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“Or a curse.”
His eyes get colder. “Yes, I can see how she might consider you a curse.”
I flinch again but keep focusing on packing the boxes, even when he snarls and turns on his heel and storms away. I sniff to stop the urge to cry, but still, my eyes blur.
I am the curse, and it’s better for everyone if I’m alone.
two
Weston
Three years and one month ago
Silver
I sneak out of the cabin, my skin crawls. Despite the need to be safe, I have to do this. There has to be a way off this resort where I can just walk until I find a new life. I’ll never get a chance like this again. I watch as Onyx makes her way to the resort, her uniform making her look like a million dollars.
I’m so proud of her. And jealous.
I tie my black hair in a bun and go in the opposite direction. An hour later, I find myself staring at the resort. It’s all fenced in, and security is top-notch. If I'm getting out, it’s through there.
I need to escape through the resort itself. Hysteria tugs at me, trying to pull me down into a useless fit that will see the day pass in a blur of tears. I don’t have time.
I press my lips together and slink down towards the place Onyx made me promise to avoid.
I’m following a huge garden shrub when I turn the corner and bump into someone. He’s tall and blonde and gorgeous, and when he smiles, I feel my heart flip because this is a man I could easily hand myself over to.
He could destroy me. He’s perfect. And I’m shattered.
I run.
Present Day
She’s wearing a black dress that doesn’t fit her right, not that you would notice. She’s as lovely now as she was the day we saw her. Perhaps more so. Silver Davies smiles and hands out another bag, and then another. The guests chat with her easily, but they don’t really pay much attention. She’s just another volunteer running the Refuge gift bag section.
Hazel and Jade are the big draws here. Those two have become powerhouses in our world, drawing in attention, donations, and cash for the refuge they love so much. Silver just hands out bags. I find it so hard to picture her like this.
Why does that bother me so much? But Silver is doing the work. Every time we see her, she’s got her head down and quietly works like it’s her only purpose in life. She’s not behaving like the selfish woman we thought we knew.
Jenny Lathem, the CEO and director of the Omega Refuge, swans past Silver in a gown of ruby red. She doesn’t look at Silver or acknowledge her, but Silver turns away after she leaves, breathing deeply. Something’s wrong.
“Bro? Hey! West! What are you doing?”
I glance at Quint and shrug. “Watching.”
He follows my stare, and his face transforms into a scowl. “Why?”
“She seems sad tonight. Look at her. There’s desperation pulling at the edges of her.”
“Ah, yes, well, that’s because her three-year contract is up. The refuge has absorbed the money that Onyx donated for her to stay, and she’s now out on her ass. After tonight, she’s no longer got a roof over her head.”
“She’ll go to Onyx, though? Surely.”
“I thought that, but Ian says Dylan and Onyx haven’t been able to get close to her. She’s refusing their help. She’ll be fine. Don’t worry about her. I’m sure she’s got someone lined up who will help her.”
That doesn’t sit right with me. I sip the whiskey in my glass while I watch her. You’d have to know her to realise she was stressed. She hides it really well. She’s sad, and she’s scared. My shoulders tense, and there’s this strange feeling in my stomach, almost like panic.
Onyx creeps up to stand beside me. I know because Quint murmurs her name when she gets ten feet away. It’s an old habit that we both got into so we don’t get startled. Silver catches sight of us and stiffens, turning away. I glance between the twins and the stiff posture Silver now has. What is the mystery surrounding her and this dislike of her own sister?
