A tarot reader aids a mysterious man who believes she is the only one who can help him return to his true home in the eerie Manaan caverns where they must fight the natural and supernatural to stay alive.
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Maxine Shepard is a tarot reader who h...
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The loud rumbling that surrounded us ceased, leaving us to our soft cries and murmurs. Jace's stone cold hand dropped from mine and I turned to see the respective partners holding and comforting each other. The dancing shadows on the jagged wall seemed to not share in our melancholy.
Each couple whispered words of encouragement amongst themselves.
"It's alright."
"We're going to be okay."
"We'll get through this."
However, there I was with no one to comfort me or relay the typical words of reassurance. My instinct was to lock eyes with the only other single person in the vicinity, and although I needed comfort to fill the void in my heart, anger rose in its place.
"You," I snarled. Blamore lifted his sad gaze and we locked eyes. "You did this."
He bowed his head and his shoulders slumped in surrender. "Sorry."
"You did this to us!" I screamed, allowing my anger to bubble to the surface. In no time I was on the other side of the room, pushing and shoving the man to no avail. His large and heavy frame remained fixed. "You never should've come into my shop. I never should've allowed you in there." The butt of my fists repeatedly pounded against his muscled chest until he grabbed them to stop me.
I looked up into his face in the dim light. "Why?" My question wasn't directed at him. It was a question for myself regarding my refusal to forgive Jace. Would it have been so bad to give him that peace of mind? After all, forgiving was not excusing his behavior, but a means of not allowing his behavior to have power over me.
Blamore frowned, his lips quivered slightly. "I'm sorry."
I closed my eyes to stop the tears from blurring my vision and lay my head on his chest. It seemed natural after all, a warm, comforting embrace in the aftermath of a devastating loss. A loss that I felt responsible for. I expected Blamore to stand there in awe, but he surprised me by enveloping me in his arms.
I tuned out the subtle noise around me and sunk deeper into his embrace, allowing his cotton shirt to wick away my heavy tears. I permitted the rapid drumming of his heart to calm my nerves and all went silent.
Warm liquid engulfs me from my neck down. Hands and feet rapidly paddle in the dark, floating, suspended yet moving along towards nothingness. A vicious tug on my leg yanks me down. My heart rate increases. Fingers enclose around my ankles, pulling me down, down, down. Deeper in an abyss. I inhale liquid as the fingers claw at my calves.
"Don't worry," Blamore whispered, snapping me back to reality. "I will protect you."
I pulled away from him, staring suspiciously at this stranger and the vision he conjured from me at his touch. "We have to keep moving. I can't stand to be in this room much longer."
