Page 107 of Whispers in the Dark
Vin laughs, slapping a hand against his thigh. “Oh, this is amazing.”
Alex pulls back his hand, grumbling, seeming unpleased with the prospect.
“Sometimes,” Elisia begins, “a mess can be a good thing. It can open your eyes to everything around you. It can even welcome new adventures.”
“If you keep talking about a mess, you’re going to give the poor bloke a heart attack,” Eli muses with a chuckle.
Elisia turns her attention to Madeleine, her eyes seeing something that no one else can. She extends her hand, and Madeleine, without a flicker of hesitation, places hers in the older woman’s.
“Hmm…” Elisia hums thoughtfully. “You are difficult to read.”
Madeleine pouts. “So, I’ve been told.”
“But here,” Elisia continues, her finger tracing a line that cuts across Madeleine’s palm, intersected by three smaller lines. “This line speaks of loss, yet these three… They speak of life.” Shesmiles, gentle and knowing. “You will have a home filled with love and laughter.” Madeleine’s eyes glisten, tears threatening to spill. Eli leans forward, brushing a soft kiss to her temple.
“We will,” he voices with certainty.
Dropping Madeleine’s hand, Madame Elisia regards the rest of the family before her eyes land on Alina. She stands and walks over, her head tilting to the side. “May I?” she asks, holding out her hand.
Alina bites down on her bottom lip, appearing wary, and then cautiously places her hand in hers.
She moves her finger all over her palm, tracing patterns and lines. “Your heart,” she says, looking into Alina’s eyes. “Your heart is heavy. I see so much uncertainty mixed with…pain.”
Pain?
Alina swallows hard as the woman turns her gaze on me, extending a hand.
An uneasiness fills my veins, the look in her eye seeing more beneath my hard exterior than I want to reveal.
With reluctance, I place my palm in hers.
She interlaces Alina’s hand with mine and slowly circles them, closing her eyes. “A secret is shared between you two,” she murmurs, voice soft but resonant. My heart pounds wildly. There’s no way she could know. It’s not possible. It’s not— “One that altered the course of destiny.” Her eyes open, staring into mine as if seeing every thought and memory. “One word. Two lives. Now, intertwined forever.”
My breath feels heavy, my muscles like iron, pressing down against my lungs.
How could she know?
“Stop!”
My eyes lock onto hers…
My knees connect to the ground…
Her arms wrap around me…
My heart thunders beneath my chest…
Panic.
Shame.
It all comes racing back to me.
A memory.
Ourmemory.
One I’ve worked so hard to keep locked in the dark.
