{A Wattpad Featured Book}
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Her heart or her people. Only she can decide.
Hated, cursed, outcasted. It was Eleena Asterin's life ever since she was blamed to have betrayed her village. So when she is offered a task to earn back her honour and prid...
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"We need to talk."
Judging from the way he looked, I could tell something was bothering him. He was guarded, grey eyes churning dangerously and his lips pulled into a tight, thin line.
A dark feeling overcame me but I brushed it away, gesturing to Alistair to lead the way. Something told me that this was not just a regular talk, but I couldn't place my finger on what it was.
Shadows clung onto me like a second skin as I shuffled after Alistair, his rigid outline striding towards the kitchen. My limbs still ached from the healing process a while ago, from the illegal brew of faerie herbs I drank. Soon we arrived at the kitchen, Theodore and Father already waiting. I took my place at the opposite end of our rickety, wooden table waiting for the lecture to start.
Alistair braced his hands on the table, the wood groaning from under his palms. "You can't ... can't keep doing this Eleena."
I sucked in a breath.
What?
Alistair's voice came out as a shuddering whisper, unlike the confident tone he always has. I inclined my head trying to look at his eyes, but he was focused, intently staring at the vines of roses I had sketched on the corner of the table.
"What do you mean?" I said, my voice unusually soft as though soothing a child.
"You know very well what I mean."
He looked up, pain written on his face. I flinched.
I could very well compare him to a wounded animal. Vulnerable, afraid and feeble. I had never seen this side of him before, nor do I want to see it again. It held too much grief and sadness for just one person alone.
I knew what he was trying to tell me but I didn't show it. My throat closed up and tears formed in my eyes but I held it in. I already knew he wanted to replace me, to shield me from the pain the village Elders had brought down on me. But I wouldn't allow it, couldn't allow it. Not when I had watched my family nearly reel into the abyss of death, not when I had been so close to bringing war upon faeries and humans alike.
I sighed, running a hand through my dark locks, combing the knots away. Taking a sharp intake of air, I clenched my jaw and faced Alistair, carefully keeping my face a blank canvas with no trace of emotions.
"Look. No matter how much I want this to stop, I can't ." I walked to the table, each step as though wading through mud. "I'm not going to put you in risk again, surely you know that. The Elders would not rest in hunting us down if I were to stop the torturing. I can't let that happen again, not when I thought I was going to lose all of you before."
A single tear rolled down my cheeks, splattering silently on the wood. I couldn't even look at Alistair anymore, the panic he is feeling showing on his face. The air was thick with tension, making it almost suffocating to breathe in this small area. My heart ached, ached for him as though an iron fist was clenching it. I wanted to comfort him, but again, my mouth refused to open.
