Page 40 of Secrets of Ruin

As she retold the story, her guilt over Fabian increased, and so did her shame of talking about him while Brokk lay in the infirmary, waiting for her return. She admitted all of this to them as she closed her eyes and battled the conflicting waves of love, sadness, and wrongdoing battering her.

“I know things take time, but I’m sick of feeling this way,” she admitted.

Sahira’s brow furrowed, and her lips pursed as she set the brush down.

Kaylia frowned at her friend’s troubled expression. “What is it?”

Sahira’s eyes darted up to meet hers in the mirror. “Hmm?”

“What’s bothering you?”

“Oh, nothing… nothing. Are you sure you don’t want me to cut your hair?”

“No, it can wait. I’ve been away for too long already. If Brokk wakes, and I’m not there, I’ll never forgive myself.”

Kaylia rose and turned to face her friends. Opening her arms, she smiled as they embraced, and their love enveloped her. She needed to get back to Brokk, but she also needed this.

“I missed you so much,” she whispered.

Lexi hugged her closer. “We missed you too.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

Sahira watched as Kaylia slipped her feet into a pair of moccasins. The most powerful witch in existence and a woman who once shone with vitality had withered away, but despite her weakened exterior, the courage and strength of her soul remained intact.

Kaylia and Brokk would survive this, regain all the vitality they’d lost, and continue their lives. They’d love each other, and Kaylia might one day come to terms with her love for two men… or maybe she wouldn’t.

Sahira nibbled her bottom lip as she pondered Kaylia’s revelations and the terrible, niggling doubt they’d evoked. She should say something, but Kaylia had just returned.

Sahira didn’t know if she was right. If she was, it could be worse than if she were wrong.

Plus, while they’d united to help Lexi reclaim her throne and become good friends during that time, Sahira easily recalled what it was like to have the oldest witch hate her. Right or wrong, she could evoke Kaylia’s anger again, and she’d just gotten her friend back.

And now you know why she hated vampires more than most witches; her fiancé was killed by one. She might evoke that hatred again if she expressed her concerns and understood why.

Now that she had Orin, she knew what it was like to love another so deeply she would bind her life to them. If someone killed Orin, she would go on a rampage against all those involved.

She understood Kaylia’s hatred and didn’t want to do or say something to make it return. But could she keep her mouth shut and not mention it? Was that fair to Kaylia?

And if she decided to do so, how long should she remain silent? Until Brokk woke, a month, a year, or forever?

She couldn’t live with these doubts for days or months. She’d have a difficult time looking Kaylia and Brokk in the face, and it would ruin her friendship with them. And how much would they both hate her if they found out she hadn’t said anything?

She would have to tell Orin; she could never keep it from him, and then what? He’d never remain quiet about it.

Maybe she could wait until Brokk was awake and he and Kaylia were more settled, healthier, and happier, but she would still have the issue of Orin. And out of the two of them, these doubts would be a lot less upsetting coming from her than Orin, as he didn’t do gentle when it came to words.

“Kaylia….” Her voice trailed off when her friend turned toward her.

“What is it?” Kaylia asked.

Sahira glanced at her niece, but Lexi didn’t know the doubts running through her mind. Lexi tilted her head to the side and frowned as she studied Sahira.

“How… ah… how old was Fabian when you met?” Sahira finally asked.

A small smile tugged at Kaylia’s mouth as she recalled her lost love. “He was around seventeen hundred years old when we first met, five hundred years older than me.”

Sahira gulped and looked at Lexi again as she tried to decide what to do, but her niece’s attention was on Kaylia.