Page 180 of Cursed Evermore

“You can see it?”

“I can feel it.” She quirked one perfectly arched brow. “Don't worry, they're not detectable to everyone. My powers are rather rare. In any event, shackles like those tend to suggest you're here against your will.” She added a knowing smile, looking at me as if she was waiting for an answer.

Be careful, Elariya. Watch your words.I needed to deflect without seeming defensive. She was seeing too much and understanding things I hadn't spoken aloud.

“I'm fine.” My voice sounded breathy, like I'd been running. “I mean, I will be.”

“The sorrow in your tears tells me otherwise.”

“Today is just a bad day.”

“A word of advice, Elariya.” She leveled me with a hard stare. “Don't allow anyone to control you, even if you're having an off day. If something worries you, speak up and look out for yourself. No one else will do it for you. Wolfe must need you, or you wouldn't be here, which makes you valuable to him. Whatever he's doing to find that ring won't be easy, and you may very well be here for a long time. So look after yourself, or you'll return to your family a shadow of what you used to be.”

Her warning hit me deep in my gut, leaving my mouth dry and my hands trembling. Cold dread pooled in my belly and ice crawled up my spine as her words sank in.

A shadow of what I used to be.

I already felt like that. My world hadn't been the same since the night Wolfe took me. I'd had to fight to keep going one day at a time. I had no idea how long I was going to be here, so the reminder of my value to Wolfe and to look out for myself was much needed. Though I knew I still had to tread carefully.

“At least talk to Wolfe about what's on your mind and make sure his answers put you at ease.” She drew her hand back into her lap but kept her eyes on me.

“It's hard to speak to him when he's never around.”

“You feel him through the shackles, don't you?”

“Yes, but not always.”

“When do you feel him?”

When I have to stop myself from wanting him, when I'm desperately trying to forget the way he kissed me the night I was supposed to be getting engaged to another man, or the way he promised to ruin me.

Gods, what would she say if I told her any of those things?

“I guess sometimes when I think of what we're trying to achieve.” That was a cleaned-up version of my uncontrollable thoughts.

“Work with that.”

I was about to answer when the soft sound of that haunting melody filled my head, gentle as a lullaby yet thrumming with power that resonated in my bones.

The dragons were singing again.

Their voices wove together in harmonies that seemed to echo from the soul of the realm. It made my heart ache with longing.

Zyrra smiled with realization. “You can hear the dragons again, can’t you?” Wonder filled her voice, and her eyes sparkled with excitement.

“Yes. I can hear them.”

She looked across to the caves that were more visible from here. “He's here. Tending to them.”

“Wolfe is in the caves?”

“He is. Perhaps now is as good a time as any to see him.”

“That may be dangerous. I wouldn't want to get eaten by dragons.”

To my surprise, she laughed. “I've never known a dragon to eat a being who could hear its song. Besides, don't you want to see them? Your heart is aching to get a peek.”

This girl was the sort of friend who could get you in trouble, but I liked her candor and forthrightness.