Page 68 of Cursed By Fate

I landed outside the remote cabin and tucked my wings away. Laurel stood in her side yard, hanging laundry on the line. Her thick silver hair was styled in its usual braid and threaded with a green ribbon. She wore a black Dolly Parton T-shirt and green shorts.

She poked her head through a pair of compression socks when she noticed me. “This is a nice surprise, duck. I wasn’t expecting any visitors today.”

“Are you ever?”

“Fair enough. Give me one sec. I’m about finished here.” She clipped a pair of pants on the line and ducked underneath to approach me. “It’s going to be a scorcher today. I figured I’d get the laundry out.”

“Smart move.”

The hinges creaked as Laurel opened the front door. “You must be thirsty. Would you like a drink?”

“I’m good, thanks.”

“Hope you don’t mind if I grab one for myself.” She moseyed to the small kitchen area and poured a glass of cranberry juice. “It’s homemade, if that changes your mind.”

“No thank you.” Even a UTI couldn’t entice me to drink cranberry juice.

I sat on the sofa as she shuffled in and took her place in a wooden rocking chair that I was fairly certain she’d made with her own two hands. Laurel was a wonder.

“What brings you all the way out here on such a nice day?” She sipped her juice.

“Do you think my nose is absurdly straight?”

Laurel did a double take. “Sorry, what?”

I traced the outline of my nose. “Is this a right angle?”

She blinked. “I suppose. It’s a rather good nose, duck. You should be proud of it.”

“I can’t take credit for it.”

“I’m willing to wager your nose is not the reason you flew out here.”

“No. There’s an issue I want to discuss.”

Laurel finished her juice and set the glass aside. “Is this about the new girl? Your assistant?”

Her question threw me for a loop. “Penny? Why would I come to talk to you about Penny?”

“I heard she’s a fury.” Laurel picked up a knife and a piece of wood. The druid liked to keep her hands busy.

“She is. She was injured on the job and sent into early retirement.”

“Of all the supernaturals, we rarely hear about them.” Laurel’s tongue stuck out as she concentrated on whittling the wood.

“Because they’re a rare species,” I said.

“Do you think it’s possible the Fates sent her to Evermore on purpose?” Laurel asked.

I didn’t flinch. “Why would the Fates do a thing like that?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe she’s a plant, here to make sure nobody steps out of line.”

“That’s my job. Besides, an island like Evermore is the last place the Fates would be interested in.”

Which was exactly why I chose the island as my hiding spot. Just because I’d disappeared from existence didn’t mean I was taking any chances. If the Fates found me, they wouldn’t kill me. Oh no. They wouldn’t waste a valuable resource. They’d reclaim me as their weapon. Remove my free will entirely by pulling every one of my threads until they got their desired outcome. Erase the memories I’d made on Evermore, and with them, the person I’d become.

I couldn’t let that happen. I’d rather die first.