Page 11 of A Trial of the Heart

I rushed to her side, pulling back her auburn braided hair. “You all right?” I asked, rubbing her back in concentric circles.

“Yes, I just need some air. Sorry, Z. I love you, but not your taste in food. Especially now with this baby doing flips in my belly.” Idris bent over and covered her mouth as another wave of nausea hit her. She tapped my hand on her shoulder and straightened up with her back pressed against the wall of a shop.

“I’ll be fine, I promise,” she said. “Zola, take Skylar over to the jeweler on the corner. I know you’ve had your eye on that overly flashy sapphire in the window for years.”

I watched Zola give Idris a skeptical glare. “I’m not sure leaving you is the smartest plan at this moment, my friend.”

“This is not my first pregnancy, Z. I know how this works.”

“And this is not my first time watching over you, soIalso know how this works.” There was a silent standoff with glares and raised eyebrows, but eventually, Zola groaned and threw her hands up in defeat. “All right, you twisted my arm enough. I’ll go spend my hard-earned money on something outrageous. Happy?”

“That’s the spirit.” Idris gave Zola a bright, beaming smile of victory as she braced her back against the wall. “Go with her, Skylar. This shade will help. I promise I’ll see you two in a few minutes.”

Not wanting to be in a similar stare-down, I nodded and followed Zola to the jeweler around the corner.

“So why do you only eatrawmeat?” I asked with earnest curiosity.

She gave me a skeptical squint, her dark eyes scanning my expression for hidden answers to the Godsonly knew what. Allusive like the shadows she wielded, that could whisper secrets only she could hear.

“You don’t hesitate like others do,” Zola said quietly. “And it appears that you boldly jump into situations with a curious mind.”

“I’m always eager to learn everything I can.” I smiled at her, trying my best to get a read on what she was thinking. “If I offended you, please let me know I’ve gone too far. Back home, my friend Rhea was always the one to remind me if I was prying too much.” Zola didn’t respond nor change her features. So, I decided to take it as a good sign.

“You didn’t offend me.” Zola sidestepped a group traveling past us to scurry along the side of the bustling street. “This is who I am, and I’m not ashamed or embarrassed by it,” she said with confidence. “Approximately five hundred years ago when I wasalteredby the wilt, my appetite also changed. Consuming raw meat was one of the side effects created by the death magic that marked me.”

My eyes slid to the black swirling marks along Zola’s tanned arms that also danced around the base of her neck. This close to her, I was able to admire the patterns painted across her caramel skin, and if they didn’t carry such painful memories, one might call them beautiful.

“I have a question for you now.”

“Happy to answer any you have. Fire away.” I jumped over the curb and was once again at her shoulder.

“Why did you, Skylar Cathal, volunteer to compete in the trials?” Zola asked as we rounded the corner.

A female with questions of her own. I do admire inquisitive minds.

“I didn’t plan on volunteering. I just knew it was something I had to do,” I said.

Zola nodded, reached for the handle of the glass door, and stepped inside. She was a cunning, calculating creature with a vast world of knowledge ready at her disposal. My animal seemed cautious, but I didn’t have a sinking feeling or a drive to run the other way.

As we entered, the glass windowed door closed behind us with a chiming bell that hung overhead to announce our arrival. The noise from the busy streets faded inside the shop, and I took a moment to revel in the quiet atmosphere. It wasn’t the natural chime or calming sounds I treasured from my forest home, but it would do.

Zola meandered around the glass displays, meticulously admiring the jeweled pieces as I followed. I glanced at the various glimmering gems and trinkets that rivaled the finest crown jewels of the human kings and queens. She stopped at a solo display that held a deep blue sapphire necklace shaped into a teardrop setting with a singular diamond at the top.

“What drove you to make the decision? And before you answer,” Zola added, “I would appreciate honesty, Skylar. Above all things, I strive to find the truth in this life, and I assure you I’m very good at my job.” Her fingers danced along the glass casing, admiring the stunning sapphire beneath. “Otherwise, Daxton wouldn’t employ me, and Castor wouldn’t tolerate me, despite my promise to their mother to look after them.”

That last part threw me for a loop. “Their mother?” Zola nodded, returning her stare to the gem in the display. I inferred that I wasn’t going to get more out of her than the nod.

“Queen Minaeve,” I said, “she first chose my younger cousin, Neera, as the champion. I couldn’t lether go. I knew she didn’t want to leave.” The sheer look of terror in Neera’s eyes that night in the meadow flashed in my mind. I had never seen her so scared or her complexion that pale. My heart had practically leaped out of my chest at the sight of her, my instincts driving me to protect her.

“It’s normal for the chosen shifter not to want this task. So, I ask again, what made you take her place?” Zola asked as she cast her stare toward me. Her bluntness was harsh, but it was also a welcomed breath of fresh air.

I paused for a moment before answering, trying to interpret any hidden meaning behind Zola’s question.

Why did I volunteer?

I realized I never truly answered that question other than the obvious response to save my cousin. I thought back to the night in the meadow and ran through all the events that led to my decision. So much had happened since then that it was difficult to piece all the details together. I traced back to the start of the gathering and remembered that Alistar had sent out a command for all of us to shift. But my animal and I fought against his magic.

“I didn’t follow my alpha’s command.”

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