The King's Cursed Bride

Unveiling the Past

Carissa shoved open the church door and strode to where Elon awaited her.

He lifted her onto the saddle before slipping behind her. "Did you find anything in the registry?"

Carissa shook her head as they trotted down the road. "Her birth was recorded, but not her death. It appears she left, just as Doris said."

Elon slipped an arm around her waist, and Carissa's body tightened before she forced it to relax. She was getting better at that. The buildings of Hasita thinned as they rode by until forest claimed the landscape once more.

So much for her little quest to find what had happened to Marissa. She just didn't know nearly enough to pursue it... not that it mattered. Yes, it was a strange coincidence, but she had bigger things to worry about, such as the looming darkness. She sighed.

Elon peered over her shoulder. "What is it? Are you going to miss your parents?"

Her chest cramped with heartache. "I suppose, but I don't want to think about them."

"Then what?"

"I've been thinking about Marissa. I feel like there's more to the story." She shrugged. "But it's just a hunch. I don't have any way to discover what happened to her—or even a reason."

A low hum rumbled in Elon's chest. "Interesting."

She glanced back at him. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about her, would you?"

An enigmatic smile surfaced on his expression. "Perhaps."

"Perhaps?" She raised her eyebrows.

Elon shrugged. "If we were to stop briefly at the abbey of an upcoming town, you might find some answers there."

Her tongue clicked against the roof of her mouth as her jaw fell open. "You do know something about her! Why didn't you tell me earlier? You knew I was wondering about her."

"Why wouldn't I have told you earlier?"

She suppressed a moan. Elon and his questions. "Because you like knowing something I don't."

His eyebrows arched. "Really?"

She huffed. "No."

"Then why?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I don't know!"

"Come now, Carissa." He pressed his lips to her temple and murmured against her skin, "Use that pretty head of yours."

A wave of warmth cascaded over her—from head to toe. Why had Elon concealed things from her before? "So I can learn to trust you?"

He leaned back from her and shrugged. "In a way. I want to help you however I can, Carissa, but I also want to give you the opportunity to invite me to help you. Not only do I want to give you a choice in the matter, but I also want you to remember to include me."

"So unless I specifically ask for something, you're not going to tell me?"

"No, not necessarily. There will be times when I'll tell you something without prompting, but there will be other times when I'll wait until you ask me." He trailed his hand down her arm before interlacing their fingers. "I know my reasoning can be frustrating at times, so I just wanted to explain. For the future."

"You are frustrating." She smiled up at him. "But I love you, and I'd never let my frustration or lack of understanding get in the way of our relationship."

His return smile was dimmer than usual. He obviously wasn't convinced.

She swallowed thickly and glanced away. He had Foresight—what if he made this assumption based off of what he saw in the future? Carissa rolled her shoulders, trying to ease the sudden tightness in her muscles. But she'd never allow anything to get between her and Elon... would she?