A Curse of Shadows - Page 68

“No, no, no.” My head shakes frantically. “There’s no way she did this on her own accord.” My hand covers my mouth as the amount of pain she’s truly been in slams into me. “Oh, God. She’s been hiding away, thinking she’s… I need to get to her now.”

Asher’s face pales. “Are you seriously considering consoling the woman who took you from me right now?”

I step into his personal space and poke a finger against his chest. “Let’s get a few things straight. Estee is my sister, my best friend, and she is just as much of a victim in all this as I am. You won’t make her feel guilty or threaten her or anything in between those two things. I love you, Asher, but you have to trust me on this. I know Estee. She didn’t end up with me on Earth because she’s guilty.”

The bond pulses between us, wrapping around my chest and pushing my inner strength to new heights. I don’t expect that since I’m facing off with the man at the other end of that connection, but there’s no way I’m going to let him take charge right now.

My sister needs me and Asher is going to respect that.

“Fuck, Is.” His hands scrub over his face. “This is a lot.”

“This is progress,” I tell him, choosing to see this as a good thing. “Maybe she’ll know who the shadowed figure in my memory is.”

Though I’d think she’d have returned if she did. Estee could out that son of a bitch and relieve herself of the guilt. Either way, it doesn’t matter. I just need to get to her now.

A fiery growl echoes around us. “What shadowy figure?”

Oh. Oops. I guess I didn’t finish explaining my vision to him. Rectifying that, my words only serve to increase my mate’s rage, his emotions so tempestuous that their smokiness fills my insides through our bond.

“Are you sure there’s nothing else you remember? That there’s nothing else to see from that day?” His words are barely audible thanks to the tension still riddled within his jaw.

“Yes,” I tell him confidently. “I wasn’t conscious much longer after getting stabbed. I couldn’t even tell the gender of the person speaking.”

Something that frustrates me still, but my priority isn’t there right now. Estee is going to have answers for us. Even if she doesn’t have them yet, we need her, and she needs me.

“Where is Grayson?” I ask, knowing I can’t wait any longer.

“He’s already on his way to find Estee,” Asher replies, helping me stand. “We’ll go back to the castle, get dressed, and wait for him.”

I look down and realize the only thing I’m wearing is Asher’s oversized shirt that falls to my mid-thigh. As glad as I am to remember more so that I can get my sister back, this couldn’t have come at a worse time.

“I’m sorry, Asher,” I tell him through our new mental connection. “This was our moment and I ruined it.”

His head shakes as he pulls me closer, holding me with love and tenderness. “You didn’t ruin anything. You’re here, we’re bonded, and you have your wolf. There is nothing that can take away from those things. We might not feel the same about this particular memory, but that doesn’t change how much I love you.”

“I love you, too, and thank you for that.” I push up onto my toes to kiss him again. “I’d like to shift again and go find Estee myself, though. Find out where my dad is and tell him we’ll meet him there.”

Asher’s lips graze over my forehead. “Of course, Mate.”

My skin tingles and I have to concentrate on staying upright as he does what I’ve asked. He might not like my plan, but seeing how quick he is to support me is everything.

I wait patiently, breathing in and out and testing out my new sensations. When I first got here, I was impressed with the way I didn’t tire easily while traversing the stairs. Now, it’s like I could sprint up and down them a dozen times and still not be out of breath.

My wolf’s spirit lingers just beneath the surface, ready for action and waiting for my approval. She’s patient and resilient. Hell, she’s a warrior.

It seems impossible that I could have ever forgotten her now that I remember and I hate that it took so long, but as she remains close and very much aware of what’s happening, I don’t sense any resentment.

It wasn’t our fault.

The thought is mine, but it’s almost as if the words came from her and peace settles over me. We had no control, but we do now and I’m not going to sit by, waiting for things to happen.

We’re going to figure out who took our life and who cursed us to Earth and…

“Holy shit,” I mutter as I realize what else I’ve just figured out. I grab Asher’s wrist, tugging until I have his full attention. “If I die again, I’m going to end up back on Earth. I didn’t just appear there. I’ve lived dozens of lives there.” None of them lasting longer than forty years and each filled with a lonely existence until I found Estee again. Though I don’t tell Asher that once I continue. “I was human for the last five hundred years. Whatever happened to me back then, I was cursed.”

That kind of dark magic hasn’t existed in our world since before the Great War. I don’t know how someone found an object that was capable of doing this to me, but I do know one thing.

They won’t get a second chance at taking my life.