Lovely sunny weather today, isn’t it?” I say to no one in particular as I walk to the stairs.
She lowers her eyes and, without saying a word, starts walking toward the windows, closing the curtains taut, shrouding us in a welcoming darkness. I smile as Emrys tells me I shouldn’t taunt Death Witches, not even the young ones, although he will have no objection to killing one if required, no matter how young or old.
“Mother? You’re back.”
I'm surprised to see my mother's furious face. Emrys told me she had gone back to the inn, which means the books have come back too. I refuse to spend another second with Fynn or talk to him, and I mainly focus on my mother.
“Who are you?” I say with genuine surprise to the girl sitting onmybed as I frown questioningly at my mother.
“Harlot! My sweet child!” Mother throws herself into my arms, holding onto me tightly. I hug her back as I glance warily at the girl. “You returned safely, my dear.”
She lets go and starts inspecting me to see if I'm hurt in any way; when she sees I’m unscathed, the scowl returns to her face.
“You foolish girl! Look atJodelle.” She points at the girl, who gives me a sheepish smile as I look at her, noting the bandages and wounds on her. “She came from that same forest as you!”
I ignore my mother and extend a hand to Jodelle to introduce myself. I am eager to learnwhatshe is exactly, sitting here so comfortably among us. Jodelle takes my hand without hesitation and shakes it. There is no grimace on her face, no burning flesh.
Another human?Emrys exclaims.
According to my mother, she came from your woods. It seems I was lucky to find you first.I muse back to him.
She never found me because her mere sight repulses me. The trees told me about her some time ago. I just couldn’t be bothered with her. The wood has a will of its own, and I don’t interfere with it, keeping those safe if they want to, or taking the life of whoever they want to feast on. It’s how the soil is so fertile; it takes care of itself.
I can hear him smirk, and I bite my lower lip. It’s sexy. Why was I ever so foolish as to leave his side, even for a short while?
“What’s wrong with your eyes? Those are no longer storm clouds, more like the vortex of night…”
Mother grips my chin firmly, tugging me to her, and I hear Emrys growl, raging in my mind as he senses my unease. I tear away from her as I mutter; nothing is wrong with me; I’m getting older, that’s all. Mother's eyes narrow to slits as she takes me in.
