Chapter 22
Gemma held Kiara's hand as she channeled calm and soothing thoughts into her head. The girl sat stubbornly glaring with her gold eyes as Killian hovered nearby.
"This isn't going to work, Gem," Kiara rolled her eyes.
"I want to speak to Kiara," Gemma said. "I know she's in there. I know she can hear me."
Kiara continued to gaze into Gemma's icy blue eyes as she let the witch sooth her. Her hand rubbed her belly as if she in return was soothing the child inside.
"She's so different from you," Kiara said after a while. "Both broken...but in such different and beautiful ways."
Gemma flinched from the words. Unwillingly her mind began to summon images of dark days when Gemma had been the ones with those terrifying gold eyes.
"Kiara does not want anything to do with you rotten bunch," Kiara said, leaning forward slightly to look into Gemma's eyes.
Killian stopped behind Gemma with a deep frown on his face as he listened to Kiara speak. Each word was like a hot knife twisting in his soul.
"She won't talk to us or you won't let her speak to us?" Gemma asked, slowly dropping the girl's hand.
"It's not me," Kiara said slowly, leaning back. "See for yourself."
Curiously, Killian took a step forward to understand what she meant. Gemma raised a brow as Kiara locked her gaze with her and a small smile appeared on her lips. She was about to ask what Kiara was doing when Kiara's eyes suddenly started to shift.
Like a bad dream, the gold disappeared from Kiara's eyes. The strong warm brown in them retired as the stubborn look on her face softened. Gemma gasped as she realized she was looking at Kiara....and just Kiara.
"Kiara..." Gemma reached out to take the girl's hand.
Kiara blinked and pulled her hand back. She sat up straight and began to look around at the room as her breathing labored. Her hands began to tremor and her chest began to tighten. Killian watched as realization hit Kiara's eyes as to where she was.
"Kia," he stepped forward, wanting to desperately calm her and hold her. The look of panic that flashed across her round face made Killian's knees buckle.
Kiara began to scoot away from the pair as Gemma and Killian moved towards her with concern. Their eyes were filled with worry, their hands ready to comfort her. But Kiara couldn't think as she continued to look around the dollhouse she was sitting in.
The hurt and the pain that thundered through her brought hot tears to her eyes. She felt as if her chest might burst into a thousand pieces as fragments of memories hit her. She looked up and her gaze landed on Killian.
The boy opened his mouth but no words came out. He looked just as broken as Kiara felt. The burning pain in her chest intensified as she let out a sob before covering her mouth.
"Kia," Killian drove forward and fell to his knees in front of the chair Kiara sat on.
He held her face in between his hands as his whole body trembled with regret. Her skin was ice cold. She flinched from his touch as if he had struck her across the face. Killian felt like a madman, scrambling to find a way to make everything better.
"Kia, I'm so sor-"
"No, no, no," Kiara began to shake her head and chant.
"Kiara," Gemma joined Killian and held Kiara's hand. "You have to fight this. We're here to help you, my love."
