Page 92 of Curses & Keys
I grab the vase. “No, I want to look.”
She yanks it from my grasp.
Mathias roars, and the memory shatters. I open my eyes and stare at him in horror.
Clothes torn, eyes red, he shoves me away from him. Blood dripping from my wrist, I reach for his hand, but he shreds the rope and slides off the table.
Gatlin steps in front of me, while Jamison and Hawthorne try to capture Mathias. He flings them away and points at me.
Vibrating with rage, he stares at me in horror. “Pandora is your sister?”
I proudly lift my chin. “Yes.”
A deranged laugh escapes his lips. “Pandora. The one who opened all the portals into this world is your sister.” His voice breaks. “She’s the reason I lost my daughter. The reason we’re all stuck here.” Chest heaving, his ragged breaths fill the air. “And my mate is her sister.” He thrusts a hand through his inky locks, tugging on them as if he’s mad and needs the pain to convince him this is real.
The world stops, held on a knife’s edge, ready to teeter one way or another. My inflection point. The moment when I can choose to do the right thing or continue to let this secret stay in the depths of the past.
But I’m not sure there is a choice. Not really. The secret is eating away at my soul. It’s time to set the record straight. For three thousand years, I’ve pushed everyone away because I didn’t want them to know what I did. My silence condemned my sister. Supernaturals blame Pandora because they can’t return to their worlds and see their loved ones. No more.
Not one second of that night is lost to the haze of time. “It wasn’t Pandora.” The four of them turn toward me, shock on their faces. “I could tell you that in my drunken state, I felt bold. Invincible. But it would only be part of the truth. She grabbedthe vase to keep it out of my hands. We fought for it. I won.” I give a derisive laugh.
“In triumph or defiance, I’m not entirely sure, I opened the vase,” I admit, a bitter taste flooding my mouth. All these years later, I still can’t believe what I did. “A bright light burst from its depths. The earth trembled beneath our feet. She screamed for me to put the lid on, but I kept fumbling. I couldn’t get it back on. She stepped forward to help and disappeared right in front of me. Into a portal.”
A sob breaks free. “I’m the reason the portals opened, allowing supernaturals to pour into this world. The reason you lost your daughter. Not Pandora. Me.”
Tears roll silently down my cheeks. I look at Hawthorne. “It’s my fault you were pulled into this world.” My gaze moves to Mathias. “It’s my fault you can’t return to your daughter.” I shake my head. “And it’s my fault my sister is gone.”
Gatlin settles a comforting hand on my shoulder.
Hawthorne looks shattered. “I…don’t know what to say.” He moves closer to Mathias, his green eyes full of shock and betrayal.
I look over at Jamison. “The gods were furious. In one move, I opened the doors to this world. Let all the supernaturals in. Fae, Elven, demons, vampires, and more. They immediately imprisoned me and spent the next ten years waging war with the supernaturals, trying to force them out. Although I didn’t know that had happened until later.”
Jamison’s eyes are blank.
“For my punishment, they gave me a choice,” I recall with a snort. “I could either spend an eternity serving Hades or live here and spend an eternity protecting humans. Of course, I chose the latter. I hoped that one day, if I had enough time, I’d find my sister.” Not once has my hope diminished. It’s in every curse I eliminate and every piece of the original vase I find.
Using the back of my hand, I swipe my tears away. “Honestly, they were happy with my decision. The gods had a treaty with the supernaturals, but they felt they needed to stack the deck. An unknown card dedicated to protecting humans.”
“A spy,” Jamison concludes.
I nod. “A couple of times, I slipped up. Exposed myself. They punished me. It wasn’t pleasant. I got better at hiding. For three thousand years, if people got close, I pushed them away. Until you four came into my life.”
Mathias scoffs.
I flinch at the sound but continue to keep my gaze on Jamison. “The walls I’d so carefully built had no defense against you. From the moment we met, I was intrigued. By all of you. I didn’t want to hide the truth, but I was so afraid of how you’d look at me.”The same way you’re looking at me right now. My heart breaks.
I look at Mathias and Hawthorne. “I’m sorry. For thousands of years, I’ve regretted my actions. Believe me. Not a day has gone by that I haven’t felt guilty. And not only because I lost the person who mattered the most to me. I’ve paid a million times over for this transgression, and I’ll gladly keep paying until I can see my sister again.”
“This is why you took the deal, isn’t it?” Gatlin asks softly.
“It is,” I say defensively. “Please say something.”
Jamison stares at me, his eyes full of disbelief. “You knew this would destroy Mathias and Hawthorne. Yet, you continued to let them get closer and closer to you. We’re a family. We put ourselves on the line for you. Hawthorne almost died. I don’t know what to say.”
His words are shards of glass, slashing at my heart.
I glance at Hawthorne, and he backs away. “It’s a lot to process. I need time to think through all of this.”
