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After Clara is gone, a guard comes to check on me. Hours later, another comes with a bowl of food and water. I ignore them, focusing on untangling the turmoil my nightmare has caused.
A small voice in the back of my head whispers words that chip away at my reality.
Since I have agreed to become Elizabeth’s consort, an incessant hunger gnaws away at my insides. Never ceasing. And though I am loathed to admit it, this mortal’s blood has been the only thing that has provided a respite from that demand.
Her whispered words with that wolf could have been a clever ruse to make her deceit seem more believable. Yet I can’t help feeling as though she hadn’t intended for me to overhear. The surprise when she realized I was awake seemed genuine.
Her simple lies should be easy to unravel, yet they only make it harder to hold onto what I know is true.
What I wouldn’t give for another vial of that bitter draught to drown me in the darkness of unconsciousness just to escape these thoughts.
I lie down on the uncomfortable mattress and try not to think of truth and lies. Like a true nightmare, she plagues me.
It’s impossible to stop thinking of her and how she bends my power to her will… precisely the way my shadows reached out for her against the side of that barn and again in the cave.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CLARA
Laughter ringsthrough the dining room among the chatter of multiple conversations at once. After Alaric refused to see me again today, I hadn’t felt like being around others. So, when Oliver knocked on my door with an invitation to have lunch with him and a few other pack members, I tried to refuse. But that stubborn wolf wouldn’t take anything other than a yes for an answer.
Not wanting to put a damper on everyone’s mood, I keep myself occupied with the food on my plate. I answer questions in between bites, but otherwise say very little.
A few have thrown warm, furtive smiles in my direction when they noticed my somewhat distant demeanor. I appreciate everyone respecting my feelings, rather than pointing it out or making a scene.
Stop moping,Varin chides.
I stuff another bite of food into my mouth.I’m not moping,
Varin harrumphs, and I chomp down on the tip of my tongue. I pull in a long, calming breath and take a sip of water, choosing to ignore their petty antics.
Do you think it was a mistake to tell him?
The demon hums, considering, before finally answering.It was never going to be easy for your vampire to accept while he is under the influence of the curse. There is no telling what he would have done had he been free this past week. Unpleasant as it is to be locked away, these wolves will not harm him for now. They seem to have good intentions, but I know they are hiding something.
For days now, Alaric has instructed the guards to refuse me when I tried to see him. At first, they simply shrugged and told me to try again later or the next day. Soon, the looks they gave turned pitying. As a consolation, they update me on how he’s doing.
They say after my visit, Alaric became docile. Quiet. He no longer flings sharp comments or argues with any orders. He eats their offered food and drinks the cups of my blood sent to him when their tonic isn’t enough to push down the effects of the curse. Though he hasn’t asked, he must know where it comes from.
Elizabeth’s control is weaker away from Nightwich. He is more himself, though he still doesn’t remember anything. I thought—hoped—it would have broken by now.
Curses do not work that way. Least of all, this particular kind. No one has ever come close to breaking it.
“Clara?” Oliver’s voice cuts through the din of conversation. My head jerks up, and I raise my brows, not wanting to talk with a mouth full of food. “Will you be joining us for the celebration tonight?”
I furrow my brow. “Tonight?”
“Of course she is,” Calla cuts in. “I’ve already had a dress taken to her room.” Then at the baffled expression I continue to give them, she turns on Oliver. “Did you bother to say anything to her?”
“It must have slipped my mind,” he admits, grinning sheepishly, and dodges her attempt to swat his arm.
The two of them bicker playfully while laughing.
Adalynd shakes her head and turns to me. “It’s the night where we call back the moon and welcome new beginnings. There will be food and—” she smirks in Oliver’s direction. “—and a lot of mead.”
For as long as I can remember, night has always been a time to take shelter in the home, safe from the outside world. No one in Littlemire would risk being caught outside after sunset.
Of course, within the bounds of the Keep, it is entirely void of demons. Well, all but one. So even if the wolves couldn’t fight them, there would be no need to fear them.
