Page 55 of The Bones of the Cursed

The Elves tried to warn me.

I can’t breathe. The corset isn’t that tight, but it still feels as if it pinches my ribs, cinching my lungs. I politely excuse myself and race to my room, trying to curb the panic clawing up my throat. The blackness starts to seep into my vision right as I crash through the door. I collapse to my knees, desperately tugging at the ties of the dress.

A warm body embraces mine, holding me close. I can’t see who it is through the tears clouding my vision, but the scent I recognize.

Kailu holds me even as I claw at his arms.

He doesn’t let me go, even when I scream into the stagnant air of this too-perfect room.

When my body has no energy left to fight or rage, I collapseback into him and weep.

And still, he does not let me go.

22

- KAILU -

THE CALM IN THE CHAOS

Iwander the halls, unsure of where I’m headed. Everyone is upstairs having dinner, but I just can’t be there. Not with Alanis and Malakai. Not while my hands shake and my jaw aches from clenching my teeth so hard. The whiskey in my glass is doing its job so well I hardly know where I’m going until I stumble into a door and peer inside to the healing quarters.

I amble along, looking at all the glass vials while my mind wanders to Alanis. Our attraction was so fast and strong, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t true. I loved her.

Hell, I still do.

I miss her friendship. I just miss her.

I push through yet another door and freeze. Bookshelves line the whole back wall, while vials of unknown herbs and liquids line the side of the room. The mahogany floor is covered with a cream-colored rug. A delicate Fae sits behind a desk in the center of the room scribbling notes onto parchment. Her hair is a deep auburn color that highlights her large hazel eyes.

“Can I help you?” she asks.

I stand there staring a second longer, trying to figure out if I need help.

Nope, just slightly inebriated.

“Sorry, just exploring. I’m going to go now.”

It’s her smirk that makes me think she’s familiar, though I’m not sure how. “You don’t remember me, do you?”

I swallow hard. I definitely do not remember her.

“Laylani,” she says. “We met about a decade ago, in a pub.”

My mind flits through the past years. I didn’t spend much time with females beyond what I needed. After everything with Ayda, I had no desire for anything else. Not until Alanis.

“We went to the inn down the street and you called me the wrong name before throwing up on yourself and passing out.”

My face heats even as my blood runs cold. I remember that day. The day I lost Ayda, I went to the pub, searching for comfort in the bottom of a glass. I remember waking up the following day, alone and smelling of vomit.

“Shit.”

She laughs. “It’s fine. I hope whatever caused you to be that way has eased.” Her gaze flicks to my near-empty glass.

A self-deprecating laugh cracks out of my chest. “Yeah…now just a whole new situation.”

Her gaze softens. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

I toss back the last of my drink before clearing my throat and attempting to sound more sober than I am. “Do you believe everyone has a mate?”

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