Heart of Torment (Breath of Mist Book 2)

T W E N T Y T W O- Ariana

I couldn't move, let alone draw in a single breath.

Instead, I stood there. Mortified.

Millions of thoughts rushed through my mind, none of them making sense, none heard clearly enough to even try to decipher. My world shifted.

Only when more words were spoken beyond that open throne room door did my thoughts go silent. The storm stilled enough that the ocean inside of me turned flat and waveless as I listened.

"You haven't even asked about how she is doing. Do you not care to know?" Clause asked.

"She is alive. That is all I need to know. Will you stop dragging your feet and give me what you owe?" Edda replied.

"This will destroy her, you vanishing like this. It isn't too late. You can live out the rest of your life at her side. I will welcome you here if you wish to stay."

"She has been here only a few weeks and already you have turned sentimental?" By her tone, I easily imagined the arch in Edda's silver brow that accompanied the comment. An invisible dagger of emotion pierced my heart.

Clouse released a sigh. "Very well. How young are we going for? Your early twenties again?"

Again. A word meaning that this was not the first time they exchanged things.

"Yes," Edda confirmed.

There was a moment of silence, and then her voice, but it wasn't hers, not quite. A new youthfulness held her tone. "Was that so difficult?"

The Sidhe King chuckled darkly. "Not at all."

"Well, I would love to say this was a pleasure, but it wasn't." Edda quipped.

"Your kindness could kill." Clouse replied, his tone light.

She snorted, and suddenly footsteps echoed through the throne room, approaching the exit.

My body acted before I ever gave it a command. Suddenly my back straightened, shoulders squared, head held high. I moved down the rest of the hall, turning into the room without missing a beat.

My gaze slid to her. Onyx eyes I could recognize anywhere stared back at me, but a face and body much younger. She was beautiful, her hair black as her eyes, not a single strand of gray. Skin void of the timeless wrinkles that were once permanent fixtures.

Her attention flicked to me, yet her face portrayed nothing. Her steps did not falter as she hurried towards the exit. I slowed as she approached, the space between us closing quickly.

"Do I know you?" I asked, voice certain and strong. It was everything other than the mass of emotions wreaking havoc within.

Her attention flickered back to me. "Sorry, girl. I don't know you." Her lips curved down disapprovingly. She did not even hesitate as she breezed past me.

I froze in my tracks. She saw me and addressed me, yet acted as though I was no one to her. It was such an exceptional act that I nearly doubted everything I heard moments ago.

My gaze locked with the gray eyes across the room, Clause's features unreadable. It was impossible to know what he thought or felt at that moment. A perfect facade, just like Edda's.

Another pulse of energy shot through me out of nowhere. I whirled around.

"Edda," I said her name.

The woman stopped mid-step then. Her head turned, not quite looking at me, eyes cast down. "I do not know anyone by that name." She twisted away and continued towards the exit without waiting for a response.