Page 28 of Cursed Evermore

Fools.They should have known better. They may have lived in the mortal realm for over twenty years, but magical rules hadn’t changed. Moving away had never protected anyone from a tracker wraith. The only thing that could do so was a master releasing the wraith from its task. Which I had.

I didn’t have time to dig deeper into the people around Elariya. And I didn’t care to. All that concerned me was ensuring they wouldn’t be a hindrance.

The carriage stopped, and I lingered between the weathered stone wall and the garden where night-blooming flowers released their heady scent into the cool air.

Elariya and the others got out of the carriage and made their way into the manor.

The gates closed and guards assumed their post to stop threats like me.

A menacing smile curved my lips. They were completely unaware that the threat they sought to repel had already breached their defenses.

“Poor things,” I whispered into the darkness, drifting past them like a ghost in the wind. “It's already too late. I'm here.”

I knew where Elariya’s chambers were, so I made my way there using the shadow of the trees. I waited for her outside on the balcony, surveying my surroundings.

Waiting until she fell asleep was my best option of taking her unnoticed, then I’d use the Obscura to return to the ship and head back to Galaythia.

I’d need to cross the Veil between realms to interrogate her properly. Once I’d done so, I’d know what to do next. Even if that meant heading back to the mortal realm to find the ring.

Through the glass-paned doors, I observed her bedroom. It was a space filled with books and personal treasures that spoke of a life half-lived between two worlds. The lattice of the leaded windows cast fractured patterns across the floor, soft and broken like the remnants of a dream.

I’d only come across a handful of beings like Elariya. Mixed blood wasn’t rare among the magical, but most who wished to live in the human realm had to surrender their magic to do so.

The one thing they all had in common was uncertainty. No one could ever predict what kind of magic a being like her might possess.

Sometimes, they’d take to one form more than the other or they had a perfect blend. But occasionally, the magic could be something no one had seen. And out of control.

Which one would Elariya be?

Her magic being something no one had ever seen, or even out of control, would certainly explain some of the anomalies about her. Though, I should have still been able to detect that power.

She entered moments later, dismissing a maid with gentle words. Alone, her shoulders slumped, and she leaned against the wooden door, the weight of the night pulling her under.

I had no doubt she was thinking of me. Just as I was thinking of her.

With a haggard sigh, she moved to a side door that led to her bathing chamber, disappearing from my view. Moments later, the sound of running water reached my ears despite the barrier between us.

She reemerged sometime later wearing a simple white nightgown that clung to her curves, the thin fabric illuminated by candlelight, revealing the silhouette of her sinful body beneath.

Damn me, at the sight of her, my cock stirred again in my pants and my breath caught in my throat. The longer I watched her, the more I knew my reaction had nothing to do with being celibate for close to a year.

Elariya Graysonwasbeautiful, and the lore of her body taunted me, unravelling the iron-clad control I normally held over my mind. And my cock.

She moved to the door, right to where I waited on the other side, and pressed a hand against the glass. Her fingers splayed over the latticework, a delicate contrast to the cold, unyielding surface. She gazed out at the forest, as if searching for answers hidden among the ancient trees.

For a moment, there was a shift in her eyes and I thought she might spot me again. She didn’t.

I remained perfectly still, the Obscura hiding my presence so completely, not even the world itself knew I was here.

It was strange to be standing so close to her, mindlessly staring into her rich hazel eyes and doing nothing. If only I possessed the mind-reading gifts of dragons and others who could tear through mental walls like paper. I would have given anything to crawl inside her thoughts to see what secrets lived behind her eyes.

She seemed like the kind of human who cared for others, her personality was temperate yet fierce at the same time.

I liked her response to that idiot,James, back at the tavern, although her cousin was more vocal and put him in his place.

Elariya appeared to be so ordinary, like an average young woman, with her family and…love interests. Nothing about her suggested deception or cunning.

But wasn’t that the way of the world? Lies often felt like truth, and truth could easily turn to lies.