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That answered that question.
“We need to wake up the woman and find out how many of her kind are alive and where they are so we can make sure the curse is truly broken.”
“You really think she’s going to tell us? It would be better if we broke into her dreams.”
“We can’t, you idiots. She has to be willing.”
“Maybe you should try. Pretend to be Eric. It’s obvious from the way those two looked at each other and behaved that they have a connection. No doubt Eric probably visited the little vixen in her dreams. I know I would have.”
What? All the seductive dreams I’d had of Eric now took on a different light—a dark one. Had he little by little been trying to gain my trust until I told him where my book was? The vomit I had been holding back rose up my throat and into my mouth. I had to swallow it back down. The lingering acrid aftertaste made me cringe.
“Don’t remind me of my son’s disloyalty,” Vincent spat, shaking me out my thoughts. “We don’t need the Tellus woman. We’ll know the curse is broken when she dies and the bind that connects me to this ugly wench is broken.”
I heard a smack. “You’ve been no bed of roses, you dirty rotten rakehell.”
“Hit me again, woman, and I’ll kill you myself as soon as this is all over.”
“I would welcome it after the hell you’ve put me through. But if you even think about touching me, I’ll slit your throat.” She maniacally cackled, sending a shiver down my spine.
“You two be done. I tire of your endless bickering. Portia, put away your knife. We will keep our end of the bargain; you get your freedom, and we get your silence.”
“Fine, you bloody bastards.”
“Now shut up. I want my last moments on earth to be spent in peace and quiet.”
The mother sounded like someone I should be frightened of, too, but the most pressing matter was that someone was going to be dying soon and destroying my book. I couldn’t believe my mother had kept me in the dark about how to destroy the books. Was that all she had kept from me? Did she know I was able to heal myself without the use of any plants or elixirs?
“Is the wolfsbane almost ready?” Vincent asked.
Wolfsbane? That was the most poisonous plant on earth and not a pleasant way to go. Not that I was wishing Eric’s great-grandfather a cheery death, but why use something that could take hours to kill you? Not only that, but it could cause extreme gastrointestinal issues before lowering your blood pressure enough to stop your heart.
“It needs to steep for another fifteen minutes or so.”
They were making it into a tea? I’d never heard of such a thing. If only I could get to it before it was done. What was I even thinking? This wasn’t like some movie where I could break free, kick some butt, and save the day. I didn’t even know where I was, and I was in a nightshirt of all things. Eric had told me to fight though. But Eric was a liar. Why had he even bothered to break into my dreams one last time? Tears stung my eyes thinking about his kindness. The way he kissed me. It was all a lie. I squeezed my eyes shut as hard as I could, trying to keep the moisture from leaking out.
I was going to die.
Mom, can you hear me?
Sorrel. You’re alive. Such relief flooded her words.
I’m so sorry.
Don’t apologize, my love. Where are you?
I don’t know. Some old warehouse, I think. I was unconscious. Did you know the Selene family could come into your dreams? I had so many questions.
I did not. So much was lost over time. But it makes sense, given where their gifts are derived. Did they hurt you in your dreams? She hesitated to ask.
If she meant that Eric had given me a taste of everything I’d always wanted only to use it for his own selfish purposes, then yes. No, but they poisoned me with the water in my blood and . . . I was able to heal myself by thinking about it. How is that possible?
Silence.
Mom?
Sorrel, that’s not possible.
I didn’t think so, either. But Eric, the reporter, he’s from the Selene family, and he came to me in my dream and told me I could. I waited for the, ‘I told you so,’ regarding Eric, but it never came.
You must be confused, love.
Mom, I’m not crazy.
You’re scared and not thinking straight. You need to figure out a way to get your book and escape. Then come to me. I have passports and plane tickets for us. We’re changing our names and leaving the country.
Maybe she was right. I was going crazy. Maybe the effects of the water poisoning had just worn off, and I’d had a real dream about Eric, not one manufactured by him.
