Endeverafter: The Series Presents The Cursed One

Chapter Forty

Drue should've known that Virek wasn't going to let her leave without an escort. She started to protest but when Sven volunteered to drive her wherever she wanted to go, she couldn't help but feel happy about it. They hadn't spoken since the day Winsome died and he kissed her, a sure admittance of his feelings for her. Right? She would have to ask him, because the last thing she wanted was an uncomfortable relationship with someone she trusted more than anyone. But once they were in the truck, Sven kept his head forward and made no effort to strike up a conversation with her. "You know if you frown any harder, you could turn into stone." For a brief moment, she thought her joke, as corny as it was, had fallen on deaf ears. But when she saw a small smile appear across Sven's face, she smiled. "So, you're not that mad at me then?"

"What makes you think I'm mad at you?"

"Maybe because you haven't said a word to me, since... you know."

"I haven't seen you."

"I thought Spectres weren't paid to be sticklers."

"We're not."

"Sven, come on..." Drue said, turning around in the passenger seat. "What's going on with you?"

"Nothing, I'm just thinking about this Harrison situation."

"Is that the truth?"

"When have you known me to be a liar?"

"You sound like Virek..." she said, looking down. "Let me guess, you're gonna tell me that I should've stayed at his place?"

"What's wrong with your place?"

Drue blinked. "Huh?"

"Nothing, nevermind. Anyway, I wasn't gonna tell you to do anything."

She was taken aback by the sharp tone in his voice, which definitely caused her to believe that something was going on with Sven. "You know, just forget I said anything." Snatching her eyes away, she turned in her seat and stared out of the window.

Sven tried to ignore the tension in the trunk by pretending that he didn't care but he wasn't that type of person. With one hand on the steering wheel, he reached into his pocket and said, "I think this belongs to you."

"What–" Drue's jaw dropped when her eyes landed on the ring in the palm of Sven's hand. "My ring? Where did you... how do you have this?"

"We-I found it the day you were taken to the Church."

"And you've had it this entire time?"

"Yeah... well, actually, Dawn needed it for the tracking spell," Sven said. "That's how we were able to find you."

Slipping the ring back onto her thumb, she looked down at her hand and smiled. "Thank you, Sven. It's nice to know that it was in a safe place."

"You're welcome." He shifted in his seat and took a deep breath. "For the record, I'm not mad at you, Drue. I don't think I could ever really be mad at you."

"Then why can't you even look at me?"

"Because every time I look at you, I think about the night of the Church massacre and how I-we nearly lost you... and Virek," he revealed. "And before you say anything, I know we didn't lose either of you, but still. If Winsome had succeeded, I would have lost three very important people to me."

"I know."

"I don't see a world where I'm here without my brother."

"And what about Virek?"

"I mean, he's our boss and all of us look out for each other, but I'm starting to realize how quickly the people you care about can be taken away."

Drue's heart broke for him. As an only child, she couldn't imagine how hard it was for Sven to picture his life without his twin brother. And then there was Virek, his boss but despite how much neither of their egos would allow them to admit out loud, his friend. "When was the last time you actually stopped and looked around?"