Page 32 of Chains of Nightshade

"This is the right choice," I mutter to myself, but the words ring hollow in the night air. My fingers dig into the bark of a nearby tree, splintering it. "She'll be safer without me."

Vera shifts in her sleep, and a strand of hair falls across her face. My hand twitches with the urge to brush it away. Instead, I grip the tree harder, feeling it crack beneath my strength.

"Weak," I snarl at myself. "You're getting soft over a human."

But the memory of her warmth against my scales, the way she trusted me completely, makes my chest constrict. The forest seems to close in around me, the branches reaching like accusing fingers.

Will I regret this? The thought slithers through my mind, unwanted and persistent. I've lived centuries, made countless decisions, but none have felt this... heavy.

My body moves forward even as my thoughts war within me. Each scale that slides across the forest floor takes me further from her, from this weakness, from these feelings I never asked for.

The darkness swallows me whole, and I welcome its familiar embrace.

15

VERA

The morning chill seeps into my bones, rousing me from my fitful sleep. Something feels wrong. The silence is too thick, too heavy. My eyes flutter open, adjusting to the dim light filtering through the cave entrance.

"Aurel?" My voice sounds small, fragile.

No answer.

The embers in our fire pit have long since died, leaving only gray ash and blackened logs. I push myself up, wincing at the soreness in my muscles—remnants of our night together.

"Are you there?" I call out again, my heart beginning to race.

The forest outside remains silent. No birds sing their morning songs. No leaves rustle in the breeze. It's as if the world itself is holding its breath.

I stumble to my feet, wrapping my thin blanket around my shoulders. My bare feet scrape against the cold stone as I make my way to the cave entrance. The rising sun casts long shadows through the trees, but there's no sign of his massive form anywhere.

"Please," I whisper, though I'm not sure what I'm pleading for. My chest tightens as realization dawns. The cave feels emptier, colder. His few possessions are gone.

I sink to my knees, the blanket pooling around me. The morning sun continues to rise overhead, indifferent to my pain, to my foolishness. I was nothing but a tool after all. Just like the dark elves always said—worthless, disposable.

A single tear rolls down my cheek. "You said it meant nothing," I whisper to the empty forest. "I should have believed you."

I stumble through the dense forest, my bare feet catching on roots and stones. Each step sends jolts of pain through my body, but it's nothing compared to the ache in my chest.

"You're a burden." His words echo in my mind, each syllable cutting deeper than any knife. The morning dew soaks through my thin dress, but I barely notice the chill.

A branch snaps beneath my foot, and I stumble, catching myself against a tree trunk. The rough bark scrapes my palms, drawing blood. "Is this what I deserve?" I whisper to myself, watching the red droplets fall to the forest floor. "To be used and discarded?"

The forest seems to mock me with its silence. Even the wind has abandoned me, leaving the leaves still and heavy above my head. Everything feels different now – darker, colder, more hostile. Just like before, in the mansion. Just like always.

"I should have known better." My voice cracks. "The dark elves were right. I am worthless."

I press my forehead against the tree trunk, letting the tears fall freely now. The memory of his touch, his kiss, burns through me like poison. How could I have been so foolish? To think that someone like him could ever truly care for someone like me?

"I should have left you behind," his voice echoes again, and I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to block out the memory of his cold, distant stare.

My legs give out, and I slide down to the forest floor. The same forest that witnessed our intimacy now watches my breakdown with indifference. Last night, I thought I had finally found something real, something worth fighting for. Now, I'm alone again, more broken than ever.

I have to keep running, but where? I'll be running for the rest of my life.

Branches whip across my face as I run blindly through the forest. My feet catch on roots and stones, sending jolts of pain up my legs, but I can't stop. Won't stop. The morning dew soaks through my thin dress, chilling me to the bone.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid," I mutter between gasping breaths. My chest burns with each intake of air, but the physical pain is nothing compared to the hollow ache inside.

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