Page 77 of Cursed Dreams
Chapter 18
Thalia woke with a gasp, her hand flying to her chest, breath shallow and ragged. A strange cold burning sensation ached there.
The temple was dim now, the braziers burned low to soft embers, casting long shadows across the stone walls. It was empty, hollow and quiet, a reflection of how she felt, as though the stillness around her had simply mirrored the emptiness settling inside her chest.
“No…” she whispered, her voice cracking, hands trembling as they fisted in her lap. She squeezed her eyes shut, as if doing so might draw her back into the dream.
The pain of the separation hit her like a blow. She felt it in her bones, in the hollow ache behind her ribs. He’d been about to tell her how to save him. How she could help. Frustration bubbled it’s way to the surface. “Damn it,” she hissed under her breath, pressing her palms to her eyes.
“What in the gods’ names are you doing in here at this hour?”
Thalia jumped, nearly falling off the bench.
The voice was low, rough, and sharp with accusation, but she knew who it belonged to.
She turned sharply, flushing with surprise and embarrassment as she met his silver-eyed gaze. Vaelith stood in the arched doorway, his frame half-shrouded in the flickering light, arms crossed tightly over his chest. His jaw was clenched, and tension rolled off him in waves.
“I—” she started, then quickly gathered herself, eyes narrowing. “I fell asleep. Visiting the temple. Not that it’s any of your business.”
His stare darkened. “If your going to lie to me, Little healer at least makes it convincing.”
She stood, brushing down the front of her robes and turning her back on him. “Why are you even here?” she snapped. “What do you want?”
“I was enjoying a quiet drink at a tavern,” Vaelith said tightly, “when your very drunk friend Nyla stormed in, pointed at me like some jilted lover, and accused me of ‘breaking Thalia’s spirit and making her all moody and miserable.’”
Thalia gaped. “She what?”
“She shouted it,” he added dryly. “In front of the entire place.”
Thalia’s face burned. Nyla thinks this is about Vaelith? That he’s the reason I’ve been distracted and distant?
A hot wave of mortification rolled over her.
Vaelith threw up a hand in exasperation. “So I came to find you. Because apparently, I’m some kind of heartless bastard who’s shattered your soul. And what do I find?”
He gestured sharply toward the empty temple. “You. Sitting here like some pious priestess taking vows.”
She turned on him, eyes blazing. “I wasn’t, ! You have no idea what I was doing. ”
“Oh, forgive me,” he snapped, voice laced with sarcasm. “You were praying, were you? Seeking divine clarity about which potion to stir next?”
Her fists clenched at her sides. “You’re unbelievable.”
“I’m not stupid, Thalia.” His eyes narrowed. “You’ve been walking around like your heart's been carved out of you. And now you're here, playing acolyte at midnight in the dark, and I’m supposed to believe it’s nothing?”
She stepped forward, her voice sharp. “You don’t get to ask questions. You don’t get to assume. I am none of your concern.”
His eyes flared. “Why the hell do you look at me like I’m the villain in your story?”
“Because you are! Always so cold, so distant, like you're playing a game I never agreed to be part of!”
Vaelith’s jaw tightened. “Cold? That’s what you think?” He shook his head, eyes flashing. “I’ve been right here, offering help, offering answers, but you never wanted them. You just wanted to hate me.”
He stepped closer, his voice low but unyielding. “This isn’t a game, Thalia.”
His eyes locked onto hers, bright with something raw and unguarded. “I wasn’t cold when I touched you. I was burning. Every time you’re near me, it takes everything I have to keepcontrol. You’re not just on my mind. You never leave it. Morning, night, in every breath between.”
His voice broke slightly, not with weakness but with weight. “I’ve been trying, in every way I know how, to be there for you, to protect you, to help you, but you don’t see it. You never see it. You shut me out like I’m the enemy when all I’ve done is want you.”
