Page 27 of Her Dark Promise

Chapter six

Ididn’t know what to say to him. I had tortured him for days, not caring about his needs. I was so sure he was guilty that I couldn’t see past the rage that blinded me from possibly discerning the truth earlier. I felt my breathing grow ragged and my heart thundered in my chest. I was getting sloppy, reckless.

Now I had to decide what to do with him. I could kill him and be done with it, but that was against the rules. His purpose here was to hunt the beast, stop the sacrifices, and save his sister. None of that warranted death. But if I let him live, he could return with other hunters. I knew he would, even if he promised that he wouldn’t. Humans weren’t to be trusted and I had given him every reason to hate me.

I took a deep breath before pushing the door open and heading into the room as a thought passed through my mind.

Or I could keep him…

Take my time in deciding how to take care of his father.

I narrowed my eyes and made my way over to him. Since he was no longer a threat, I allowed myself a moment to look at him—really look at him. His black hair was shorter than the men’sfrom my youth, but the way it looked on him was nothing short of remarkable. My gaze lingered on the chiseled edge of his jaw, strikingly sharp as if it were sculpted from stone. His muscles bulged beneath his ripped shirt, and sweat beaded on his skin.

I thought back to a few days ago, about my hand wrapped around his neck and how he towered over me. To anyone else, his demeanor could make anyone fearful of the damage that he could inflict, but not me. No, nothing scared me anymore.

I sighed and lifted a brow when I saw one of his muscles tense. “You can stop pretending to be asleep now.”

He opened his eyes but didn’t move. His muscles must have been atrophied. “Are you happy now?”

I raised my eyes until we were staring at each other. I tilted my head, hair falling in front of my face, and asked, “Why would I be happy?”

“You got what you wanted, didn’t you? Found out I was telling you the truth? If not, then I wouldn’t be breathing right now.”

I scoffed, set down the plate full of food I had taken from Emilia, and brought it up here for him. “You’re right about one thing. If I had found out that you were a part of their group then you would be dead…eventually. No, I would have drawn out your suffering for years until your body finally gave out and killed you out of mercy.”

He widened his eyes and snapped his mouth shut, seemingly shocked by my admission. And I swear I saw a shudder of fear pass over his body, one that I knew he tried to hold back but couldn’t.

“But that is not why I am up here.” I looked away, lost in thought. “I have yet to decide what to do with you.”

“What do you mean? You found out the truth! Now, you do the right thing and let me go.”

“The right thing?” I pondered, finger tapping my chin.

“Yes!” He exclaimed. He was getting more and more agitated by the second.

And the more agitated he got, the more the vein on his forehead became apparent. I wanted nothing more than to poke it and see exactly how angry he could get. I had never had someone defy me as much as this male, and it was profoundly entertaining.

“Well, answer me!”

I guess I was taking too long to reply to him.

I focused my attention back on him and completely ignored his plea. “I saw what was in your mind. I know why you came in search of the beast and, unfortunately, you will not be able to accomplish your task. You are well-known in your community and there is the possibility that others might come for you. But…if you were to stay, as your father said, no one would come for you. He would make sure of it.”

I continued when it was apparent that he couldn’t form a coherent thought. “I know of the rumors. No one returns when they venture out into the forest in search of slaying the beast. And to keep up appearances, it doesn’t matter what I decide; you can’t go back.”

Finally finding his voice, he asked, “And why would you care about the rumors? Unless… Unless you… Oh god. You?”

The pieces were finally fitting together in his mind.

“You aren’t the brightest in your family, are you?”

His mouth dried as his question turned into more of a statement. “You’re the beast.”

“Thank goodness that face of yours is so handsome,” I said, smirking.

“You—you can’t do that.” His throat sounded scratchy, he was parched. “You can’t keep me here. I have a family, I have—”

“In a hurry to get back to your betrothed? Or take over your family’s business of tossing children to the forest?” I scoffed at the idea. “Yes, it sounds like you have so much going for you.”

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