Page 131 of Her Dark Promise

“I would be a shell again, fearful of the things I want, the feelings I deny. I would never recover. Don’t you see that? Emilia wasn’t the only one you saved.”

I lightly pulled my head out of his calloused hand and laid down next to Callum who sleepily welcomed me back into his arms. I considered his words long and hard and denied them until the pain felt real again. Until I hated myself again. They couldn’t be true. I knew it just like the witch knew it—I couldn’t save anyone and wasn’t worth anything.

I told him I was done with the lies.

Chapter twenty-four

It had been days, and Emilia had yet to come out of her room. She would only allow Callum to leave food at her door but completely refused my company. Unless I wanted to force her to be around me, I would just have to respect her space and wait.

I loathed waiting.

And then there was Soren. The scholar who went on and on and on andfuckingon about being obsessed with me, and now when I almost died, he was nowhere to be found. The least he could do was check on me, but nothing. Callum and Bastian had made excuses for him, but I didn’t want to hear it. I wouldn’t beg for his attention.

As much as I hated Bastian, at least he was trying.

My thoughts must have summoned Soren because he was standing next to his seat at the table awaiting my arrival.

“Your grace.” He gave me a small smile as he pulled out my chair. I walked over and sat down, ignoring him completely. I began to thrum my fingers against the arm of the chair while Bastian set down platters of food.

“Your grace?” Soren asked.

Something appeared in front of my eyes, and as I focused on it, I could see that it was a spoon filled with potatoes and meat from the stew Bastian made.

I narrowed my eyes at Bastian, and he rolled his. “Please give me the honor of feeding you.”

“I’m not particularly hungry.”

He cocked his head. “Then indulge me.”

He brought the spoon to my lips, and I swatted it away. “I am not in the mood to eat.”

“You are skin and bones.”

“I have never had anyone complain about that,” I spat out. “Your brother seemed delighted when I let him lick me from the inside.”

He blanched. “What did you just say?”

I raised an eyebrow, toying with his emotions, knowing full well that Soren wouldn’t have told him the naughty details about our night in the chapel. Bastian turned to Soren, who had straightened up at the admission.

“It was only the one time you already know about it,” Soren stated, matter of fact. “So, this shouldn’t be a surprise.”

A muscle feathered in his jaw. “Eat.” He grabbed his spoon, dipped it back in the soup, and brought it to my mouth more forcefully.

“No.”

“I won’t sit around while you waste away. Not after everything.”

“I’m not eating.”

“You’re stubborn,” he spat.

“You’re relentless and exhausting.”

Callum sighed. “Bastian, let her be. It’s been a long couple of weeks. Everyone is stressed.”

“Which is exactly why she needs to eat. She needs to keep her strength up so that she doesn’t die!”

“I told you that I am not hungry!” I turned my head away from the spoon. “I have gone longer without food or water.”

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