75 : Stay With You

VERENA

Elijah’s face morphs into worry as he says, “Nixie’s body was replaced in the cemetery, so we believe she’s alive. Also, Theon’s body is missing.”

My stomach coils into knots. “Did you learn this after our meeting at the fair?” I ask sternly.

He shifts his gaze to the window through which the afternoon light filters in, painting his sharp face in an amber glow. He shakes his head slowly. I can hear his heart race. “I knew about this the night we met. The night you shifted.”

Anger blazes inside me. My fist curls. “Why? Why didn’t you tell me this, Elijah?” I ask, glaring at him.

Why does everyone keep hiding things from me?

He looks back at me, his brow furrowing. “I believed I'd find Nixie soon. I was searching for her before I came to the fair,” he explains. So that’s why he was late. His face softens. “I didn’t expect things to escalate this far.” The sadness and guilt are clear in his voice.

But that’s not enough to reduce my anger.

I keep my voice low so that Ezra isn’t dist