Page 28 of Healing Elixirs & Wicked Crows

A blush crept up her neck, painting her cheeks rosy as her attention dropped to my crooked smile.I lifted my right arm over my head and leaned back until my spine pressed into the trunk of a nearby tree.She tore her gaze from me, but not before I saw a flash of anger behind her eyes.My smile still affected her, and she didn't like that one bit.Knowing this only made me smile wider.

"You know, for a healer, you sure have a talent for attracting trouble," I said, stifling a laugh when she swung back to face me.

Rosemary gestured to the path ahead with her hand."I thought you were annoyed with my frequent breaks.Shouldn't we be moving along?"she said, her teeth setting with irritation as she glared back at me."And I'm not trying to attract any trouble.I'm just trying to save my sister from her curse."

I pushed myself forward, following behind her as she moved through the woods.She never held the branches at bay for me to walk through with her, and I'd caught her soft giggles the few times I'd caught them with my face or body instead of my hands.

She walked through the trees as if she were one of them, and I'd have sworn that I'd seen them bend out of her way, if only just slightly, at least a time or two.Out here, she didn't have to tend and worry and measure.She could simply be.

"You might not be trying to attract trouble, but you certainly are doing it," I replied, catching the branch she'd moved out of her way seconds before it smacked right into my nose.Inches.I'd caught it in time by a mere two inches."Those pixies haven't been seen this far from their borders in decades.Luckily for you, though, I'm here to keep you safe."When she shot another look my way, I waggled my eyebrows.She almost dropped her anger for a smile then.Almost.

"You think it was your influence that kept us safe from the pixies' lure last night?"she asked, stopping so suddenly that I came a breath away from walking into her when she spun to face me.She had her arms crossed over her chest, a single dark brow arched as she stared at me."You would have danced your feet bloody if not for me!"

"Maybe that's how it looked from where you were sitting," I said, lifting my arms as I sashayed closer to her using some of the dance moves that I put to use last night."They wouldn't have denied my prowess for long though."I danced a tight circle around her."No one can withstand my charm for long."

Rosemary choked on a laugh."You aren't as charming as you think."Her whiskey gaze followed my movements as I spun around her."You're like a bad dream that I simply cannot wake up from."

"Oh, princess, I think you misspoke.I'm like an erotic dream that you don't want to escape."

My balance faltered as she shoved my shoulder hard."You’re dreaming," she replied, turning from me and heading forward once more as I fell to the leaf littered ground.

I jumped to my feet and trailed only a few feet behind her, dodging the branches she pushed away from her as she passed them."Oh, princess," I answered, unable to keep the smirk from my lips as my words worked their magic on her."You have no idea just how close to the truth you are.I do dream.Every night, actually."Something I'd done for nearly the past one hundred years.

"Then," she said over her shoulder, not bothering to even glance my way, "It looks like you're the one stuck in a nightmare.Doomed to chase something you want but are never quite capable enough to actually capture it."

My stomach churned at her words, because she had no idea how accurate it felt like she was.

A large root caught the toe of Rosemary's boot, and she stumbled.Within the blink of an eye, I went from a few paces behind her to next to her, my arms stretching to break her fall.I lifted her back onto her feet, letting her straighten her skirts as I smiled at her."Careful, you're going to want to keep your eyes on where we're headed.You keep looking back at me and you'll end up falling again."

She swatted at the dust that had settled onto her skirt a bit more forcefully as she glared at me."It seems to me that you have a talent for making women reassess their life choices," she said through clenched teeth.

I placed my hand to my chest."Oh, you wound me!"I batted my lashes at her."It seems the pixie queen has been spilling all my secrets."I lowered my voice as I trailed behind her again."Because if I’m being serious, the only one who should be stumbling here is me.Truly.Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?"

She sighed."My sister is the beauty of our family."

"Oh, I'm sure she’s beautiful too, but I was referring to the beauty that is right in front of me.You’re aware that you shine brighter than just the beauty of your skin, right?"I grabbed her hand, halting her steps as I forced her to hear these words.She needed to know the effect she had on those around her."You have the type of beauty that’s not just surface deep.It's richer than that, and it radiates from you like a beacon for all."

A crimson blush lit her cheeks, and she pulled her palm from my hold, turning her back to me as she continued forward.I didn't move.I watched her walk as she still favored her right leg a little.Her fingers curled around the strap of her bag, her chin dipped to the center of her chest, and her gaze dragged along the tips of her boots.

"What happens when you save her?"I asked, watching her closely.

She stopped, but she didn't turn to face me."What do you mean?"

"When you save your sister, what happens after that?"I pressed.Her body seemed frozen in place, as if she’d never let herself think about what would come next."How long have you dedicated yourself to breaking this curse of hers?When you see it broken, what happens next?"

Her shoulders drooped.When she spoke, her words came softer than the breeze, and I struggled to hear them."I...I’m not sure."She turned to me, but her gaze remained fixed on the foliage above, as if she saw her future up in those leafy limbs."For as long as I can remember, I've devoted every waking moment to finding a way to break Briar's curse.It's been my sole purpose, my reason for being, for most of my whole life."

When her brown gaze found mine, I locked my knees into place.The sight of her shimmering irises, the vulnerability within, made me want to pull her into my arms.My heart screamed at me to protect this girl.To keep her safe.But I knew she wouldn't let me, at least not yet.I shoved my hands into my pockets to keep myself from reaching for her.

"I suppose," she said, blinking back the tears that threatened to fall, "I suppose I just want to be happy."A wistful smile played along her rosy lips."To see Briar open her eyes, to hear her laughter echoing through our home.I want to know that she’s free from the chains of this curse.I want her to live again too."

Everything she’d given up for her sister was clear in how she reacted to my question.How she’d had to put her dreams aside to care for Briar, and how she’d had to carry this burden alone all these years.Life had been crueler to her than she deserved.She deserved every peace.

"And then, perhaps, we could rebuild what was lost.We could go home.I could continue my work as a healer.I think that’s what I would want...when this curse has been broken," she finished, then she laughed, wiping at her damp eyes.

As she spoke, a soft breeze rustled through the leaves overhead, casting dappled shadows across her face that ignited a desire deep within me that I found hard to quell.As that light shifted and danced across her delicate features, her long-buried dreams flickered behind her downcast gaze.Those dreams of a life unburdened by the sorrow of spending all these years trying to rescue her sister.A life of joy, purpose, and hope.Those big brown eyes I always lost myself within glanced up at me."And maybe," she quietly said, "just maybe, I could find real love.The lasting kind.Not the kind you have to bury after a short amount of time."She laughed."Now, who's dreaming, huh?"

The light dappled her face as the breeze whispered through the trees, crafting a soft melody.Her confession brought a bittersweet ache to my chest, and I wished she knew how much I longed for that dream to come true for her, how many nights I'd hoped for a future together.My secrets and her forgotten past made breathing difficult as she looked away.The pain in her eyes was my fault, a burden from my mother's choices and my own failures.I could never be the one she loved, not after all that had happened and all that was yet to come.