Page 51 of The Call of Crimson
Elijah.
My eyes search him out before returning to my mother as realization dawns on me. “Mom, there’s someone I’d like you to meet,” I say excitedly.
“Oh? Is it a male?” She lifts a knowing brow at me.
“Yes,” I confirm, my cheeks flaming. “A very special one.”
She grins. “Well, don’t leave me waiting. Go get him, Ophelia!”
I spring to my feet, a smile forming at the thought of introducing my mother to Elijah.
As I reach the door I entered through, Elijah is already standing there. His hair is sleep-tousled, curls falling around his face and brushing his shoulders.
Relaxed, uncaring, messy Elijah is my favorite.
He holds me easily as I throw myself into his arms.
“What are you doing out here, goddess?” he asks, kissing me softly.
“I couldn’t sleep, so I went for a walk. Honestly, I’m not sure how I ended up here, but it felt like something was calling me.” I glance back toward the garden. “Isn’t it beautiful?”
“Yes, it’s gorgeous. Breyla and I played here on occasion, but we were rarely allowed here, especially not unattended. It saddens me to see it in such a state of neglect.”
“How’d you know to find me here? And why are you awake?”
“I couldn’t sleep either, so I went to the kitchens for tea. On my way, I ran into a guard who mentioned seeing you wanderingthe halls. He was concerned because you were in corridors no one uses and was afraid you were sleepwalking and lost. I came to track you down just in case that was the case. I didn’t want a repeat of the river.” His voice turns serious, eyes full of concern. “Speaking of which, I think you should stay in my room from now on. I would sleep a lot better knowing you were safe and not sleepwalking off a cliff or something.”
My chest warms at his concern and the thought of sharing a bed with him.
“No sleepwalking tonight,” I assure him. Grabbing his hand, I tug him toward the center of the secret garden. “I have something I want to show you.”
“What is it?” he asks as we climb through the overgrown flowers and vines that cover the garden floor.
“There’s someone I want you to meet,” I explain as we near the tree. “She’s just on the other side of the tree.”
“Oh? Who is she?”
“My mother,” I say with a smile.
“What do you mean, Ophelia?” Elijah asks, confusion marring his brow.
“You’ll love her, Eli. She’s amazing,” I reassure him, attempting to calm any potential anxiety over meeting my mother.
“I’m sure she was, but O?—”
“Mother,” I call out before he can finish his thought. We round the tree to where I had left her.
“Where’d she go?” I ask when I find the space vacant.
Elijah looks at me, gently puzzled. “Where’dwhogo?”
“My mother, Eli. I told you I wanted you to meet her,” I say, growing frustrated and confused by the second. “She was just here talking to me.”
“Ophelia, look at me,” he commands, taking my face between his palms. He stares me in the eyes as he softly explains, “I don’t know who you were talking to, but it wasn’t your mother.”
My brow furrows as I try to understand his meaning. Something tickles the back of my mind. A feeling of something I should know but have forgotten. “I think I would know my own mother, Elijah,” I say with a slight amount of anger filling my tone.
“Of course you would know your mother, sweetheart, but it couldn’t possibly be her.” He swallows hard, pausing before he continues, “Your mother is dead. She’s been dead for fifteen years.”
