Page 81 of The Stone Curse
He’s on the phone, and it’s none of my business. I’m about to limp away when I hear something that stalls my step.
“Without the elites, they can’t do a thing…”
I limp onto the balcony and tune in.
“No, I did my part, and it cost me…Yes, my daughter…I know it will be worth it…Once they’re all dead…That’s right…I know…It’ll be over soon…”
My blood freezes in my veins as I piece together what he’s saying. The implications…No. It can’t be. Not my father. There must be some mistake.
I grab my gown and head downstairs.
I findmy father standing by the hearth, whiskey in hand. His aura is muddy, an aura of conflict, but it brightens when I enter the room, warm and loving, and my heart hurts because I don’t want what I suspect to be true.
“Selas, sweetheart, you shouldn’t be exerting yourself so soon. The medic said to take turns about your room for the next few days.”
“I was taking a turn, and I ended up on the balcony.”
He stills, his aura shifting to muddy once more. “Oh?”
“I heard you on the phone.”
“What did you hear?” His tone is relaxed, but his aura darkens.
“You were talking about the elites, about them dying.”
“Sweetheart, I was talking about the elite exam. It’s happening as we speak.”
“You said, ‘Once they’re all dead.’ Why would you say that? What’s happening? Tell me!” There’s a part of me that warns menot to push. Warns me to shut up and back off. Warns me to be afraid, but this is my father. He’s never given me reason to fear him. He loves me. He would never hurt me.
His aura confirms it now, brightening to tell me that all he wants to do is protect. “This is my fault,” he says finally. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart.”
A shadow rushes me from my left, and pain explodes in my head.
The world goes dark.
CHAPTER 37
CAMERON
My two doppelgangers approached, and I resisted the urge to step back. One was taller than the other. Athletically built, her body was honed for a brawl, but the other was softer, her body more suited to an omega or a human, but they were still both me.
Suddenly I knew what this was. “I’m in a mind walk, aren’t I?”
“In a manner of speaking,” the tougher version of me said. “We’re here to help guide you.”
Her companion nodded. “Yes, if you’ll let us.”
“I have a choice?”
The one with the bun—version one—rolled her eyes. “There are always choices. That’s how life works.”
“Will you let us walk with you?” version two said.
I mean, what did I have to lose? “Sure.”
She took my hand, and it was the strangest sensation, like holding my own hand, or something, but then she was guidingme forward while version one strode ahead, out of the silvery gloom and deeper into the darkness.
Soft amber light bloomed around us, and a path materialized underfoot. Images rolled past me, memories from my childhood—baking with my mother, being pushed on a swing, nighttime hugs and being read stories. Longing filled me with each. If only I could stay there, safe and protected, but the memories turned to gray skies above the cemetery where my mother was laid to rest.
