In The Shadow of Our Choices

Chapter 113: Thread

Previously: Ominis revealed he made an Unbreakable Vow after his birthday party when Sebastian offered to officially make him a Sallow. Also recall that a while back, Andrew lied to his father for Sebastian

Elizabeth

Elizabeth couldn't sleep. She'd held her tongue after Ominis' revelation, not trusting herself to say anything. She'd felt sick, but she'd also felt furious. Never had she seen Ominis brought so low, and the memory of his tears clung to her mind. But still, the implications slithered through her mind, poisoning her thoughts. She couldn't help but feel betrayed and it made her stomach churn. How dare he? At the same time, the thought that he'd had his hands tied in such a way... How dare they?

She lay on the thin cot, eyes fixed on the wooden beams of the ceiling, counting the boards in a futile attempt to calm her mind. The minutes crawled by, each second of silence pressing heavier on her chest as her thoughts whirled. Sebastian and Anne's breathing had softened into sleep ages ago, but she heard nothing from Ominis. Rolling onto her side, she gingerly pulled back the curtain, finding his faint silhouette.

"Ominis?"

There was a long pause before he replied, and when he did, his voice sounded rough.

"Yeah?"

"Can we talk?"

Another pause, then Ominis sighed and sat up, running a hand through his hair before drawing his wand and muttering a quick spell Elizabeth recognized as a ward to contain their voices. Hesitantly, she sat up, pulling the curtain fully open and tucking her legs under her. Elizabeth's heart pounded as she searched for the right words. The anger still roiled within her, cooled somewhat from when she'd first heard of the Vow, but definitely still there. She knew she should wait, knew he was probably drained from earlier but...

"Why didn't you tell me?" Elizabeth asked, her voice tight.

Perhaps the words came out more sharply than she intended, because Ominis cringed, tucking his wand away as he bought himself time to answer.

"I... It just wasn't anything for you - or anyone else - to worry about. The Vow only affects me."

"But it doesn't," Elizabeth said, feeling a painful lump lodge in her throat. "Ominis... if anyone finds out about you and I... if the marriage is called off... You will die. Do you think I could live with myself if that happened? Because of me?" Her voice choked off and she had to take a deep breath.

"If it came to that, it wouldn't be on you," Ominis said, shaking his head. "I knew what I was doing, getting into all of this - being with you -"

"You might have known," Elizabeth snapped, finding her voice again as anger flared again in her chest. "But you kept me in the dark. I never would have agreed to... to anything if I knew it meant risking your life. It's just not worth it."

Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes, hot and stinging. She rubbed them away, unwilling to let them fall.

"It's my life, Elizabeth, and I think it's worth it. You're worth it. Besides," Ominis said, shifting closer and reaching out to brush a hand over her arm. "I didn't want you or Sebastian to do something that would get you hurt - my family are not good people. I -"

"That's the most selfish thing I've ever heard you say, Ominis" Elizabeth cut him off, the words tearing from her as she shifted away from his touch. "That you thought it would be best to decide for me, for Sebastian - for all of us. It might be your life but this affects all of us - you're our friend."