Page 33 of Crown of Envy

I inhaled, trying to steady myself. The dream images flashed through my mind, vivid and terrifying. My free hand clutched the bedsheets. “She said her envy demons were already at work, and the amulet would soon be hers.”

As I spoke, I could almost hear Maci’s bone-chilling voice again. I shuddered, and Justice’s hand tightened around mine in response.

“Do you think that’s true?” I asked, my voice small and uncertain.

The silence that followed was deafening. Damon shifted uncomfortably in his chair, the wood creaking under his weight. Lisa’s brow furrowed, and Justice’s jaw clenched.

Anxiety coiled in my stomach like a cold, heavy snake. The possibility that Maci might already be steps ahead of us, that her demons could be closing in even now, sent a fresh wave of fear through me.

I swallowed hard, trying to push down the rising panic. But the dream lingered at the edges of my mind, a dark shadow threatening to engulf us all.

“Sounds like Brody was on the money,” Damon remarked. He leaned forward in his chair, elbows resting on his knees, his face a mask of grim determination.

A knot formed in my stomach. “What do you mean by that?” I asked as a suspicion took root. “You don’t mean Zara?”

“Yeah, I do.” Damon’s eyes, usually bright with mischief, were now hard and cold. “She’s obsessed with the amulet.”

Lisa’s head snapped up. She glared at Damon, her body tensing as if ready to spring. “She wants to save her sister,” she rejoined, her voice rising with emotion. “What would you do if Sawyer had been turned to stone?”

Damon’s gaze flickered to me, a flash of fear crossing his face before he masked it. “Anything,” he replied. The single word hung in the air, heavy with implication.

Lisa crossed her arms tightly. “See? So would Zara.”

“That’s the problem,” Damon shot back. He stood abruptly, his chair scraping loudly against the floor. The sudden movement made me flinch. “You can trust her as much as you can a rattlesnake.”

“Easy for you to say, Damon,” Lisa retorted. She gestured toward me, her movements quick and agitated. “Your sister’s mate benefited from the stone. Zara’s sister has been like that for years.”

My cheeks flared with heat, a warm flush spreading across my face and down my neck. I felt Justice’s intense, curious gaze, making my skin tingle.

Justice hadn’t claimed me, and the sudden reminder of our undefined relationship sent a jolt of nervous energy through my body. I squirmed under the covers, my fingers twisting in the sheets as unbidden thoughts flooded my mind.

What would it be like to feel Justice’s skin against mine? The idea shivered through me, a mix of anticipation and anxiety. I bit my lip, trying to push away the images that threatened to overwhelm me.

I risked a glance at Justice, only to find his red eyes fixed on me, dark with an emotion I couldn’t quite decipher. The air between us crackled with unspoken tension.

Damon cleared his throat loudly, snapping me back to the present situation. I blinked, trying to focus on the argument and not on the confusing swirl of emotions Justice’s presence evoked.

The room felt suddenly too warm, too small, as if the walls were closing in. I drew a deep breath, attempting to calm my racing heart and cool my flushed skin. But Lisa’s words echoed in my mind, a reminder of the complicated web of relationships and loyalties we were all tangled in.

Damon and Lisa said something else to each other that I couldn’t decipher. The tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife.

Justice’s hand tightened again, but even his touch couldn’t calm the storm of emotions swirling inside me. Fear, doubt, and a creeping sense of betrayal battled for dominance.

I looked from Damon to Lisa, their faces set in stubborn lines. The divide between them was clear, and I felt caught in the middle, torn between understanding Zara’s desperation and fearing what it might drive her to do. I closed my eyes briefly, trying to steady my breathing. When I opened them again, I saw concern etched on Justice’s face.

We were fracturing from within when we needed to be united the most. And somewhere out there, Maci and her demons were waiting, ready to exploit any weakness we showed.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Frustration and fear wrapped around me like a constricting snake, tightening with each heated word exchanged between Lisa and Damon. My chest felt compressed. I looked between them, noting the anger flashing in Damon’s eyes and the stubborn set of Lisa’s jaw.

“This is what Maci wants,” I blurted. The words seemed to hang in the air. “You need to stop.”

Damon’s eyebrow cocked upward in surprise and skepticism. He crossed his arms. “Meaning what?” he challenged.

I inhaled deeply, wincing at the effort it took. As I struggled to sit up straighter, Justice’s hand steadied me, his touch both comforting and grounding.

“Her envy demons.” My words came faster as the pieces fell into place in my mind. “Don’t you get it? They were designed to split us up.” I gestured toward the door, toward where I assumed Zara was. “Look what they’re doing to Zara. The envy demons or even Maci may have been lurking in the Grove of Whispers, and we didn’t even know it.”

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