A Curse of Shadows

His question is sincere and without judgment, something I appreciate because even if I’m done fighting, I’m still going to need time to come to terms with a lot of these things.

“It’s not that,” I explain. “My best friend, Elodee, is back on Earth. She’s the only family I’ve ever truly had in my life and if I’m still”—I swallow hard before I can force out these next words—“a wolf shifter, that changes things, but I won’t leave her behind. We’re all each other has.”

There’s a pain in my chest at even the possibility of doing so, but also with the thought of leaving Lunara behind before I truly know who I am or what happened to me.

After hearing Asher’s agony thanks to my disappearance, I feel like this is something we both need to figure out. Not only because what if there’s key information that I’m missing to make me understand why I never came back or what if someone did something to me and never got caught?

I’ve watched enough crime and mystery shows back home. People get away with murder every day. If someone took away the life I was supposed to have, they’re going to pay for that.

Though it hasn’t all been bad. I have Elodee and I wouldn’t give her up for anything. Not even for the future I was supposed to have. She deserves better than that from me after all we’ve been through together.

“As soon as we’re back at the castle, I will find out about your friend,” Asher promises with a conviction that makes the pressure in my chest lighten. “You came here without the energy you were blessed with at birth. There has to be a way to do the same for Elodee.”

My fingers brush over a lower branch of a nearby tree that we walk by, the soft leaves a vibrant green that I’ve never seen on any plant life back home. “She would love it here.” Then I chuckle. “She wouldn’t fight to go home like some people.”

Asher’s elbow bumps me and he grins when I look up at him. “You wouldn’t have been you if you didn’t put up some resistance.”

At least that’s always been a part of me, a comforting fact as we start to slow.

The trees become sparse and there’s a small clearing of grass and wildflowers in front of a rock hill that seems to come out of nowhere. The outside is covered in moss and it’s probably at least twenty feet tall. Looking around, I don’t see where the cave might be, though.

Asher grabs my hand for the second time and once again, there’s a current of energy that passes between us, nearly taking my breath away.

I stare at our clasped hands, expecting there to be some physical evidence of this connection, but there’s not a glow or spark to be seen.

“Here we are.” Asher’s voice cuts through my reverie.

Glancing up, I finally see the opening, hidden around the corner. It’s dark inside, but the moment we pass across the threshold, Asher touches a light that seems to be linked to several others, each spaced about three feet apart through the entry area.

“We added these solar lights about five years after we found this place,” he explains. “Year after year, we made changes until this cave became the haven we couldn’t find anywhere else on our island.” A frown creases his face. “I haven’t been here in so long. Without you, it was just a place that made the void in my chest ache all that much more.”

I place a hand on his bicep and squeeze. His anguish is so tangible, it’s almost as if I’m experiencing his heartbreak, barely capable of remaining upright from its weight.

“I’m sorry, Asher,” I tell him sincerely. “If there’s a way for me to remember, I’m going to do that. Not only because I want to know what happened to me, but because you deserve the truth as well.”

When his gaze meets mine, tears glimmer in his eyes as he looks at me, raw emotion laid bare. The intensity of this moment wraps around me so tightly that I can’t decide if I’m going to drown or find the comfort I’ve been searching for.

I inch forward to wipe away the few tears that fall, but his movements are quicker than mine. Before I can take my next breath, Asher’s hands are holding my face between his palms and his mouth is a hairsbreadth away from mine.

My eyes dart between his lips and his heady stare, unsure of what he’s going to do or even what I want him to do.

I’m frozen in place, desperate to know what’s coming, but then, just as quickly as he touches me, Asher backs away.

“I’m so sorry, Isla.” Asher’s hands scrub over his face as his chest rumbles. “This is harder than I realized it would be.”

Yeah, tell me about it.

If the wave of disappointment crashing through me right now is any indication, I’m in for one hell of a time figuring out what I want. Though the one thing I know with certainty is that I don’t want to lead this man on.

No matter my attraction for him, I haven’t loved him for over five hundred years like he has me. Kissing him for me would be like scratching an itch. While that itch might turn into a flaming inferno of passion with just one graze, I have a feeling for Asher, it would mean so much more.

He might have been an ass those first two meetings, but there’s no denying the weight of his suffering. If movies and shows have taught me anything, it’s that supernaturals love with an intensity that humans rarely understand. While I could be way off the mark with my assumptions, based upon what I’ve witnessed with Asher, I don’t believe so and he deserves better.

“If you want to leave, we don’t have to stay here,” I offer with a gentle tone, trying to mask the tightness in my chest. But before I can finish, Asher shakes his head firmly.

“No, you need to see this place,” he insists, his voice regaining a bit of strength. “Avoiding the spots that hold your deepest memories won’t help you remember.”

As we venture deeper into the cave, the amber glow from the lamps cast long shadows against the uneven walls, highlighting patches of tall grass that sprout randomly from the earthy floor. There are no flowers here—only the simple beauty of earth untouched. The path soon widens into a cavernous room that unexpectedly houses what appears to be a…hot tub or some sort of bath.