Page 127 of A Drop of Anguish
I can feel his tension and the heat in his gaze, but I still refuse to give him my attention right now, or I might shatter for real, and I need to be strong. Far beneath the surface, covered in stone and surrounded by enemies, I am not safe.
Later. Later, when I’m back in my lumpy cot in Minor Hall where I belong, I’ll allow myself to fall apart.
Right now, there’s new hope I hadn’t expected, and I’m only allowed to focus on that.
“I don’t want to fight you, Liz. But I do need to know how the hell you’re alive.”
51
A Dream Come True and Nightmare All In One
The jinn flips her hair over her shoulder and tilts her head. “Aren’t you happy?”
“Of course I am.” I’m shocked, and sad to lose something amazing, but if given the choice, I’d always choose Liz.
“Where are my friends?” I whisper, for the first time realizing they haven’t made it through the portal with us.
“You don’t seem all that happy,” Liz says, ignoring my question.
“Liz,” I bark, annoyed with her teasing. “This is hard enough as it is.”
“Oh, fine.” She waves her hand. “Things have been interesting on my side of things this past year. I’ve missed you, you know? And your friends were not invited to this part of my game. They’ll be fine though—for now.”
My stomach sinks.
“You’re sure?” I whisper.
“The Council will be scrambling to find you two. They won’t care much about the three left behind.”
I sigh and close my eyes. I have to believe she’s right. It’s not like I can just hop back to the maze. The portal has closed up. “Have you?” I whisper, allowing my mind to refocus on the situation in front of me. “Have you missed me? You’ve let me believe you were dead for almost a year.”
She rolls her eyes, hand on her hip. “You think I didn’t try to contact you? There are reasons I couldn’t, okay? Meanwhile, you went on this bold quest for vengeance. It’s sweet really.”
“So, you couldn’t contact me? You sent me veiled notes but couldn’t share that you were alive?”
She purses her lips. “I had to let you believe I was dead. That was part of the deal. Part of the contract. I’ve only just now figured out a way to lure you in. They’ve kept me on a tight leash.”
“I don’t understand,” Jarron’s voice is low, but I try not to read too deeply into the emotion in his voice.
Liz smiles at him but turns her gaze, blazing with power, to me.
My sister steps forward, and for the first time, I really see her. Her beautiful blue eyes, delicate features, pouty lips, and a scattering of freckles over her nose that she usually used makeup to hide. My sister. My lifelong partner in crime. The one I trusted with everything. Every secret. Every fear. Every hope.
She didn’t do the same for me.
She kept things from me.
My sister, who I constantly defended because she was soft and sweet is now a powerful supernatural, staring at me from supernatural eyes. My stomach sinks. There is so much to unpack here, but I decide there is one thing more important than all of it. Like a switch flipped, I release my fears and confusion, and I throw my arms around the jinn.
I breathe her in. There’s a tingling zing that floats through my body as I do, but behind it is her. Her smell. Her warmth. Her soul.
My sister.
“I missed you,” I whisper into her hair.
She returns the embrace and hugs me so tightly I worry she’ll break something. Her face drops into the crook of my arm, and I feel her begin to tremble. “I missed you too.”
I didn’t know I started crying, but when I pull back, my cheeks are wet. I sniff, and Liz’s smile is bright and sweet and everything I remember. “I can’t believe it’s really you.”
