Page 419 of Evil Hearts

Her heart pounded, and she clutched her chest as the truth washed over her. Her entire life had been a lie, a cover to protect her from an ancient evil. She was not simply Elara, the girl from the village. She was royalty, bound by blood and duty to a kingdom that had waited in silence for her return.

“Brian,” she whispered, his name slipping from her lips as realization struck. He had known—he must have known. Every time he looked at her with that strange intensity, every time he hesitated to reveal the truth, it had been because he knew who she really was.

And he hadn’t told her.

Elara turned from the tree, her fists clenched, anger and sadness twisting in her chest. She made her way back through the forest, her steps fueled by a new determination. She had to find Brian. He owed her the truth—no more evasions, no more half-answers.

She found him near the edge of the village, his back turned as he scanned the horizon. The moment he sensed her presence, he stiffened, and she saw the slight clench of his jaw, as though he’d known this confrontation was inevitable.

“Brian,” she called out, her voice sharper than she intended.

He turned slowly, his eyes guarded, though a flicker of concern crossed his face when he saw her expression. “Elara,” he began, but she held up a hand to silence him.

“You knew,” she said, her voice barely concealing her hurt. “You knew who I was all along.”

He met her gaze, his eyes filled with regret. “Yes.”

Her heart twisted painfully, and she shook her head. “Why didn’t you tell me? Why did you keep this from me? Let me believe I was… ordinary?”

Brian took a step closer, but she backed away, crossing her arms as if to protect herself from the betrayal that stung sharper than any blade. “I was trying to keep you safe, Elara. If you had known, you would’ve been in danger. You would’ve sought out your past, your kingdom, without knowing the threats that surround you.”

She laughed bitterly, the sound hollow in the stillness. “So, you lied to me? All this time, you’ve been watching over me, guarding me, and you couldn’t even tell me the truth about who I am?”

His face softened, and he reached out as if to comfort her, but she stepped back again, her heart pounding with anger and sadness. “I trusted you, Brian. I thought… I thought you were my friend.”

He looked down, his hand falling back to his side. “It wasn’t easy for me, Elara. Every day I wanted to tell you, to let you know the truth. But I couldn’t. There are forces in this world—ancient, dark forces—that would stop at nothing to keep you from fulfilling your destiny. Revealing your true identity would have put you at risk.”

She closed her eyes, willing herself to stay strong, to keep the tears at bay. “So you made that decision for me? You decided that I didn’t deserve to know the truth about my own life.”

“Because I care about you,” he said softly, his voice filled with an emotion that sent a shiver down her spine.

Her eyes snapped open, and she met his gaze, seeing the vulnerability in his eyes, the regret that lingered there. “You care about me?” she echoed, the words both a comfort and a wound.

He nodded, taking a hesitant step forward. “More than you can imagine, Elara. That’s why I couldn’t tell you. I wanted to protect you. I wanted to keep you safe from the forces that would destroy you if they knew who you really are.”

Her heart ached, the weight of his words sinking in. She could see the conflict in his eyes, the battle between duty and desire that had kept him silent. And in that moment, she understood. He hadn’t just kept her in the dark out of obligation; he had done it because he couldn’t bear the thought of losing her.

But that didn’t make the betrayal any easier to accept.

“You let me wander through my life, oblivious to everything,” she said, her voice shaking. “I trusted you, Brian. I thought you were different.”

“I am different,” he replied, his tone fierce. “I’ve spent every day protecting you, watching over you, because I couldn’t bear the thought of anything happening to you. I didn’t keep the truth from you out of malice. I did it because I…” He hesitated, his voice faltering. “Because I care about you more than my own life and what the queen might do to me.”

The raw honesty in his words struck her, and for a moment, her anger wavered, replaced by something softer, something that tugged at her heart. She looked away, unwilling to let him see the crack in her resolve.

“Then why didn’t you tell me sooner?” she whispered. “Why did you let me go on, feeling lost, feeling like I didn’t belong?”

Brian’s expression softened, and he took another step closer, his hand hovering near her cheek. “Because I was afraid. Afraid that if you knew the truth, you’d leave me. That you’d choose to walk the path of your destiny and I’d be left behind.”

Elara’s heart pounded, and she looked up at him, her anger melting into something more complicated. She could see the pain in his eyes, the fear that he’d carried all this time. And despite everything, she felt the pull between them, the connection that had bound them from the beginning.

“Brian…” she whispered, her voice barely audible. She wanted to reach out to him, to close the distance between them, but the weight of his deception still lingered.

He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, as though summoning the courage to continue. “Elara, you need to know… that I would give anything to keep you safe. But the path you’re on—it’s not an easy one. The forest folk, the dark forces that cling to this world… they won’t let you go easily. If you choose this path, you’re stepping into a world of danger that I may not be able to protect you from.”

She looked at him, her heart torn between anger, sadness, and something she couldn’t quite name. “I have to break the curse on my people, Brian. I can’t turn my back on them now that I know the truth.”

He nodded, the resignation in his eyes clear. “I know. And I won’t stop you. But I need you to understand… that loving you is the most dangerous thing I’ve ever done. And if you choose this path, I can’t promise that I’ll be able to keep you safe.”

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