AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I rubbed a hand over my chest as the memory flooded my mind.
A few days before Seth left the island for good, I stopped by his place and heard him and Wes arguing on the other side of the tall garden gate. Wes flat out asked Seth what he was doing with someone like me when he wanted bigger things. As if I wasn’t good enough. Seth was made for a better life and didn’t need a working-class shopgirl dragging him down. Not to mention when Seth asked why Wes was trying to talk him into dumping me, if we were friends, Wes replied that he hadn’t ever considered me a friend.
I thought we were close and had no idea that he found me so utterly unworthy. I should’ve walked away right then. But I didn’t. And what came next absolutely crushed me.
Seth asked Wes if he planned to make a move on me, practically encouraging him to do so, like it would’ve been funny. Not only did Wes act like the idea was ridiculous, but he said, “Hell no. I have no interest in your sloppy seconds.”
Those were his words, from his mouth. He had no reason to lie. Seth had already written me off, and as far as Wes knew, no one was around to hear him. He could’ve just said no without insulting me in the process.
I never told anyone what happened that night. Every time I tried to tell Brooke or Violet what he’d said, I choked. I didn’t know how to talk about things that hurt me. Deep down, I was afraid that maybe they’d think he had a point. Everyone adored Wes, and I was… difficult to love. I knew that about myself. I didn’t need anyone’s confirmation.
Wes didn’t seem at all surprised when I told him I knew everything and wanted nothing to do with him anymore. I slammed the door in his face and that was it. He didn’t even try to deny what he’d done or defend himself. Trusting him, letting myself believe he cared, only ended up making a fool out of me.
I straightened my spine, putting my resolve firmly back in place. “I’d think you’d be thrilled to have an excuse to skip dinner with me.”
“Do you really believe that?” He gripped my elbow to stop me. Lightning snapped from his palm, and he drew his hand back.
The intensity of his gaze almost caused me to falter, but I lifted my chin and held my ground, refusing to answer and fall into another one of his games. He didn’t get to have any part of me anymore. He’d lost that right four years ago.
“Damn, Audrey.” He shook his head. “You have no clue what you do to me.”
We continued to hike in uncomfortable silence. If it wasn’t so important for us to master our magic, I would’ve said we should forget this whole thing.
Yes, I was attracted to Wes. I’d have to be dead not to see how he exuded sex. And because every woman he’d ever slept with thought I needed a detailed report of his skills in the bedroom, I was unwillingly knowledgeable about what kind of lover he’d be. Apparently, an excellent one. Surprise, surprise.
But none of that changed the fact that he’d talked so callously behind my back.
It was rare for me to trust anyone the way I’d trusted him and I’d valued that relationship beyond almost anything except for the one I had with my grandma. A lot of people said I was cold for shutting him out for so long, but they didn’t know the whole story. It was never about punishing him. It was about protecting myself.
When we’d almost reached the center of the island, Wes spoke in a low voice. “Hank Wilder made a special run to the mainland for the mayor late Saturday night. He brought Thora to the island just after midnight.”
“Stop it.” I didn’t want him to go on now. It didn’t make me feel any better.
“You were right. I shouldn’t be keeping information from you for selfish reasons.”
I’d become so accustomed to the cocky front he put up that seeing him open and vulnerable like this made me once again question everything I thought I knew about the last four years. This was the kind of trouble I’d been trying to avoid.
“I’m not going to force you to spend time with me, Audrey. That’s not the way I want to do this with you.”
I stared down at my knotted fingers. “I don’t know how to forgive you. You hurt me.”
It was the first time I’d spoken the simple truth of it out loud.
“I know, baby.” He raised a hand to touch my cheek, thought better of it, and dropped it again. “I’ve been carrying that regret for four years, but I can’t apologize. Because I’m not sorry for what I did, and I’m not sorry that he’s gone.”
Why did this have to be so complicated? It had been four years. Why couldn’t he apologize and why couldn’t I just forgive him? “Where do we go from here?”
“Wherever you want.”
I was so tired of fighting with him. So tired of holding on to my resentment. We needed each other to make our magic work, and if we kept taking two steps back every time we butted heads, we’d never get any closer to controlling it. “Let’s keep moving forward. We’ll see what kind of shape the cave is in. Then we can figure out the rest after that.”
“Works for me.”
A short distance later, we reached the ring of birch trees that marked the center of the island. Twenty feet of brown grass stood between the cave and the tree line. Snow didn’t fall within the circle. Not even ants built their hills in the dirt, and birds changed their trajectory to avoid flying over it. It was completely devoid of life.
Every once in a while, a group of tourists would brave the forest at night to come up here. Usually, amateur witches hoping to hold seances with candles they’d bought from Walmart. A wasted effort, since fires didn’t light within the circle. Some people couldn’t even find it without a guide, as if the curse purposely repelled people. The only source of comfort within the dead zone had been the birthstones that glimmered with a soft, pulsing light.
Or at least, they used to.
