Page 25 of The Curse of Eternity
“Right…” I winced when the glass hit the bartop hard, feeling strangely awkward as she rushed off, soon out of sight.
I was such an albatross…Seemed like nobody could have fun or relax with me around.
Taking a deep breath, I leaned against the bar. The person next to me ordered a glass of red wine, just audible over the noise, and I closed my eyes. It was impossible not to think about last night. The whole evening had become my obsession all day long, wondering why Drake had done or said this and that.
Indebted as I felt for his rescuing me, I hesitated to return to the Two Fools Tavern. He’d said he went there most nights, but would it be reasonable to purposefully run into him? Even if it was just to express my gratitude… A heavy sigh passed my lips, and my eyes opened. Several feet away, my friends and familydanced—except Ethan, who occupied the far corner where his attention was focused on a good-looking man.
It was one thing to keep Drake a secret from them because it was the right thing to do. If Drake wasn’t hurting anyone, didn’t want any trouble, then I’d give him that—protection. To keep seeing him would only fracture things further, creating more gaps in my stories. After everything, if my family eventually found out…
I wouldn’t be able to face them, let alone myself.
My brow furrowed when Olivia light-heartedly laughed, watching Caleb attempt the robot. How much longer would it take to prove myself toher? What did it mean that she was still suspicious of my ability to stay sober? Did the rest of my family feel that way, too, and were just better at hiding it? Drake hadn’t pushed the issue when it came up, trusting it when I told him I was fine.
Lost in thought, I jumped when someone bumped my shoulder. At first, I figured it was an accident, so I moved aside. When a warm hand wrapped firmly around my arm, I turned to face the asshole trying to assault me. My left hand fisted, teeth clenched as I stared up at a tall, silvery blond man whose hair fell straight past his shoulders. Pale green eyes bore into mine, and I was about to shove my fist into his nose—
“You are Maria Harker?”
Spine straightening, my hand uncurled to rest on my machete’s handle. “Who wants to know?”
“I come bearing news. Ignatius Drake needs your help.”
Stunned, I glanced over to make sure my family was still out of earshot before I faced the stranger full-on. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“He is in danger, resigned to a fate not yet sealed—”
“Who are you?” My eyes narrowed when exasperation crossed his features.
“Someone who has known him well for much longer than you.”
“If you’re such greatfriends, then why don’tyouhelp him?” I searched his severe face for tells of a lie, but the resentment behind his unflinching gaze seemed legitimate.
“Because Ignatius will notlistento me. He may listen to you.”
“W-Why me? How did you even—” Shock, confusion, and concern racked my brain—cut short when the man opened his palm. His grip on my arm fell slack while I blinked down at the old bottle cap keychain, every nick and scratch identical to mine. I took it with shaking fingers, and the man slid a note across the bartop toward me. A small golden marble lazily teetered at the paper’s edge.
“Here is the address. If you care for him an ounce, for what he has sacrificed for you, then you will take this to him.” He pointed to the orb, his index finger inches from its reflective surface. “Quickly, before it’s too late.”
I glanced down at the paper and sphere. “What is—” By the time I looked up, the stranger was at the other end of the room. As he disappeared behind a door, his hair shifted, revealing the sharp points of his ears.
Breath caught, and my heart pounding, I gathered up the note and golden orb in my palm. My steps toward the exit faltered when the music shifted, and I looked over my shoulder. On the stage stood Addison, selecting the next song for the tipsy, high-riding audience. Between her and the bar, my friends and family were grouped together, laughing, soaking up each other’s joy.
Just how different had I always been from the best people in my life?
They lived without shame, while guilt and humiliation followed my every step. As bad as Andrew’s personal rain cloud he carried with him everywhere. Only one person in recentmemory made me forget to hurt—to be ashamed of who I was, what I’d done…
So I turned my back on them, and walked outside into the night’s breeze. Stars glittered overhead while I ran toward Copper Avenue, my car keys in hand.
− 9 −
This Rabbit Hole
Shit, this was a bad idea.The text I’d sent Caleb weighed heavily on my conscience while I drove south down I-25. Hopefully my message asking him to give my cousins a ride home didn’t send them all into a panic. Unexpectedly leaving in a hurry wasnota good look in the ‘staying sober’ department, but I had to be sure about what the faery man said.
Really, it shouldn’t have been any of my business. By his own admission, Drake was over two centuries old. It was hard to believe, regardless of who he was now, that Drake had been innocent all that time. Surely, when he was first transformed, he’d been as much of a monster as the things I often faced.
Except, as true as that must be, I couldn’t fully judge him for it. Maybe because I was tired of people thinking the worst of me for my past mistakes. I had no idea what kind of a world Drake had lived in during those days. Not a clue about where he came from, who his influences were, or why he decided not to hurt people anymore.
The pang in my chest grew as I turned off the Pan American Freeway, taking Exit 220, per my phone’s directions. Cold sweat beaded the back of my neck, and I flipped on theair conditioning. The chill that caressed my shoulders wasn‘t enough to distract me from feeling like a complete idiot.
