Page 132 of Her Dark Promise

“Because of the curse, but now it’s different.”

I shrugged. It’s not that I didn’t want to eat, but I truly wasn’t hungry. Every time I thought of Emilia, my hunger dissipated.

“Fine. Then at least drink this.” He poured me something and held it out, wanting to help me, but I didn’t needhishelp. No matter how much it seemed as though he was trying to stick by his word to me. I smacked the cup away, spraying whatever was in it all over the ground and on him.

I could see Callum staring at the both of us, looking haggard and exhausted. For days, they had slaved over my every need. But it was Bastian’s fault; he kept me weak and I was so exhausted from everything that had happened that I simply stopped caring. I prayed that I would wither away to nothing, and that I would be past the point of no return.

Not even knowing that it would cause irreparable damage to Emilia could stop the thoughts from coming on.

Bastian and I stared each other down, and I waited for him to tire of me and leave. I saw his chest rapidly moving up and down as he fought through every retort I knew was on the tip of his tongue. But he didn’t say anything.

Instead, he drank whatever was left in the cup, grabbed a fistful of my hair, and yanked my head back. I began to protest, but the moment my mouth opened, he descended upon me, covered my mouth with his, and spit the drink into my mouth. I tried to fight him off, but he held strong and pinched my nose, forcing me to swallow.

The moment the liquid ran down my throat, I stood up and pushed him as hard as I could, but he didn’t move an inch.

Some of the liquid dripped down my chin as I seethed, “What do you think you are doing?”

“You’re right, I am relentless,” he ground out. “And you’re human again…at least for the moment. If you don’t eat and drink, I will make you.”

The tables had turned on me, and the vulnerability left me heated. “I will fucking kill you.”

“And cue the threats.” He raised his arms in the air. “You are becoming rather predictable.”

“Can you both please stop? I have something to say.” Soren raised his voice loud enough to cut through our bickering. We all turned to him. “That night, you never gave me a chance to explain that it was all a misunderstanding.”

A misunderstanding? Is that why he kept his distance? Because he thought I was still upset with him?

Soren was looking only at me. “Yes, I read some of your journal, but I stopped the moment I realized that it belonged to you. I only read that one passage, I swear it. I want to hear your story from you, not from this.” He slid the journal to me—a peace offering. I didn't know what to think of it, and after another few moments of silence, he said, “I knew the only useful thing I could do for you was research. That’s all I was trying to do.”

I flicked my eyes from the journal to him and sat back down. Bastian nodded to his brother to continue.

I sat up a little straighter. Was he about to tell me what I thought he was about to tell me?

“I was in the chapel reading.” I wondered why he read in there and not the library, when his cheeks reddened. I scoffed as he continued, “I stood and began to pace when I felt one of the floorboards give way, and when I lifted it, there was a book.”

He reached down onto the chair next to him and lifted an old leather-bound book in his hands. I paled at the familiar-looking book I hadn’t seen since I confronted Circe about her plans.

He flipped through a few pages before stopping on one and read, “Calathea is coming into her own. I have successfully ostracized her from her family, and she is ready to come with me. To her people. At times, I lose my conviction. She is a marvel, this girl, and knowing that I can free her from her father’s wrath and give her life where she can be truly herself…it’s all worth it.” He gently shut the book.

I shuddered at her words, feeling like I could hear her voice again, standing in front of me.

“I think it’s time we heard the truth. Your story.”

I looked around to find that they all wanted to hear it. But I wasn’t ready. “Who are you to order me?”

He sighed. “I am not ordering you to tell us, but if you want out of this curse, then I am your best bet.”

“I don’t want yourhelp.”

That’s it. Push them away. You don’t need them.I couldn’t help hearing a slight inflection in her tone, as if she were worried.

“Yes, you do. I have been slaving away reading these texts to try and help you, but I can’t do anything unless I know the whole truth. Please…”

His tone was calm, his shoulders relaxed, and he gave me a smile that begged me to trust him.

He is only treating you this way so that you don’t explode again. He thinks you are fragile. You are anything but.

“I am not made of glass, Soren!”

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