Page 119 of Her Dark Promise

I heard it—the emotion, the shift in his feelings and thoughts, but I just wanted things to end. I was done fighting.

“You only made that decisionafteryou found out what a monster he was. Not because of me. Save your lies.”

He squeezed my wrists even tighter, the pain biting hard enough to make me flinch.

But Soren interrupted us. “Bast, let up, you’re hurting her.”

The moment Soren said that he let go immediately, sitting up. He cursed under his breath as he ran a hand through his hair and whispered, “Fuck it.”

He reached down, pulling me to him, and kissed me. It was desperate and messy. I was so in shock that it took me a moment to wrap my mind around what was happening. I didn’t know if I was too exhausted to fight it, but I hesitantly opened my mouth, then ran my hands up his muscular arms, gripping them like my life depended on it as if I could hang onto this moment.

As if he would help me change my mind.

I melted into his body, reveling in the way our mouths fit perfectly, as much as I didn’t want to admit it. He let me go, still cradling my head in his hands as he leaned back to look at me.

I was at a loss for a moment, but I knew his intention and motive. He was trying to distract me.

“You won’t stop me from ending it.”

“Yes, I will. If you think that I will let you out of my sight for even a moment, you are sorely mistaken.”

“Stop pretending that you care for me.” He was about to say something else when I tried to push him off again and couldn’t help wincing from the wound in my stomach.

Soren said with more conviction, “Off her, Bast. Now. She isn’t going anywhere.”

He reluctantly got up, and I looked around. Soren was sitting on the ground, still holding his nose. Bastian was standing above me, and Callum was nearby, with silent tears running down his face. I heard a noise near the archway and found Emilia standing there with her hand over her mouth, crying.

Finally, the horror settled into me. I tuned out everyone except Emilia, watching her body heave from how heavily she wassobbing. I had almost left her. I promised never to leave her and I’d almost left her.

“Emilia,” I said her name. Tears welled in my eyes until I could no longer see her before me.

She turned and left the scene in a rush.

My skin heated from the concern written over all of their faces. I knew that Bastian would keep his word and wouldn’t leave me, even for a moment. I tried standing to walk back, wanting to chase her down.

Before I could move an inch, as if he read my mind, Bastian scooped me up and into his arms and walked back toward the castle.

I was about to demand he put me down when he cursed and said, “Callum, she’s shivering. Give me your cloak.”

A moment later, I was wrapped in a thick cloak, teeth chattering so hard that I could have chipped a tooth. I had forgotten about the cold.

I choked back the tears, instead needing to focus on Bastian and try one more time. Make them understand that it would be better for everyone if they just let me go.

I looked up at Bastian, ready to plead my case, but what came out instead was, “Emilia saw everything?” I sounded pathetic, but that’s what desperate creatures were.

“Don’t think about it.”

I leaned into his warmth, resting my head on his chest.

We made it back to my chambers in no time, and I saw everyone running around the place. Emilia went to my wardrobe to grab a fresh nightgown, Callum moved swiftly to the bathroom, and Soren walked away to grab the medical kit from another room.

Bastian walked into the bathroom and set me gently on the ground next to the tub. He started peeling off my dress,but I smacked his hand away in protest. I winced again; any movement was intolerable.

“Stop. We need to clean you up so that Soren can tend to your wound. Do you need me to remind you that you currently have no powers? You won’t win.”

He was right, I looked off to the side and hung my hands limply at my sides, allowing him to continue taking off the dress. It wasn’t anything that he hadn't seen before. He lifted me with ease and sat me in the tub. Emilia came into view as I stared out the window. She added an assortment of salts and liquids to the bath, which immediately seeped into my skin and eased the pain.

She came to the side of the tub and I watched her dip a cup into the water, using it to wet my hair. Her movements were light, ensuring that none of it got in my eyes. She didn’t talk to me, and I didn’t try to make conversation.

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