“Liar,” he snarled. “Whodid this to you?”
She shook away the shame. Her fierce fire inside returned. “What? You thought you were the first to find me?Think again. I was discovered long before you showed up, years even.”
A growl rose from his throat. “And they did that? For what purpose?”
“A reminder.”
“A reminder of what?”
“Can we please drop this?”
His face said that he wanted to press forward, but his questioning turned elsewhere.
“What about that?” He lightly traced the long vertical scar curving down her upper arm.
She recoiled, remembering that rushing water all around her. The hungry monster that made her fall.
His scowl deepened. “Having trouble remembering where this came from as well?”
“No. That was from a syren hound. When I tried to... leave, before you came for me in the water, it?—”
“A syren hound? You’re sure?”
“I think so. I’ve never seen one in person before. It looked like pictures I’ve seen. It was scaled like a reptile with the build of a wolf. Only its eyes were... red.”
“Those eyes are a signal of the undead.” His thoughts seemed to be on something he wasn’t saying. “Creatures made from dark magic that survive on flesh and blood. The hound had been turned.”
She tried to tame the fear that rushed through her so she could ask more. He changed the subject again.
“If it wasn’t for reasons of your own selfish desires, then tell me... why did you stay hidden? If youknewwho you were, why stay invisible?” He scanned her skin, like he was looking for more markings.
“I only found out a short time ago. My family knew almost my entire life. My brother and sister—” She paused when he noticeably tensed. “They saw things. Strange occurrences that only got worse as I aged. They finally told me why I was locked away, why I was dangerous.”
Theodon let her answer unfurl, his attention darting down to the outline of that brand from time to time.
“My brother made me swear a thousand times not to tell a soul. To stay hidden until we could come up with a way to fight this together. I broke that promise, and it cost meeverything.” Her eyes sparkled with the threat of tears that did not fall.
“What happened to them, Helaina?”
“I killed them,” she replied without hesitation.
His shoulders sank like he actually might feel sorry for her.
That was the last thing she wanted from anyone. She moved to the edge of the spring.
“So, yes, I hid and I lied. This curse is a poison to all who find out it exists. It brings nothing but death to anyone who gets close to me, anyone I love. You’re right, I do hate everyone who locked me away, but the person I hate the most is myself. I would bet I hate me even more than you do.”
She lifted herself from the water and covered herself with a towel. Teeth chattering, she swiped up her clean clothes and boots, leaving the old ones deserted on the ground along with her dirty bandages as she fled the cavern.
“You don’t know your way back,” he called after her.
“Maybe I’ll find Orm and he can show me the way.”
She could have sworn she heard the water from the spring start to boil behind her.
CHAPTERTHIRTY-TWO
BEFORE
