Page 21 of The Fate of Black Hearts

He put a finger below her chin to raise it and swiped a thumb beneath her eye. His eyes turned dark with glowing copper flecks. “He deserves to be carved apart piece by piece for hurting you and trying to murder that infant. I promise he’ll pay one day.”

“If I fought, I wouldn’t have Roman, Jonas, Ky, and…” She put a hand on her belly. “They’re everything.”

“They were meant to be born even though the cost to you has been too high. Now that they are, you should…” He released a long breath. “What did I tell you in Paris?”

“Your heart is black?”

“Don’t let him cage you. You let him.”

“You have no right to judge me. Why are you here, anyway? I didn’t think you liked me.”

“I’m here, aren’t I?”

That explained nothing. She looked around the lifeless place where they sat. “Take me back. I have to stop Willem before he hurts Roman or takes him somewhere else. And Efrem…”

Dom didn’t move. He cocked his head. “What’s wrong with you? You don’t heal. People don’t seem to see you, which makes no sense. You’re not fighting the prison of that asshole’s abuse. Your voice coercion didn’t work on the humans. That’s a basic lycan ability that should be powerful by your age.” He scanned what he could see of her skin. “Do you have any unusual marks on your body? It might look like a tattoo or a red birthmark, but you wouldn’t have been born with it.”

She shook her head.

“Do you mind if I look at your neck?” He moved in to do so before she replied. “I’ll be damned.” He dropped her hair.

“What’s there? What is it?”

He rocked back on his feet and scrunched up his lips. “Someone put amhison you.”

“What does that mean?”

“It’s demon magic. It’s a curse of sorts. I thought you kept your glamour up all the time to keep people from seeing you on purpose, but this…” He ran a hand through his hair. “I can’t believe I missed this.”

“What is it doing to me?”

“This one must make you unseen to all who meet you. It must also slow your healing, and make you feel helpless.” He dropped his gaze. “This would explain why you lost hope.”

“People still see me. They just don’t seem like they understand or care about me. Can you get rid of it?” She scratched at her neck as if it might rub off.

“Stop.” He grabbed her hand. “You’re hurting yourself.”

“I want it off. Please, get it off.”

He grabbed her hands to still them. “It’s not that simple.”

“Am I invisible to you?”

“No.”

“You said people don’t see me.” She yanked her hand from his to scratch at her neck.

He grabbed her hands in one of his and bracketed her chin to force eye contact. “I. See. You.”

She blinked at him.

“Calm down.”

“Why would someone do this to me?”

“I don’t know. It must act like the glamour you use around humans that keep you from being noticed. To those who didn’t know you before themhiswas cast, you’re forgettable. I saw you before you had this. You are, even with your glamour…” his voice dropped to a hoarse whisper, “anything but forgettable.”

“Who did this to me?”