The younger water fae looked like she’d been up for several days. Between her form-fitting black leggings, oversized gray sweater, and messy bun, she appeared far more frazzled than the rebellious fae Brynleigh had first met. Mascara streaked down her cheeks, her eyes were red and puffy, and she gnawed on her lip ring.
Ryker choked out his sister’s name, and River broke into a run, jumping into his arms. He caught her, squeezing tightly.
Neither sibling looked back at Brynleigh as they embraced, and that was…
Fine.
Well. Not fine.
Not fine at all, actually.
A fresh wave of grief so powerful she could barely breathe slammed into Brynleigh. She stumbled back as though someone had shoved her. Her heart ached, and tears rushed to her eyes.
Brynleigh had underestimated how devastating it would be to see River again. She was just so similar to Sarai.
But River was here, and Brynleigh’s sister was dead.
Because of River.
Brynleigh’s chest burned as if someone had punched her in the heart.
The old grief of loss was still present, but a fresh ache burrowed its way into her heart.
She could’ve had this. A place in a new family. Hugs. Kisses. Love.
Maybe things would’ve been different if Brynleigh had stopped Zanri and explained everything. Maybe she wouldn’t have ended up in the dungeon. Maybe Ryker could have forgiven her if she’d confessed everything sooner.
Maybe, maybe, maybe.
All the maybes were silver knives stabbing Brynleigh’s heart.
Ryker still held River, who had buried her face in his shoulder. He murmured something too quiet even for Brynleigh to hear. This was a fucking private moment, and she was interrupting it.
This was wrong. She shouldn’t be here. Shouldn’t be witnessing this.
Not after everything.
Brynleigh staggered back, needing distance.
Alone. She was so gods-damned alone.
The pain of her loss had never been as poignant as it was right now. No matter how tightly she hugged herself, it wasn’t enough. Her stomach cramped, and tears pricked behind her eyes.
She hadn’t shed a single tear when she killed the Earth Elf, but now it felt like she was moments away from weeping.
Her gaze dropped to the floor. Baseboards had never been so intriguing.
After a few minutes, Ryker murmured, “What’s wrong, River?”
The concern in his voice made Brynleigh feel even worse.
Ryker loved his sister so much. It was fucking selfish to even think about it, but Brynleigh wanted him to talk toherlike that again. She wouldn’t be nearly as lonely if she even had a fraction of the affection Ryker showed River.
The younger water fae hiccuped.
“Mom’s still on her work trip in the Northern Region, so it’s just me and the nurses watching Dad. I had an exam earlier, and I was up all night studying. When I came back… It’s bad. He was lucid earlier, but now…”
“The Stillness is getting worse?” Ryker whispered.