Page 57

His words were a knife to my heart. “What does that mean?” I asked softly.

“I asked you to stay with me, Moira. I meant my words. But I am not a human man, nor am I a shifter who will chain you. If you insist on this suicide mission when you are not fully healed from your ordeal, I won’t stand by and watch you destroy yourself.”

“I’ve been healed for over a week.” I had no argument. How could I demand he stay by my side when I refused to stay by his?

He shook his head. “Your physical body is healed, but I sense how your emotions swirl inside you. I see how you tense when I come up behind you. Your eyes hold deep shadows filled with secrets.”

His eyes softened. “You need time.”

I bared my teeth. “I need to find her. I need to know she will never do this to someone else. I need to see her body collapse into ash.” My hands and voice began to shake. “I need to⁠—”

Hot tears rolled down my face. “I can’t stop,” I admitted. “I can’t until I know she’s dead.”

Cernunnos gathered me into his arms, pressing my head into his chest. “Moira. You don’t have to stop. Just wait. That’s all I’m asking. Wait until you’ve put the pieces of yourself back together.”

His words were logical. They made sense, and I knew he said them because he cared for me. But I could no more make myself slow down or stop than keep the sun from rising each morning. I was driven by something deeper than myself. And if someone asked me to explain it to them, I couldn’t.

Cernunnos knew my answer before I formed the words with my lips.

He stepped away, a mask settling over his face. “Very well, then.”

I reached a hand out to him. “Cernunnos. Please⁠—”

He took another step back. “Show me what you’ve brought back.”

My fingers trembled as I dropped my hand. “Please don’t shut me out.”

“Like you’ve done to me?” he asked softly.

“I—” But there was nothing I could say. Dejected, I turned and walked back to the house.

Evie was waiting for me in the living room. Her gaze flicked over my shoulder and lingered on Cernunnos. The only change in her expression was a slight flicker in her eyes.

Evie was judging me too. At least a little. She agreed with Cernunnos, and she would never admit it. My friend would never ask me to stay for her. She loved me too much to ever be selfish.

Maybe selfish was the wrong word. Cernunnos wasn’t selfish for caring about me. But asking me to walk away…

He had no idea what it was like to be hunted every single day of my life. I never felt like I was free. Even when Evie and I found each other, I constantly looked over my shoulder, always feeling like I would never be safe.

I lived in constant fear and stress, even when I was happy.

He didn’t know, and that’s why I couldn’t stay angry at him. How could he? Cernunnos could end someone with a snap of his fingers. I’d just spent months starving in a cage, almost completely powerless.

Evie knew now. Far better than he ever could. When I came closer, she reached over and gently squeezed my hand. She knew. She understood. She wouldn’t ask me to stay.

Evie hated what I was doing, but she knew why. That was the kind of best friend a girl needed. Even if I burned everything down around me, Evie would still love me.

I squeezed her fingers back and detoured for the backpack I’d stashed in the hall closet. When I brought it over to the table and pulled out the tank, Evie’s brow furrowed.

“I’m not sure what I’m looking at.”

I unwrapped the shirt and set the small container on the table.

Cernunnos leaned over. “Why does it smell like nuts?”

“I put it in my snack box.”

Evie barked a laugh and reached for the container.