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Hopeful dipped his head slightly in acknowledgment and glided toward the door. He paused next to Ellie and gave her an almost fond smile. “Ellie, next time your husband gets the urge to storm off, remind him that this mountain is a dangerous place.” He reached out to gently touch her shoulder, and she flinched. “You don’t want anything happening to him out there.”
With that, Hopeful swept from the room, his departure leaving a vacuum that seemed to suck the very air from the room. It was a moment before Cal remembered how to fill his lungs, his heart pounding a rapid tattoo against his ribs as he looked down at Ellie.
“Oh, God,” she breathed. “Was that a threat? Did he just threaten you?”
“It’s fine. He’s just playing with us. Are you okay?” he murmured, brushing a stray curl from her face. His hand lingered on her cheek—he couldn’t seem to drop it. “He didn’t hurt you?”
“I’m okay.” The slight tremble in her voice and the way she leaned into his touch betrayed her lie. “He just sat there and talked about love and the universe and something about renewal… I don’t even know. I tuned him out. He likes to hear himself talk.”
“I’m so sorry I left.” He couldn’t help himself—he pulled her in for a hug. She was trembling, and a simmering rage replaced his relief. It was not just about the vague threats Hopeful had thrown around. It was the way he had dared to touch Ellie, to invade her personal space, that incensed him.
He fought to keep his anger in check. Now was not the time or place to lose his cool.
After a moment, Ellie stepped back and wrapped her arms around herself. “Where did you go?”
He looked at the closed door and didn’t fully trust that Hopeful wasn’t still standing on the other side, waiting to eavesdrop. He took Ellie by the hand and led her into the small bathroom. It was tight enough that they almost had to stand nose-to-nose. He turned on the shower and hoped the water would provide enough white noise to cover their words.
She stared up at him with a bewildered expression, her eyes looking impossibly huge behind her glasses. His heart clenched. She was so goddamn beautiful.
“I went to see Vigil,” he said, gently lifting her glasses from her face as they began to steam up. She blinked up at him, her eyes a little unfocused but still rife with worry. “Why?”
“I don’t know. I needed air, and that’s where I ended up. I guess I wanted answers.”
“Did you get any?”
“Some, but they only led to more questions.” The shower steam enveloped them, offering a thin veil of privacy as he quickly rehashed his conversation with Vigil, Sincere, and Clarity, except he left out the part about Hope’s supposed death. He had too many doubts about the story and didn’t want to hurt her until he knew for sure.
When he told her about the girl, she exhaled in a rush. “Hope’s daughter… my niece… her name is True?”
“Yes. And according to Sincere, she’s also Hopeful’s daughter.”
“My sister had a child with that... that man?” Disgust dripped from every word.
“It appears so.”
“Does Sincere or Vigil know where they are? Hope and True? They have to be here somewhere, right?”
He winced internally. He should tell her about her sister, but when he opened his mouth, the words wouldn’t form.
“I don’t know,” he said instead. “I don’t believe Vigil was being completely honest with me, and I need more information before I can make any assumptions.”
Ellie sensed his hesitation, her eyes widening in alarm. “Cal... what aren’t you telling me?”
He took a deep breath and tore his gaze away from her, staring at the tiny droplets of water that danced on the shower wall before evaporating into steam. The silence was deafening.
“Oh.” She tried to back away from him, but there wasn’t any space for it. “Oh, God. It’s about Hope, isn’t it? She’s dead.”
“Ellie.” Her caught her before she could fully retreat, his arms wrapping around her trembling figure.
“I don’t know,” he repeated, burying his face in her curls. “The story Vigil and Sincere told is... conflicting. I can’t say for certain what happened.”
Her breath hitched. “But you believe she’s dead. That’s why you didn’t want to tell me.”
“I don’t know what to believe. There are a lot of inconsistencies, and I don’t trust what I’ve been told. Not yet.” He hooked a finger under her chin and lifted until her gaze met his again. The steam had caused her springy curls to go limp, and her eyes and nose were red from her tears, but she was still the most breathtaking woman he’d ever known.
Unable to resist, he pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. “I don’t have the answers right now, but I promise you, I’m going to do everything in my power to find out the truth. And if Hope is alive, I will bring her home to you.”
She relaxed against him and wrapped her arms around his waist. There was so much trust in the gesture that his heart damn near cracked open. Ellie was too sweet for this world. She wasn’t made for lies and manipulations. She belonged off this mountain. She belonged with her dog and her friends, and it took every fiber of control in his body not to scoop her up and run away from this place with her.
