Page 54 of Unraveled
The frigid airof the early morning burns my lungs as I sprint down the halls. I haven’t run just because I can in a long time. I’m not fast, and my old boots and the layers of my nightdress make it harder to really gain speed.
But already the tension in my muscles eases. I can’t catch my breath, but it doesn’t hinder my pace. Ever since my first encounter with Nera, I’ve struggled with the sensation of energy trapped under my skin.
Moving my body and pushing it to its limits helps me, if not to ease the discomfort, at least to get some sleep. I can see my bedroom door as I turn the corner. Admittedly, going for a run in the hallways isn’t my brightest idea, even if the beasts are slumbering.
I enter my room and shut the door, gripping the rose beside me as second nature and asking it to lock the wards back in place.
“I didn’t know you were one of those strange people who like to run,” a voice says from behind me.
I yelp and turn to find Nera walking out of the washroom. The morning sunlight spills past the gauzy curtains, casting white highlights over her marble skin.
“What are you doing here?” I press my back to the door and lift a hand to my chest, feeling my heart thundering under my palm. She doesn’t look feral, but I didn’t expect to find her in my room.
I left my door unlocked. What if instead of her, something else sneaked in? Something that wanted to kill me.
I follow her as she sits on the bed next to where Naheli peacefully sleeps, still taking up most of the space.
“One of the strangest things about losing my mind to the curse is that I can hear the lunargyres whisper...” She tilts her head up and meets my gaze. Her eyes are still that beautiful rose gold that shimmers like ground metal.
“They whisper to you?”
She nods, pressing her lips tightly together before she drags one hand gently over the wolf. Naheli’s ears perk up, and slowly, she blinks her four eyes open. Her tails pat the mattress as she sleepily greets Nera.
Safe. I feel safer now that Naheli seems at ease. And perhaps I’ve gone mad.
“Most of the beasts that roam outside the castle have been gone for a long time, but I still recognize their voices. Many of them worked in the castle since before I was born.” She shrugs a shoulder, but her expression is sad. “Either way, they whispered about a human running the halls. I came to make sure you were okay.”
My stomach sinks like a stone, and I step forward, allowing myself to smile at the princess, who looks broken right now.
“Thank you, I’m—” I don’t know if I should lie to her about the way I’ve been feeling. How it’s driving me mad. Or how little sleep I’ve been getting. How crazy her brother makes me. How angry I am with my situation.
“I haven’t been able to sleep much,” I admit at last. “I’ve struggled with my magic lately, without my amulet.”
“What do you feel?” Nera reaches for the glowing stone hanging around her neck. It almost looks like her heart is visible for everyone to see.
“It’s like a fire that starts in the pit of my stomach and burns through my veins. I can’t seem to find release.”
She lifts a brow and stands from the bed, her lips tilting into a side smile that looks too much like Ash’s. It takes all of me to not glower at her.
“Well, next time you want to go for a run, it’s safer if you do it when we’re all awake. And you should go with Naheli, Finley, or me—or even Ash.” She lifts a hand toward my shoulder, but seems to think better of it and drops it to her side.
I wonder how lonely she feels. Perhaps she needs a friend that’s not the two growly males that live here with her.
“I’ll do that. I know I shouldn’t have, but I couldn’t sleep and felt like I was going to explode.”
The burning hasn’t eased off, even after the run. It’s even stronger now, ever since Ash took away his book and was the biggest asshole ever. My complicated new feelings for the fae king, which are mostly still hate, are not something I’m ready to share with anyone, much less Nera.
“Mia, people with fae blood like you don’t need an amulet to wield magic. I’m sure there’s a part of you that’s keeping it locked away for a reason. Maybe you don’t even know why. But this”—she taps the red stone with her deadly fingernail—“is just a token that made you feel powerful. Perhaps it made it easier. But you don’t truly need it.”
Our relationship didn’t start easy, but the warmth spreading in my chest, and the smile that takes over my face, is real. Nera is being kind. Even though I’m just a human with fae blood, and I tried to kill her brother, and then her. Of course, I was only trying to defend myself, and then him.
I feel we’ve come to an understanding. Perhaps it could build to a friendship? If I’m to remain here for the foreseeable future, I would like to have one of those.
Nera walks to the door with the same grace as always.
Silent.
Deadly.
