Page 21 of Unmasked Prophecy

“So are we.”

I nod.

Only then does he soften—barely. His chin rests on the top of my head, his breath hot against my hair. I want to stay here forever, where it feels safe, even if that safety is more in my imagination than it is anything else.

“Breathe for me, yeah,” he growls, his voice low. “We got this.”

But even as he says it, I can’t shake the feeling crawling down my spine.

He’s right, this is war.

I’m just afraid it’s a war we won’t win.

4

Aloud cheer goes up as Kael hoists a bottle of whiskey into the air, the amber liquid sloshing dangerously near the top. He pours a generous amount into a row of plastic cups, sliding one across the table to me. I hesitate, fingers hovering over the rim, but Mera nudges me with her elbow. She offers me a grin, wild and carefree, and I wish for a moment I could be more like her.

Hell, maybe I can. She has been through hell and come out the other side, maybe I can, too.

"Go on, you’ll like it," she urges with a grin, already taking a swig of her own drink. "It burns like a bitch, but it’s sooo good."

I look down at the glass, feeling my cheeks flush as the weight of unfamiliarity presses down on me. Alcohol was strictly forbidden in my world, a line I had never crossed. Hell, I don’t even recall a time anyone drank within those walls—not even wine. Which is surprising, really, considering that it's meant to be part of it all. Right?

Maybe I just never paid attention.

Now, though, I am being given a chance to do whatever I like.

Do I dare?

I glance nervously, torn between the temptation of rebellion and the comfort of my familiar boundaries. Something inside me teeters on the edge, a part of me desperate to let it all go, while the other clings to the safety of what I've always known.

I’m tired of living life by everyone else’s rules. But is it worth breaking them for this? Who said I can’t try somethingnew, something a little dangerous? Yet, the fear of the unknown lingers, holding me back even as I reach for the glass.

Fuck them.

I’m done living for rules that aren’t even mine.

I carefully lift the cup, feeling the cool plastic against my fingers, and bring it slowly to my lips. The first taste catches me off guard, causing a sudden cough that disrupts the silence. Laughter bursts from the group around me. My cheeks flush with embarrassment, but I muster the courage to try again.

Surely it gets better, right?

That has to be why everyone loves it so much.

The liquid burns as it travels down my throat, leaving a trail of heat, but there's an unexpected comfort in its warmth. The flavor is unlike anything I've ever experienced, a complex blend of something a little bitter, warm and intense.

---