Page 179 of Cursed Evermore

I made my way down the path, and despite promising I wouldn't go far, I ended up on the beach. This was the furthest I'd gone on the grounds, but I felt like I could have the privacy I needed to cry here. So I did.

I gazed out at the vibrant blue sea watching me, a stranger in the magical realm, and let the tears flow from my aching heart,one by one. They streamed down my cheeks and dripped onto my pants as I hugged my knees to my chest.

What am I going to do?

The hollow question rang through my mind as I sobbed.

Life was so unfair. It just kept throwing shit at me every time I picked myself up and found strength to keep going. I didn't know how many times I could keep doing it. There had to be a line drawn somewhere. A limit to how much a person could take before they crashed and burned. I was approaching burnout fast.

It felt like fear was the only thing keeping me going. Fear of time catching up with me. Fear of time running out. Today was day thirteen of my reset. In another thirteen days, we'd be mere days away from the next new moon.

“Hello, there,” a gentle voice spoke beside me.

I looked up. It was Zyrra, Wolfe's sister. She looked as flawless as she had yesterday.

Feeling embarrassed, I dried my tears quickly and tried to compose myself. “Hi, I'm sorry. I didn't see you there.”

“No need to apologize.” She studied my tear-streaked face, concern filling hers. “What happened? Why are you crying?”

What could I tell her? There was so much I wasn't allowed to say.

I kept my expression neutral, weighing how much I dared reveal. “I just...” My voice trailed off, and I couldn't think straight, so I decided on some element of the truth. “I miss my family.” That excuse couldn't cause any harm. Everyone missed their families when they were away from home.

Her fashionable dress forgotten, Zyrra lowered herself next to me in the sand and stared back at me with sad eyes.

“I sense you miss them a great deal and you fear it will be a long time before you see them again.” The accuracy of her words made my chest tighten, but I couldn't afford to let her see how deeply she'd struck.

“I'm just worried about being away from them.”

“I know.”

The air of certainty in her tone piqued my interest. “You... know?”

“I'm an empath.” Her lips curled into a small smile. “I read emotions so well people think I can read their minds.”

“Oh, wow. Now that's an impressive gift to have.” And possibly a little scary.

“It's useful sometimes. Maybe like now, since I sense there's a lot more you're worried about.”

I slowed my breathing, forcing myself to remain still. She was reading me too easily, and that was dangerous territory I couldn't enter. The last thing I wanted was to get in trouble with Wolfe because of his sister. So far, I'd stood by my word and not mentioned her. If I said the wrong things, or too much, and she wasn't on speaking terms with him, he'd know she could only find out certain things if I told her.

“My brother got you to help him find the ring, didn't he?”

Certain things like that.

Shit.What should I tell her? She was looking at me as though she already knew the truth.

Her smile waned, becoming cautious but maintaining that lethal confidence I'd seen in Wolfe. “It's okay. Knowing how secretive Wolfe is, I already knew you couldn't tell me much, or anything at all. So you don't have to worry about confirming or denying anything. Wolfe and I aren't talking at the moment, but my heart couldn't be happier that he found a way to get the ring back. Our father would be so proud. Galaythia needs him to be its king. No one deserves that crown more than my brother.”

At least she hadn't figured out yet that my father had killed hers. “Wolfe would make a fine king.”

“Indeed, he would.” She dipped her head with reverence, then riveted her gaze to mine. “Let's get back to you. I take it you're working with my brother unwillingly.”

My lungs became stone, crushing my breath. I stared back at her, thrown off guard by how right she was. “What makes you say that?”

She reached out and touched the shackle on my wrist, making my pulse spike with panic.

“The shackle.”