My mouth tightens as I shake my head. I’m not hurt, but Taran is. Because of me. Because I can’t protect myself. Can’t do anything. I’ve done nothing useful this entire journey.
“Is it shock? It’s alright, we’re safe now.” He squeezes my shoulder.
“No.” I sniff back the tears and try to ignore the bodies, focusing on Taran’s eyes—they’re overflowing with worry.
“I was the best.” The words sputter out, and the rest tumble after, like an avalanche. “I never wanted to be, but I was. My father made sure of it. So I could follow in his footsteps. Defend our land. But all I was doing was hurting it.”
Taran tries to take my hand again, but I push him away, unable to be restrained as everything I’ve bottled up comes gushing out.
“I’m useless without it.” My voice splinters. “All I’ve been this entire time is a burden. You tell me I’m important, that I can help you, but I have no idea why or how. And whenever it seems like you might actually let me in, you shove me aside like I’m nothing.”
I try to meet his eyes, but he looks away.
“You’re not nothing, Ellie,” he says quietly. “You have a strength, a perseverance that I wish I had. And you push me, without fear—you don’t know how rare that is. But if I let you… if I let myself…” He closes his eyes, pressing his lips together.
So he does care about me.
Taran’s eyes open, the sorrow within them pouring into mine. “I’d be throwing away the entire reason I brought you here.”
“I can find another way to help.” I take his hand, and when he doesn’t pull away, hope alights within me. “If you let me, I could share your burden.”
Taran’s shoulders sink. “But if you ever remember… if we ever break your curse… you might never forgive me.”
I squeeze his hand tight. “I won’t blame you. This is my choice.”
His mouth twitches as he swallows. “It should only be a few more days. Then you’ll understand what you’re asking.”
A tangle of emotions twists in my chest. “What if it’s not? We almost died, Taran. We don’t know what the future holds. But IknowI can’t keep feeling like this. I don’t want to die feeling like I never mattered.”
Something tugs at the back of my mind.Why do I need him to feel that way?But the thought recedes as he tucks a lock of my hair behind my ear, his finger brushing gently against my skin.
My heart holds its breath.
He squeezes his eyes shut, exhaling slowly. “Forgive me,” he whispers.
His lips meet mine, and all the knots within me unravel, the world fading away with his kiss.
Part 3
Unraveled
Chapter 33
Reid
“Would you get your hand off my face already?”
“I haven’t quite gotten your ears right,” Emlyn says. The sunlight slicing through the leaves above splits his forehead in two, just like my own damn headache.
“It hasn’t taken this long before,” I grumble.
“Well, I messed up this time. We can’t have you walking around with mismatched ears.”
“Does it matter? I keep my hood up around everyone else anyway.”
“ButIstill have to look at you, and it will botherme.”
I shove his hand off my face. “Fix it later. I’m tired of standing here.” The forest’s suffocating me, its massive branches weighing heavily overhead.
