Page 175 of A Curse On Black Lake
She nods. “I don’t really understand what stalking and terrorizing someone has to do with the curse, but fair enough.”
“Logically, there isn’t, but we’re not working with logic.”
“I want this to be over,” she sighs.
I pull her into my chest, uncaring if either of us is hot and sweaty. “I do too,” I mumble.
She looks up at me, and I take my hat off, leaning in to kiss her, to reassure her, and maybe even myself.
Chapter fifty-three
Eliana
Thisfeelslikemourning.I feel like I’ve experienced more devastating death, and yet no one has died. Maybe my heart did. I’m lamenting the pain of loving someone and not being able to express it with those exact words.
Sure, love is more than simply saying it. It’s a look across the room. It’s searching for him next to you in bed. It’s making food to fill stomachs. It’s the intimacy of a place where time no longer exists and souls intertwine, becoming one. It’s our bodies connecting, leaving nothing between us. It’s more than sex, and it’s more than a thank you. It’s a brief touch when he walks past you. It’s wiping tears and making promises in the night. It’s being willing to sacrifice yourself regardless of the cost. And I am willing to do it despite all we have lost.
Killian hums to the radio playingNeon Moonby Brooks & Dunn, and I stare at him in shock. Not once since I’ve been in this truck has he ever had the radio on. Granted, there isn’t a lot we get from the radio, but it is Texas. So we definitely get a country station. But what makes this even more shocking isthe fact Killian ishummingalong to the song. I don’t think I’ve heard himhumanything.
“Are you okay over there? You look like you ate a rotten peach,” he says.
My mouth splits into a smile, and I push my hair back. “You’re humming.”
“Am I?” he says.
“Yeah, are you happy?” I ask him. It’s evident based on the soft smile on his lips, but I want to hear him say it. I think I need to hear him say it. At least I’ll leave him happy in the moment.
Or maybe that’s what you’re telling yourself.
Please shut up. I tell the Spirits.
We are not trying to stop you because it has to be done. But he deserves to know. He has given you all of himself, and it is only fair that you give him all of you.
“Yeah, I think so, little witch,” he says and reaches across, grabbing my hand to hold while he drives with the other.
“Good,” I rasp over the gravel in my throat, hoping he doesn’t ask me.
He kisses my knuckles and keeps his eyes on the road. The song ends, and another classic comes on.
I can’t give him everything because it will make it harder on him,I tell the Spirits.
That is not for you to decide. How would you feel if he did this to you?I hate that they’re asking a good question.
A Radcliffe has to be in love to break the curse, and Killian is in love with me. It is the answer to end the century of misery, even if it sucks, even if I don’t want to leave him. Yes, they have a point, but in my mind it’s easier to move on from someone if they never said I love you. Right?
You are fooling yourself, and you know it. Love is more than words.
I ignore them and look out the window. Everything is green and lush, but as always, there is a tinge of grey to the sky. There’s an edge of darkness and misery no matter where you go in this town. Most of us don’t notice the decayed state of Black Lake anymore. This town is a representation of all that is dark, evil, and dead. My sacrifice could change that. Then maybe the people of this town can move on. At least that’s my hope. But as always, not everything is as it appears to be.
The curse on this town may not be the only thing holding it captive.
Killian turns onto my street, and I brace myself to see the police caution tape and someone there to tell me I can’t go into my own home.
He comes up the driveway and puts the truck in park. Nothing is there. No one is standing guard. It’s as if a dead body was never found in my backyard.
“Looks like the coast is clear. Ready?” Killian asks me.
“As I’ll ever be,” I mutter and hop out.
