13. Like an Addiction – Elias #2
A crimson blush lit her cheeks, and she pulled her palm from my hold, turning her back to me as she continued forward.
I didn't move. I watched her walk as she still favored her right leg a little.
Her fingers curled around the strap of her bag, her chin dipped to the center of her chest, and her gaze dragged along the tips of her boots.
"What happens when you save her?" I asked, watching her closely.
She stopped, but she didn't turn to face me. "What do you mean?"
"When you save your sister, what happens after that?" I pressed. Her body seemed frozen in place, as if she’d never let herself think about what would come next. "How long have you dedicated yourself to breaking this curse of hers? When you see it broken, what happens next?"
Her shoulders drooped. When she spoke, her words came softer than the breeze, and I struggled to hear them.
"I... I’m not sure." She turned to me, but her gaze remained fixed on the foliage above, as if she saw her future up in those leafy limbs.
"For as long as I can remember, I've devoted every waking moment to finding a way to break Briar's curse.
It's been my sole purpose, my reason for being, for most of my whole life. "
When her brown gaze found mine, I locked my knees into place.
The sight of her shimmering irises, the vulnerability within, made me want to pull her into my arms. My heart screamed at me to protect this girl.
To keep her safe. But I knew she wouldn't let me, at least not yet.
I shoved my hands into my pockets to keep myself from reaching for her.
"I suppose," she said, blinking back the tears that threatened to fall, "I suppose I just want to be happy.
" A wistful smile played along her rosy lips.
"To see Briar open her eyes, to hear her laughter echoing through our home. I want to know that she’s free from the chains of this curse. I want her to live again too."
Everything she’d given up for her sister was clear in how she reacted to my question. How she’d had to put her dreams aside to care for Briar, and how she’d had to carry this burden alone all these years. Life had been crueler to her than she deserved. She deserved every peace.
"And then, perhaps, we could rebuild what was lost. We could go home. I could continue my work as a healer. I think that’s what I would want... when this curse has been broken," she finished, then she laughed, wiping at her damp eyes.
As she spoke, a soft breeze rustled through the leaves overhead, casting dappled shadows across her face that ignited a desire deep within me that I found hard to quell.
As that light shifted and danced across her delicate features, her long-buried dreams flickered behind her downcast gaze.
Those dreams of a life unburdened by the sorrow of spending all these years trying to rescue her sister.
A life of joy, purpose, and hope. Those big brown eyes I always lost myself within glanced up at me.
"And maybe," she quietly said, "just maybe, I could find real love.
The lasting kind. Not the kind you have to bury after a short amount of time.
" She laughed. "Now, who's dreaming, huh? "
The light dappled her face as the breeze whispered through the trees, crafting a soft melody.
Her confession brought a bittersweet ache to my chest, and I wished she knew how much I longed for that dream to come true for her, how many nights I'd hoped for a future together.
My secrets and her forgotten past made breathing difficult as she looked away.
The pain in her eyes was my fault, a burden from my mother's choices and my own failures.
I could never be the one she loved, not after all that had happened and all that was yet to come.
One final heartbreak. One final pain. Then I would walk away and let her find that promising future without me.
I took her hand in mine, giving it what I hoped felt like a reassuring squeeze, even as my heart stuttered within my chest. We had been so close to a different future once, long ago, but fate had different paths for us.
Still, we both had parts to play in this.
She might not have known her part, but I knew mine.
"Well then," I said, giving her my most charming smile as I held her palm.
I lifted my other hand to cup her cheek, guiding her attention to my face as I released a soft sigh.
"It seems we both have dark shadows in our past and hearts that need to heal. I hope you find your happy ending. If, by chance, you find that you want to give the woefully handsome specimen of a male in front of you a chance, I promise you’ll find yourself more than lucky. "
She rolled her eyes at my antics, but as she pulled her hand from mine and stepped out of my grasp, I saw the hint of a smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
"Is that so?" Rosemary challenged, her delicate brow arching.
She continued walking, and I hurried to follow next to her, holding the thick brush from our way as we chose an easy pace.
"Tell me then: what makes you qualified to be my partner?
Aside from your apparent talent for shameless self-flattery, of course. "
"Are you asking for the specifics of my...
talents? Why, I thought you were a fair maiden.
Very well then. I am a male of many talents.
I can please whatever delicious, naughty thoughts you may have running through your mind.
Rest assured, I will be far dirtier and wickedly pleasurable than you could ever imagine.
In fact, I have this little trick that I do, where I twi—"
"—All right!" she interrupted, stopping so suddenly that a branch she'd been holding snapped back directly into my face. "I think I’ve heard quite enough. Besides, you speak nothing but lies. Everyone knows how hard unseelie males are to impress, and how unimpressive they are in return."
"Believe what you will, princess." I shrugged, trying not to let her words get to me.
Moving past her, speaking over my shoulder.
"But there is no denying the effect my dazzling smile and devilish good looks have on you.
You are far from the first to fall victim to my charms. I've left a trail of swooning maidens and lovelorn lads from here to the unseelie court and back again. "
"Is that meant to be a recommendation?" she asked dryly as she caught up to me once more. "Because, from where I'm standing, it sounds more like a warning for me to stay far, far away from you lest I become another notch in your bedpost."
I clasped my palm against my heart, gasping. "Princess, you wound me! Had I known you were out there somewhere…” I winked and she looked away. “...I would have remained chaste until the day I found you."
I maintained a playful demeanor with her while revealing the truth.
Years of mourning her loss had turned me into the worst version of myself, uncaring and infamous.
But whispers of her survival had shattered my darkness and fueled my search.
Every clue that drew us nearer sparked a blaze of hope within me.
My love had survived, though I might not deserve hers anymore.
And she didn't even remember me.
She didn't respond to my chiding, and as we continued through the woods, a comfortable silence stretched between us.
The only sound our steady steps, leaves and twigs crunching beneath our boots, and the wildlife that stayed far enough from us, but still seemed abundant around us.
Having her march alongside me brought me a level of comfort I hadn't felt in a long time.
Her presence next to me and the scent of her sweet aroma in the air around me melted the tension from my muscles.
As the day waned, shadows stretched, casting a fleeting golden glow over the forest as we pressed onward.
Tonight marked our third night since leaving Rosemary's cottage, and time was slipping away like sand through my fingers.
The full moon was only days away now. I needed to find a secure shelter, but more than that, I needed her love, and I needed it soon.
The air was thick with the scent of wildflowers, and the ground gradually hardened beneath us. Uncertain of how much longer the light would last, I hoped it would be enough for me to lead us to a safe haven for her to rest.
Rosemary moved gracefully beside me, shoulders high and hips swaying.
Her movement was captivating. I resisted the urge to brush bits of leaves from her hair, which had mostly fallen from her loose braid.
Her limp was barely noticeable, thanks to her seelie blood's rapid healing.
Yet, despite the long days of hiking through the woods taking a toll, her determination to complete this quest was clear in the fire behind her eyes.
"So, tell me," I said, breaking the silence as the shadows of the forest deepened until most of the dappled light couldn't reach us. "What drives you to break this curse upon your sister? What type of curse is it?"
Her lips pursed, and her gaze avoided mine as if she were afraid I could read her intentions with just a glance. "It's complicated. You wouldn't understand." She ducked beneath a low-hanging branch, grunting as she straightened. "I just have to save her."
"Ahh. The bonds of sisterly devotion." I nodded sagely, a glimmer of mischief in my eyes. "A noble cause, to be sure. But tell me, princess, have you ever considered that perhaps your sister's fate is not your burden to bear? That maybe, just maybe, you deserve a chance at happiness too?"