Page 51 of Tangled Fates

Anger funneled through me. Gray was staring off into the distance.

“No,” I immediately said, grabbing his hand. “When Tay and I were together, it’s because I wanted it. I didn’t want anyone to have that power over me.”

He looked back at me and then our hands, the tension bleeding from his shoulders, along with anger.

“Have you ever tried to escape?”

“No,” I whispered.

“Do you want to leave?”

I sat up in my bed, sitting in front of him like I did with Soren.

“I don’t know, nothing makes sense now,” I said looking at my hands. “I just know living like this is getting harder as the years go by and… I don’t know how much longer I can do this.”

“Would you be ok with coming with us? Would you feel safe?” he asked, tilting my chin to look at him. “I can’t bear the thought of leaving you.”

My heart beat rapidly as I thought of them leaving or worse, Mother finding out about them.

In my heart it was an easy choice, but in my head, betraying Mother and all her hard work to keep me hidden made me doubt myself.

“I don’t like the thought of you leaving,” I said, keeping the anxiety out of my voice.

“Well, I guess we won’t have to worry about Soren being team Ria,” Gray said, trying to make light of this situation.

My heart sank.

“That’s not my real name,” I said feeling clammy.

“What is your real name?” he asked cautiously.

This was going to change everything. I didn’t know if I was ready for that.

“My name is Oria,” I said, closing my eyes, waiting for things to change.

“Oh, ok,” he said, as I opened my eyes. “Oooooh.”

His eyes widened when it finally clicked.

“That’s why you are here and can’t leave,” he said, pulling me in for a hug. “Everyone had heard rumors that Oria came from a girl, but it never made sense to me.”

“There’s rumors about me?” I asked, feeling a little weird about that.

“People have been looking for the source of Oria for over a century and no one has found you,” he said, pulling away his expression.

“Are Laima and Tay the people who put you here?”

Hearing Mother’s name always sounded weird.

“Yes, Laima is my mother.” I cleared my throat from the emotions surfacing.

“So, she keeps you here trapped while she benefits from you making the most expensive magical item,” he sneered. “I’m assuming the second bedroom is hers but how often does she leave you here?”

“I… I…” I didn’t know what to say to his accusations that she had me trapped here and was using me.

“Where is she now?” Gray’s expression hardened.

“I… I don’t know,” I said, thinking of anything that could give me a clue.

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