The Ripple Effect

“Luca, are you okay?”

I shrugged away from the hand that grabbed my arm, but Eliana just turned her nose up at me.

“Fine! See if I care if you keep that broomstick lodged up your arse!”

I growled under my breath, but she was true to her word as she simply stalked to put distance between us. Zeya scampered away from me as well.

But could I really be blamed? My...nightmare...was bothering me endlessly! For the longest time, I had dreams about Sophie. I had come to terms with it, and I had come to look forward to it—in a really messed up kind of way.

But Eliana... She had made me kill Sophie! That was the only logical reasoning I could find. Eliana had somehow forced me to leave Sophie to die, and she did it in a way that made it look like it had been my choice.

I growled with even more frustration. But it had sure looked like my choice! I shoved my hands through my hair, nearly pulling each strand from my head. This was just too much to process! Iah certainly wasn’t pleased with my thoughts either, what with me leaving his mate to plummet to her death. He didn’t even like Eliana.

Not that I particularly cared for her either.

My eyes were burning into the back of her skull, and I knew Eliana could feel the daggers. She wrapped one arm around Zeya’s shoulders as they chatted, seemingly ignoring my palpable rage toward her general direction.

But then she confirmed my suspicion as she threw her free hand into the air with a particular finger held skyward. The insufferable creature didn’t even look at me; she just blindly insulted my entire household with that one rude gesture, with no care whatsoever!

Zeya looked up, and the rest of Eliana’s fingers flew upright as she waved innocently at me. My pup just grinned and joined her in waving at me. I waved back awkwardly, trying my best to ignore the devious grin on Eliana’s stupid face. How I loathed her stupid, stupid face...

The next two days continued like this. Eliana seemed to enjoy picking at my mood, and it only soured with each passing night as the vivid nightmares continued. Nothing eventful seemed to happen during the days anymore, yet I was so on edge from sleepless nights that I was not sure I would be prepared if anything did happen. And my pride was what suffered most from that.

It had been a week since I had talked to Eliana in more than aggressive grunts and grumbles. She always wore a scowl now, unless she was mocking me—in which case she donned that Devil’s smirk. I was this close to trying to smack that look from her face, but not with Zeya to witness it.

“Papa, are you okay?” Zeya mumbled, grabbing my hand tightly in hers and effectively pulling me from my drowning thoughts.

I nodded half-heartedly. But my eyes remained on Eliana’s back, ever weary of her.

“Nuh-uh.” I looked at her, frowning. “You’re not okay. Papa... You’ve been staring at Ellie’s back for the past two hours. Like some kind of zombie or something. Why?”

I froze. For the past two hours? By the gods, what was wrong with me! I began stuttering, stumbling over my tongue as my cheeks burned a fiery red. This was mortifying! A cheeky grin cracked Zeya’s little face in two.

“Papa,” she cooed in a sing-song voice. “You like Ellie!”

“No, I don’t!” I hissed, glowering at her as she continued to smile up at me mockingly. “Don’t you dare ever say that again, Zeya!”

“But you do! I think it’s cute!” she argued, holding tightly to my hand despite the fact that I was trying to jerk free of her grasp. “You deserve a mate, Papa.”

I stopped squirming as the blood rushed from my face. A mate... My shoulders slumped. No. That just wasn’t my life. My purpose was to raise Zeya, to see her find her mate and have a family. I just wasn’t cut out for the ending of which she now spoke.

“No, I don’t,” I murmured, leaning down and easily pulling her into my arms. She nestled against my neck, and a gentle calm fell over me.

Suddenly I understood. Eliana was running through my mind lately, and it just wouldn’t quit. But it was because a part of me still clung to the idea of a family. Part of me just wouldn’t give up until it was completely hopeless. My subconscious picked Eliana because she was in the same situation as I was. She was mate-less; she was dumped by the love of her life and left out in the cold. So of course I would seek comfort from her—we were one in the same.

“Eliana,” I said quietly, but her ears twitched slightly. Not that she dared to turn and face me. So, louder, I said, “Eliana, I’ve been behaving like a child.”

She exhaled long and low, and then she whirled around. Her eyes were narrowed, her lips curved in a deep scowl. Her hand suddenly flew to her hip. I could not help the doomed smile that crept onto my face.

“I should say you have!” she hissed, huffing at me. “I did nothing to you, Luca! And you’re an absolute buffoon!”

“I know,” I mumbled, running my fingers through Zeya’s hair. She didn’t stir in the slightest. “I’m sorry.”

Eliana closed her mouth quickly, like she was actually speechless for once. But then she turned her back to me, though her head feverishly shook back and forth.

“You’re not even going to tell me what that was all about, are you?” she grumbled so quietly that I barely heard the words.

“Just...a dumb dream.”

She looked over her shoulder, a confused look on her face. This woman had the potential to be a beautiful woman, if she would only unfurrow her brow like this.

“About me?” she squeaked.

I nodded slowly as I played absently with Zeya’s hair. “But I understand that it was just a dream. I was keeping this grudge over something you didn’t even do.”

“So now you’re dreaming about me being a pain?” she teased lightly, but part of her face remained serious.

“It’s not like that.”

She nodded quickly, and then she chewed on her lip before stopping dead in her tracks. Once I caught up to her, she fell into place beside me. Eliana was quiet then, like something was weighing on her mind.

Two minutes passed before she murmured, “I had a dream about you, too. And you pissed me off.” She glanced coyly up at me with a small shrug. “But I guess we handle things differently.”

I had lashed out at her from my dream... But when she saw me the other night, when I had just awoken, she had avoided me. I had stared at her, and she had immediately pretended to fall asleep, anything to avoid the discomfort.

I laughed despite myself, and Eliana gave me a weird look. But I wondered whose way was better: my brooding, or her flagrant ignorance? Perhaps both were equally terrible.

“You have your way, and I have mine,” I finally told her, smiling at her as she gave me a really weird look. “So I guess that’s just how it will have to be, Eliana.”

She was quiet then, before she mumbled, “Luca.... You can call me Ellie.”

I dared to glance down at her out of the corner of my eye, but she was going to obvious lengths to avoid my gaze. Taking a deep breath, I placed my free arm around her shoulders. Her eyes bugged out at me, but she didn’t immediately run away. Swallowing a breath, I murmured, “Thank you, Ellie.”

She didn’t run, but dare I say that she moved half an inch closer?