Page 88 of Heart of the Cursed
Chapter 35
“What do you mean, she’s gone?” Dain asked. “Gone where?”
“My guess would be to find the spell,” Arun said angrily.
He couldn’t believe Selene had left without them. After making him promise not to leave withouther,he hadn’t expected her to turn around and do just that to him. So, yeah, he was pissed, but mostly because she was putting her life in danger.
Taredd frowned. “What about the Ogres? How does she expect to get the book from them?”
“How the hell am I supposed to know?” Arun threw his hands up in frustration.
After returning to her bedroom to find it empty, he’d searched the entire bunker before realising she wasn’t there. He’d quickly looked outside and found the horse was missing, as well. It didn’t take a genius to know that she had taken the horse, but he didn’t understand why.
She knew how difficult it was going to be to get the book from the Ogres on her own. She was the one that didn’t want to return there in the first place, and now she was running off to do exactly that. But instead of having backup, like they had planned, she was going alone? It made no sense.
Arun paced. “She knows how dangerous they are. Why would she go alone?”
“Maybe she thinks she’s doing it to protect us,” Amberly said.
“What? By putting herself in danger?” he snapped. “She doesn’t only have the Ogres to worry about, and she knows it. Every being in this realm that doesn’t want to leave, will be after her when they find out what she’s trying to do. She’s already had several attempts on her life since I’ve known her, which isn’t that long.”
“Does she know she’s your mate?” Taredd asked.
Arun spun around to glare at him. “What’s that got to do with anything?”
“It might explain why she left without saying anything,” Taredd said. “As Amberly pointed out, she might think she’s doing it to protect us, or more precisely, you.”
“So, you think it’s my fault she’s gone?” he demanded.
“No, that’s not what I’m saying.” Taredd said calmly. “I’m just saying that you might be part of the reason. For all we know, something could have happened that made her want to go on her own.”
Arun couldn’t refute their reasoning. He may not have known Selene for long, but he knew he well enough to know that it was something she would do if she thought it would protect him and the others.
“Fine,” he relented. “You said I could be part of the reason. What’s the other part, then?”
Taredd looked between Natalia and Amberly. Both females looked nervously at each other and then him.
“It could be because of us,” Natalia confessed. “We didn’t think anything of it at the time, but she was asking a lot of questions about our past.”
“Like, a lot of questions,” Amberly added.
“What’s that got to do with anything?” Arun asked, but he already knew the answer.
It was obvious. Selene had found out about Natalia’s and Amberly’s past and now she was feeling guilty about what she was about to do to the newly formed couples. So, to give them more time together, she’s decided to do it all on her own and left without saying a word to anyone.
“She could have told me,” he said, rubbing his forehead. “I would have gone with her.”
“Without telling us?” Taredd asked.
“You know we would have made it impossible for you to leave without us,” Dain said.
“And the same goes for us,” Amberly said.
Natalia nodded in agreement.
“Selene probably knew that, as well,” Taredd said. “Which is probably why she didn’t tell anyone what she was doing. If any of us had known, we would have stopped her from leaving on her own. We would have insisted that we all go together.”
“We’re stronger together,” Dain said. “We always have been, and we always will be.”
