Page 43 of Dark Sold Mate

“Are not your responsibility.” Silas cradled her face, forcing her to look at him. “The traffickers and the buyers are at fault. What happened is on them. Never on you.”

“I saw her.”

“What?”

“The brunette. The one who fought. I saw what happened to her.” She sniffed. “When I touched the wall, I saw it in the warehouse. Like a vision. He pulled her to the back room, and that bear shifter, he…”

Silas stared at her, completely shocked. “You had a vision?”

She gave him a short nod. “I've had them before. Years ago. Just flashes, nothing clear. But this one was different. I saw everything. I felt everything. It was like I was there watching it happen.”

“When did this start?”

“When I was seventeen. On the day I asked you to tell me whether we could be mates, or not.” Elle lowered her voice to a whisper. “I had a vision of a golden thread connecting us. That's how I knew. But when you rejected me, I thought maybe I'd imagined it. Maybe I was just desperate to belong to something, someone.”

Silas's chest ached. That day in the library. When Elle had asked him that, he had laughed in her face and mocked her, calling her pathetic.

She had a vision. She'd seen the mate bond. And he'd destroyed her for it.

“God, I'm so sorry,” he sighed, caressing her cheeks with his fingers. “I am so sorry about how I treated you that day.”

“That doesn't matter right now.” Elle pulled back a bit, causing Silas' hands to drop and wipe her cheeks. “It does not matter that I had a vision at the warehouse because I was unable to do anything about it. I couldn't save her. It already happened.”

Silas pulled Elle back against him, holding her while she cried again. His mind raced, trying to process what she'd told him.

Elle had magic. She was a Seer.

This changed everything.

But seeing Elle, shattered and weeping in his arms, his brothers could wait before they found out.

“It is not your fault,” he muttered, stroking her hair. “None of this is your fault. You are doing everything you can, and that is more than anyone has a right to demand of you.”

Elle cried for a long time. Through all of it, Silas held her in his arms, murmuring and comforting her the best he could. The sobs eventually quieted down to hiccups, gasps, and then silence.

“Thank you,” Elle mumbled against his chest.

“For what?”

For not asking me a million questions about what I told you. For just... being here.”

“I will always be here,” he said softly. “Whenever you need me.”

Elle didn't respond, but she did not pull back either. She stayed curled against him, drained and worn-out. Silas allowed himself to embrace her. He allowed himself to imagine that she willingly chose to rest in his arms.

The moment was interrupted by a knock on the door.

“Silas?” Javi's voice filtered from behind the door. “We need to talk.”

Silas tensed. “Not now.”

“It's important.”

“I said not now.”

The door opened anyway. Javi stood with a serious expression on his face. “I heard what she said. About the vision.”

Silas's eyes flashed amber. “You were listening?”