The Usurper's Throne

18

A shimmer of gold.

"You're late," Elijah said, yanking me into the dark realm.

Panic flooded me. "I—I'm—I'm sorry," I stuttered, looking down at my watch. It was 5:53. Hadn't we agreed on six? Or was it 5:30? Was I twenty-three minutes late? My arm began to ache. I swore inside my head and stared down at the ground. I was such an idiot.

Of course, I would be late. Pathetic. I was a stupid wretch who knew nothing better than being an idiot with no sense of time. I deserved the pain. I deserved the punishment. No wonder Damien attacked me yesterday. He just saw a glimpse of who I really was—a horrific wretch with nothing to offer to anyone.

I glanced up and saw Elijah's hand coming toward me. I flinched hard and covered my face with my hands, shaking. Why did I move? That made everything ten times worse. Dots began to swim in front of my face as the oxygen got thin.

Suddenly, I felt Elijah's hands on my elbows. "Naomi, what the hell was that?" he asked.

"I'm sorry," I said quickly. "I—" Images of flame and knives popped into my head. I could smell scrambled eggs and sanitizer. Did I remember to warm up the sanitizer?

Suddenly, I was on the floor.

Elijah's hand was on my forehead, and I saw his lips moving. I was frozen.

"Breathe, Naomi. You're safe here. The dark realm is literally the safest place you could be right now. What happened?"

I blinked a few times and I remembered where I was. With Elijah. In the Wereking's castle. In the dark realm. Training.

I almost choked on my next breath and started to take a few deep breaths. I was shivering in a cold sweat. I glanced up at Elijah. He looked concerned.

"Sorry," I stammered.

"You keep saying that, but I have no idea why you're apologizing."

"I'm late."

Elijah looked at me in confusion and concern. "You're early. Also, you could be late and who cares? You could skip. I don't care. I'm here to help you."

I stared at him. "You told me I was late," I said.

Elijah searched my face intently. "I don't know why I would. You're not. It's before six." His eyes peered into mine. "Naomi, what happened?" he asked.

I took a deep breath. "How did I end up on the floor?" I asked.

"I sat you down because you were going into a freaking trance," Elijah said. "Naomi, what happened? Is Damien hurting you?" he asked intently.

I shook my head before I realized I was lying.

I shook it off. That wasn't the point.

"I just had a flashback. I could have sworn you told me I was late."

"And that's a trigger? Why?"

I took a deep breath. "Because if I was late, then I'd be punished."

"Punished?" he asked.

I nodded and pulled up my sleeves, revealing my zebra arms. I watched his reaction closely. He was trying very hard to keep his reaction quiet.

"Who did this to you, Naomi?"

"My old pack was less than kind," I said, pulling my sleeve back down. I took a deep breath, trying to hide my embarrassment. "What's on the docket today?" I asked.

Elijah was silent for a few moment, observing me.

I glanced at him. "Please. Let's move on."

He nodded slowly. "Of course. We'll be doing much of what we did yesterday. Calling the wind and calming it. Until it becomes as natural as breathing."