“No, she lives. What she lives with is far worse than death.”
There it was the humanity and vulnerability the people in my world possess. It almost made my heart ache for him. Perhaps he was as mysterious as the constellations he spoke of. I blinked and refocused my thoughts. What was wrong with me?
I shifted, only then realising how close we were sitting. My knee brushed against his, the fabric tickling my leg and startling me.
“I shouldn’t be this close,” I said, trying to move. I couldn’t. My body stayed rooted, heavy with exhaustion.
“You’re safe and need to rest.” The sincerity in his voice made my heart pound. “I won’t let anything harm you again.”
His words sounded promising, but I had learned not to trust him after what happened with Donte. I forced myself to look away. He noticed my distraction, and something in his expression dimmed. “We’ve lived under Vareth and his blood moon’s shadow for a long time,” he said.
A chill ripped through me.
“Tilly, you’re connected to Vareth, just like the rest of us,” he continued. His fingers brushed against mine, gentle yet different. “Because of this, time isn’t on our side.”
Even as he said it, something in his eyes told me that time was the one thing neither of us truly had.
“Our lives have been cursed since the day we were born. If only you could see how we could change this curse into a blessing.”
I struggled to contain my emotions. I felt a connection, one stronger than I should have allowed, but deep within me, a voice of caution whispered.
“I want to believe you, but I need time to think.” For a moment, he simply watched me.”
“I will be honest with you, Tilly.
“You see the light in me now, but when the blood moon rises in Elora, so do I, and what wakes in my blood is not something you can love safely”
He took a slow breath.
Not when Vareth’s mark stirs within me.”
“You must make a choice sooner rather than later.
We cannot wait until Vareth’s blood moon rises”
“What do you mean?”
“Tilly, wait here a moment.”
“Where are you going?” I asked, curious about why he seemed so suddenly in a rush to leave.
“I need to get something,” he replied.
For a moment, it looked as though he might say more before he got up quickly. Cillian closed the door in a way that conveyed a clear message not to follow him.
TWENTY FIVE
EAVESDROPPING
Ididn’t want to admit it. The more time I spent with Cillian, the more drawn to him I felt. A warmth stirred within me whenever I thought of him, comforting on one hand, but on the other it was terrifying. I pushed the distracting thoughts aside and forced myself to get up.
As weak as I felt, I slowly made my way toward the large window to open it to let some air in.
The faint smell of rain lingered in the air, earthy and fresh, calming my nerves for just a moment. But unease crept back in when I heard voices drifting up from below.
My heart skipped a beat when I realised, they belonged to Fionn and Seraphina.
Instinct told me I shouldn’t eavesdrop.
