Chapter 45 Elowen
ELOWEN
I can’t believe he wouldn’t help me.
The thought loops through my mind over and over again as I lie curled on my side in the narrow attic bed, staring at the rough wooden wall only inches from my face.
My eyes burn and my throat aches from trying to hold in my sobs, but it’s no use.
The tears come anyway, slipping silently down my cheeks and soaking into the thin pillow beneath my head.
I try to be quiet…try not to make a sound.
But when he left—when he got up and walked out of the room like I was something dangerous instead of someone he cared about—it felt like something inside me cracked.
It’s not safe if I stay.
His words echo in my head, over and over again.
Not safe. For who? For me? Or for him?
I have no answers—only more and more questions. I press my lips together, trying to stop another sob from escaping, but it breaks free anyway, small and broken in the stillness of the room.
What’s to stop him from going? From just leaving me here and never coming back?
The thought makes me feel sick because the answer is even worse than the question.
There’s nothing to keep him from leaving me—nothing at all. Theron can Shift whenever he wants. He could turn into his Drake, spread those massive wings, and fly away without a backward glance. He doesn’t need me. He never did.
And maybe…maybe he finally realized that. Maybe showing me that part of himself—his Drake’s shaft—upset him in some way. I know things between us haven’t been the same since then—since the quest for the jewel. Maybe he’s realized now that I’m not what he wants—that he’s tired of me.
After all, what am I? Just a half-breed priestess under a lust curse who doesn’t even know where she belongs.
My chest tightens painfully, and I curl in on myself, wrapping my arms around my middle as another wave of heat rolls through me. The curse burns low and steady between my thighs—a constant, aching reminder of everything I can’t have…everything Theron won’t give me.
By the time exhaustion finally drags me under, my face is sticky with tears, and my body is still throbbing with need.