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I raised my eyes hesitantly to meet his.
My brother shook his head with a bitter, distant look. “How would I live if I lost the only family I have left?”
My pulse spiked. Ayen must have known something because why else would he be avoiding my gaze now when he didn’t have a problem before?
I returned my eyes to meet my brother’s.
“As one of your Elders, I forbid you from leaving your home.”
I stiffened, dread chilling my blood. My throat tightened, my eyes widened, and my mouth opened to scream at him, but my tongue felt like dead weight. When my voice betrayed me, I resorted to shaking my head.
He couldn’t do that. He couldnotdo that! En had already given me a warning!
“You are not to leave this land.” He took a deep breath and stepped away from me, veiling his eyes as he exhaled slowly. “That is my word.”
33
Two days since I last saw En.
Two days since my brother’s word chained me to our dwelling.
In those two days, I’d only had my two companions, Anaria whenever she could, and Ayen whenever he was not occupied with Elder duties. Anaria couldn’t always be there for me because she had her own family and children to care for.
I’d never felt so alone before.
It was lively outside, so lively I could hear the laughter and music all the way from my room high up in the trees. Keia chirped and Vyrin cooed, but I shook my head as I wrapped my arms around my knees, bringing them closer to my chest to rest my head on top of my folded limbs.
“Are you unwell?”
I peeked over my arms to see Ayen standing at the door, a frown on his lips.
I shook my head.
“He needs you there,” he whispered, watching me carefully as he walked closer. He knelt on the ground before my bed, his gaze softening. “He needs you to be present in his new life.”
I pursed my lips and dug my head into my arms, shaking my head again.
He sighed, then I heard him shifting around, probably adjusting himself on the wooden floor so he’d be more comfortable. He could have sat on my bed. I didn’t understand why he insisted on sitting on my floor.
“He did it because he was scared,” he said. I heard fluttering—one of my companions moving around. “You understand that, don’t you?”
“I do not care,” I spoke for the first time in those two days, my voice small and scratchy. It vibrated against my throat uncomfortably.
Ayen sighed again, this time frustrated. “You two are the worst, using me as the peacemaker.”
I was grateful, though, because he was my only confidant.
“He was scared,” he repeated firmly. “You should have seen your neck. It was absolutely terrifying to look at. What was he meant to do—I’m not picking his side but what else could he have done?”
I saw it through my reflection in the water yesterday. They were hideous, the marks En had left on my neck, as though I was strangled close to death. No matter how painful it had been, En had been careful with his grip, but it still looked as though I was meant to be killed.
Naturally, they’d think it was a miracle I survived.
En didn’t aim to kill.
It was a warning. His patience running thin and his unwillingness to be apart from his mate any longer.
“Why did he do it? I thought he cared for you.” His words were slow and bitter as he said them.
