A Curse of Shadows - Page 67

“Shh, baby.” I bring her closer, kissing the side of her face. “Whatever it is, we can handle it together.”

She shakes her head, her sobs growing louder. “Not this. Nothing can fix this.” She pulls back, her red eyes wide with fear. “I know who stabbed me.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

ISLA

Iget off the phone after putting the plans for dinner into motion and feel a wave of gratitude for the staff, whose competence has made this daunting life a bit more bearable. If Asher is to ascend to the throne sooner than anticipated, it will undoubtedly be stressful, but at least we won’t be alone—a thought that brings me a layer of comfort.

A knock sounds at my door and I cross the bedroom to answer. “I was hoping to?—”

My eyes blink rapidly and air begins to leave my lungs at a rapid pace. I try to process what’s happening, but even seeing the sharp blade protruding from my chest doesn’t seem real.

I attempt to reach for the black hilt to remove the dagger, but my arms are immobile, failing to respond. My legs give out next, no matter how much I attempt to draw on my wolf’s inner strength.

“Help… me…” I croak as I collapse to the floor.

Confusion and fear muddle my thoughts and my vision swims, but I no longer forget who was standing at the door as it closes quietly.

Estee.

Grief unlike I’ve ever known pulses inside me, eating up every flicker of joy I was just experiencing. Even back then, my sister was my best friend. It doesn’t make sense why she would hurt me, let alone kill me.

Yet I know that was her. She stood there, silent and… I blink, focusing harder on the memory. Her eyes. They were dark, almost black instead of their normal blue.

It’s hard to breathe, but I force myself to focus and talk to Asher. I need to make this make sense. I need to understand what actually happened.

“Estee stabbed me,” I tell him, sitting further up and wiping the tears from my face. “But I need a minute. I need to go back.”

His shaking hand reaches for his shirt and he slips it over my head. “I’m right here. You’re not alone.”

Asher’s jaw is so tight that his words are almost garbled, but he gives me the time I ask for, staying quiet as I force my mind back into those final moments.

Estee stands rigid in front of me. I only have seconds before the door closes, but I was right. There’s something off with her eyes. She’s not herself.

Relief floods through me, but I fight to stay in the memory.

Darkness begins to envelop me and my body becomes cold, no matter how hard I fight to stay conscious. If I could remove the blade, my wolf energy would heal me. Yet none of my extremities will respond to my commands.

I hear the quiet thud of footfalls from inside my room, which further confuses me—yet also brings me hope. A shadow looms over me and I try to see who’s there, but my vision is completely gone now. “Help,” I manage to whisper again.

“Shh, it’s going to be okay,” a garbled voice says. “I’m going to fix everything.”

I try harder to focus, to conjure the image of whoever has joined me, but I can’t force my eyes to see something they never saw before. This isn’t the same as when I couldn’t see Estee at my door.

My mind reels as I try to identify who’s speaking, or even their scent, as the intruder picks my body up, but I’m fading fast and my thoughts are singularly focused.

Asher.

My eyes burn as I come out of the memory, hoping to never return. There’s nothing else but sadness for me to find there. All I know is I need to find Estee and now. She must have remembered what she’d done and that’s why she ran, but there isn’t a single part of me that can accept she hurt me willingly.

I don’t know how or why any of this happened, but I do know I’m going to figure it out. Whoever that final person in the room with me was holds the answers and I won’t stop until I unveil who they were.

“Damn it, Isla.” Asher snarls, yet his touch is filled with the utmost gentleness. “Talk to me.”

“Use your telepathy thing,” I tell him. “I need Grayson right now. I need him to tell me where Estee is.”

His teeth grind together as he starts putting his pants back on. “I’m going to fucking kill her myself.”