Page 114 of Hunted By Fear

“If you really love her, let her go. You don’t hold people against their will. That’s obsession, not love. You have to choose her and be okay with the fact that she might not ever choose you back.” The words fall from my mouth like vomit, and I want to stop, but I can’t.

He doesn’t deserve my help, doesn’t deserve a chance with her… But what if he’s telling the truth?

What if she could be free of him?

His head snaps up, eyes wide with the same disbelief that I feel. Clearly, he didn’t expect an answer from me either.

“Thank you, brother.” He throws himself at my feet, and I hate that I can hear the gratitude in his voice, but even more, I hate the way he calls me brother. There’s no snark in the title I’d long since tossed aside. It’s as if we’ve stepped back in time, brothers in every way that matters.

“Don’t thank me,” I spit, stepping away from him as if he’s infected. “I hope she hates you until the day her heart stops, and then I hope she gains her wings and still rejects you so you have to live the rest of your very long life alone and miserable. With her so close but just out of reach.”

He looks up at me like a child who was just scolded, but there’s still no anger in his features, the way I expected.

“There’s nothing you can do that would ever be enough for her to forgive you for the pain you cause her.”

His lips pull down in a frown, and he shakes his head now.

“You’re wrong. I’ll find a way. You’ll see, but more importantly, so will she.” His eyes fall closed, and I feel his power press against mine. We fight, neither gaining nor losing, for a few minutes before he has a sudden surge and shoves me out completely.

I wake on the chair, sweaty and out of breath, gasping for air as I turn my attention to Aeri, who still lies on the bed, seemingly asleep.

How the hell had he done that?

That wasn’t his power, but I can’t place whose it was.

Who is that strong and would be willing to help him?

I watch Aeri, my eyes fixed on her face, looking for any sign of pain, ready to wake her if needed, but it never comes. If anything, she seems to breathe a sigh of relief and relax further into the bed.

Did he just…

When I wake, I’m snuggled deep between Bast and Talian, and I can feel Ruin by my feet. I’m not sure what woke me, if I’m being honest. I’m content, warm, and despite everything, I feel safe, but something tickles the back of my mind, chasing sleep away.

Minutes turn to hours, and still I lie here. The others are fast asleep, and usually that’s all it takes–their calm breathing, heartbeats, and presence are enough to chase away any aversion I have to sleeping and fears of dreaming.

But that’s not what keeps me awake tonight.

I untangle myself from Bast and Talian and almost wake them up when I crawl out of the bed and find them cuddled together in my absence.

My feet move as if pulled by some force I can’t see until I’m down in the dining hall and then in the kitchen.

A snack, yes, a perfect idea.

I find some fresh fruit on the counter and eat a few grapes and then a banana, but still that nagging feeling remains.

It’s like the feeling you get when you leave home and worry you left the stove on or didn’t lock the door.

I wander, moving down halls I’ve become familiar with over the last few weeks, a smile pulling at my lips as I realize the castle now feels familiar, like home.

I move until I pass a window and have to blink past the blinding light that streams in.

Wait, what?

I rub my eyes and focus, looking up into the usually dark sky to find a moon. It’s nothing like I’m used to, red and huge, but I think it’s even more beautiful.

I can’t look away, and suddenly I feel like I need to see it in person.

It’s silly, looking for a way out when I failed so miserably to leave not that damn long ago, but something tells me it’s different now.