Page 203 of A Curse On Black Lake

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“Who is this?” he asks.

“Eddy. Now, please, Wyatt, please open the damn door!” I yell, nearly in hysterics.

“Are you okay? Why is there soot on your face?” he asks.

“Why does everyone keep asking me that? Do Ilookokay? Open the damn door and let me see Killian!” I yell.

I don’t care who’s looking or if anyone thinks I’m crazy because I’m on the edge of it, about to prove them all right.

Wyatt opens the door and I step through, Eddy close behind.

“Eliana,” Killian says, face scrunched up. “What were you yelling about? Why are you not okay?” he asks.

I shove my arms through the bars, and he steps closer, hugging me as much as he can.

“Who is this?” he asks me quietly.

“My house is in ashes. Everything is … gone.” My voice breaks, and I take a breath.

“What the hell? How?” Killian asks.

“I don’t know,” I rasp and lean against the bars, bumping my head.

Killian rubs the hurt and cups my cheek. I lean against him as much as I can and mentally curse these bars keeping us apart.

“This is Eddy. He’s an old childhood friend,” I mumble into his two day old shirt.

“And why is he here?” Killian asked.

“He’s in town for a visit. We ran into each other, and then he saw my house burning down.”

“I see,” Killian says.

“Are you okay, baby?” he asks me.

For some reason, the same question doesn’t bother me because he truly cares.

“No,” I mumble into his shirt.

“Did you think of another option?” I ask Killian.

“Within the past twenty minutes? No. Nothing that would be without me beside you,” he says darkly.

“Wonderful,” I grumble.

“Eliana, please go home, get a shower, andrest.You need to rest. We can come back to the drawing board tomorrow,” he says. I can hear the exhaustion and irritation in his voice.

I hear his stomach grumble, and mine rolls. Fat tears fall down my face, and I blubber.

“I didn’t get you food,” I cry.

“Don’t worry about it, I’ll get another PB&J.”

“It’s gone. Everything is gone,” I cry.

“I know it’s going to be okay though. I know it will,” he says, rubbing my back.

“Eliana?” Killian says.

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