Chapter 167 Chapter 167
Violet
The fire popped loudly, making everyone jump. Madison let out a little shriek, then laughed nervously.
"Well," she said shakily, "that was terrifying. Thanks for the nightmares I'm going to have tonight."
"Seriously," Veronica agreed, though she was smiling. "That was the scariest story I've ever heard. And you're telling me it actually happened? Here?"
"History, not story," Alaric corrected. "It's documented and you also saw the blade. It all happened exactly as we've told it."
I felt like I was going to pass out.
The room was spinning, and I couldn't seem to get enough air into my lungs.
The woman in the mirror was the witch. The monster. The mass murderer who'd killed hundreds of innocent people. Who'd tortured children. Who'd committed atrocities so horrible they were still telling stories about them centuries later.
And she'd asked me to come to her. She wanted to lure me and kill me!
My phone buzzed in my lap, making me jump. I looked down to see a message from Elijah.
Elijah: Are you okay? You look really pale.
I glanced up to find him watching me with concern, his dark eyes searching my face. Everyone else was still caught up in the aftermath of the story, Madison and Veronica clutching each other, Nicole looking shaken, the aunts refilling their drinks.
I typed back with shaking fingers.
Me: Just spooked by the story. I'm fine.
I was anything but fine. But I couldn't explain why without revealing what I'd seen, and I absolutely could not do that.
Not when everyone in this room would think I'd been marked by the evil witch and probably try to perform some kind of exorcism or banishing ritual on me.
Elijah studied me for a long moment, clearly not convinced, but he didn't push. He just gave me a small nod that said we'd talk later.
"Well," Nicole said with a shaky laugh, clearly trying to lighten the mood, "I think we could all use something positive after that horror show. Who wants to sleep with that as their last thought of the night?"
"Definitely not me," Madison agreed. "I'm going to be checking every mirror and shadow now."
"Me too," Veronica said. "That was way more intense than I expected."
"I have just the thing," Nicole announced, standing up with a flourish. She moved to a side table I hadn't noticed before, where several wrapped boxes sat waiting. "Wedding party gifts! I was going to give these to you before the ceremony, but I think we could all use something happy right now."
The boxes were wrapped in elegant silver paper with white ribbons, small enough to be jewelry boxes. I felt my stomach sink even further, though I wouldn't have thought that was possible.
"Madison, Veronica," Nicole said, handing them each a box with a bright smile. "Thank you for being my bridesmaids. For supporting me through all of this. You mean the world to me."
Madison tore into her box immediately, not bothering with careful unwrapping. She gasped dramatically when she saw what was inside. "Nicole! Oh my Goddess, this is gorgeous!"
Both girls launched themselves at Nicole, wrapping her in a group hug and squealing with delight.
"They're perfect!" Madison gushed. "They'll go perfectly with the dresses!"
"You're the best bride ever," Veronica agreed, spinning in a circle.
Then Nicole turned to me, and her smile took on a different quality. Something harder. More calculated. She held out the third box, extending it toward me.
"And Violet," she said, her voice pitched perfectly between friendly and formal. "Thank you for agreeing to be my maid of honor despite everything. I know things have been... complicated. But I appreciate you being here. For trying to be part of this family."
I took the box because refusing would have caused a scene, giving her further reason to stir drama.
"Thank you," I said flatly and set it down on the small table beside my chair.
Nicole noticed my dismissal but she didn't comment.
Instead, she looked at Cassie.
“Sorry, they only had three identical pieces so I got a different one for you” she held a box to Cassie who also didn’t bother opening it.
“Thanks”
“Welcome sister” Nicole turned back to Madison and Veronica, who were still admiring their bracelets, not noticing the way Cassie gagged at being called sister by Nicole.
I glanced at Elijah again and found him staring at the unopened box on my table intently. His jaw was clenched so tightly I could see the muscle jumping, his hands gripping the arms of his chair with enough force that his knuckles had gone white.
Why was he so fixated on it? It was just jewelry, presumably. Another bracelet to match the ones Madison and Veronica had received.
But Elijah looked like the box contained a live bomb.
Nicole noticed his gaze too. She let her gaze travel from me to the box and then at Elijah.
Her smile took on a strange quality, something I couldn't quite read.
"You can go check the gift right now if you want," she said to him, "I don't mind."
Elijah's eyes snapped to her face, and narrowed for just a second before he looked away from her.
Then he shook his head. "No need," he said, his voice carefully neutral.
But he kept staring at that box like it might attack me if he looked away.
"Well," Aurelia said, rising with fluid grace. "It's getting late, and tomorrow we will have the rehearsal dinner. Everybody, get some rest."
"Yes," Nicole agreed, though she looked disappointed that her bonding evening was ending. "Tomorrow's the rehearsal dinner. We all need to be at our best so that no mishap occurs on the actual wedding day."
Everybody started leaving and I stood up quickly as well as I was eager to escape, and breathe for a second. I needed to be alone, needed space to process everything I'd learned.
But as I moved toward the door, I felt Elijah fall into step beside me. He didn't touch me, didn't say anything, but his presence was both comforting and suffocating at the same time.
When we were finally alone, far enough from anyone who might overhear, Elijah spoke.
"Are you going to tell me what's really wrong?" His voice was quiet, controlled, but I could hear the concern underneath. "And don't say you're just spooked by a story. I saw your face. You looked like you were going to pass out."