Page 10 of Shattered Illusion

“Cor meum,I would never hurt you. Not in a million years. She’s been told repeatedly that nothing will happen between us. Ever. Like I said, she’s my business partner’s daughter, and I have no interest in her whatsoever. She keeps crossing the line.” He brushes his thumb across my cheek, wiping away a wetness of tears I didn’t even know was there. Luckily, he doesn’t comment on them. “Come, let’s go speak in my office.”

My eyes dart back to the crumpled elevator doors, but the receptionist is nowhere in sight. Good riddance to bad rubbish. But I still don’t follow Axel. My limbs refuse to move, refuse to do anything, really. My knees are weak, and seconds from going out beneath me.

Axel swoops me up in his arms and carries me toward those double doors looming behind the desk. My body melts into his cool embrace, but my mind keeps playing what just happened over and over again like a bad movie reel.

He holds me tenderly, like I’m something precious to him, as he passes into his cozy office and sets me on a plush black couch. I sink into the cushions, welcoming me like a lost friend and giving me a sense of safety I know I shouldn’t be feeling in his company. But there’s something about this man—this vampire—that makes me feel safe.

Instead of sitting next to me and continuing to hold me, Axel steps back and heads over to his desk. His lips are moving as he starts to pace like a caged animal behind the large black desk in the middle of the room.

I clear my throat, and he snaps his head toward me, his blood-red stare doing weird things to my insides. My stomach swoops, and my heart beats double time, belaying how he makes me feel.

Axel seems to make a decision and leans down, rifling through a drawer by the sounds of it before producing a manilla file folder. Something looks to be written on the front, but from my vantage point, I can’t make out the words. He taps it against his hand a few times before erasing the distance between us and sitting beside me. The cushions break under his weight, and I slowly lean toward him, scared but eager to hear what he has to say.

He turns toward me and places the folder on his lap before gathering my hands in his and squeezing them softly. “We don’t have to go over everything today,cor meum.I know it will be a lot, and I know you’re tired, so when it’s all become too much, you tell me, and we’ll wait until another day to go over it. Okay?”

“Okay,” I murmur quietly, biting my bottom lip.

I won’t lie. Not even to myself. I’m scared shitless as to what that folder contains. It could be anything, or it could be nothing at all. But I know I’m not that lucky. I wouldn’t be here if I was. Whatever information contained in that folder is going to change my life. I just know it.

He takes a deep breath before he blurts, “You’re the last curiomancer in existence.”

What?

You’rethe last curiomancer in existence.

The last whosawhatsit? It’s definitely not a word or a type of supe I’ve heard about before.

I almost want to ask if he’s speaking English, but he continues before I can make an ass out of myself.

“From all the records we’ve been able to obtain, the last known curiomancer was murdered twenty years ago, and if there is another like you out there, whoever has been holding them against their will has made sure to keep them hidden.”

My eyes widen, and before I can ask, he answers the question without me having to voice it.

“I’m sorry to say,cor meum, your parents were a part of the massacre.” His voice is soft as he utters the words that destroy any hope I have of knowing my real parents.

Tears race down my cheeks for what could have been, what I’ll never have a chance to know. Yeah, they gave me up, but no one wants to hear that their parents are gone without being given the opportunity to meet them.

Axel tosses the folder on the empty cushion next to him and pulls me into his lap, rocking me in his arms and murmuring sweet, reassuring words that I can’t comprehend with the turmoil swirling inside of me. He holds me until the tears once again dry up, and instead of pushing me off his lap, he gathers me closer as if he knows I’ll break again.

And if he continues giving me news like he just did, I will.

“Why?” I croak. It’s the only question Ineedto know. Why were they killed? What did they do so wrong to warrant it? Were they bad people?

“Curiomancers are powerful. The most powerful supernatural in the world. A shifter can shift into an animal, and that’s it. A vampire is a vampire, nothing more. A mage can wield magic, but they’re limited to what they can do. Curiomancers, though, can shift into animals, perform magic, and utilize the speed of a vampire and the strength of a giant. The magic you hold is limitless.” He pauses, pressing a kiss to the crown of my head. “They were seen as dangerous, so many decided that if they couldn’t own a curiomancer, they needed to be put down.”

I whimper in distress at his words. My parents—my real parents—were put down like dogs. The only crime they committed was being born what they were. How unfair is this world that they felt the need to take out those more powerful than they were?

“Do you want to stop,cor meum?” I shake my head. I don’t want him to stop. This is information I need to know. No matter how much it hurts. “Alright. A curiomancer, as I’m sure you’re wondering, is a master of runes. The markings all over your body are different abilities a curiomancer can have. Like I said before, shifting, strength, speed, and more. The more runes, the more power the wielder holds. Every single one you’re gifted withmeans you’ll have the potential to use all of them as you learn how to.”

“If there’s no more of my kind, who will teach me?” I ask, my voice cracking. It’s a little girl’s dream to be taught by her parents, but they’re no longer of this world, so how am I going to learn what I need to?

“At Stonewell is one of the most powerful fae in existence. And no, a curiomancer, depending on their runes, is more powerful. But he’s been around a long time, so he’ll be able to help you. Jasper has already alerted Thaddeus, and he’ll be ready with any questions you have pertaining to them.”

“Okay,” I mumble, nuzzling closer in his embrace. “Wait.” I pull back, tilting my head up to meet his red gaze. “People are going to take one look at me and know what I am. I’m as good as dead!” By the time I finish, my words are bordering on hysterical.

Axel quickly grips my face in his hands, bringing my attention back to him. “Breathe,cor meum. We have an idea for that, which we’ll explain more when we get to Stonewell. We are taking every precaution we can to keep you safe. Okay?”

I reluctantly nod my head, but how can I seriously believe that? Every other of my kind is gone, so how can they keep me safe if the same ideals still exist? Especially if there hasn’t been one ofmefor twenty years. Even though I just met Axel, I want to believe—want to trust—that he’s telling the truth. That they’ll do whatever they can to keep me safe. But part of me is weary that I won’t make it through my first year at Stonewell alive.

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