Page 62 of Her Dark Promise

Circe regarded me with kind eyes, but her expression was stern.

“Belle walked in on you using your magic, and what was the first thing she said?”

“That I was an animal… That father would burn me like all the other animals.” I was crying now, rather hysterically. “She didn’t mean it… She’s just a child. I know she didn’t mean it.”

“And yet, you were not the animal she needed to fear.” Circe frowned, and I waited for her to tear up, like all the other weeping men and women around us, but she just stared forward.

“What did you do?”

Circe bowed her head, but the corners of her mouth barely lifted before settling back into a grimace. But I caught it. I was too in shock to know what it meant at the time, but I caught it.

I knew everything that would happen next, but my body went numb, and I tuned everyone out besideher. I left the vision of me and Circe, walked over to the side of Belle’s bed, and sat down. I had panicked last time and could hardly look at her as she laid in this bed, but this time I would take it in. Memorize her beautiful little face.

I reached my hand out and began to rub away the blood, but my hand went right through her face. I snatched my hand away, not wanting to disturb the image before me. I hesitantly reached out my hand and hovered it right above her cheek. Blood was smeared everywhere. It was probably over her entire body, but the sheet covered her enough that I could only imagine what it looked like.

Her eyes fluttered open and stared straight ahead—straight at me. My heart dropped as it looked like she could see right through the mirage and was truly here. In the flesh.

And then the next moment she closed her eyes and her chest ceased to move.

“Why isn’t her chest moving?” I heard myself ask.

Chaos ensued. Though I didn’t care as the image slowly faded away into nothing.

The last of my childhood, my innocence, left the moment she drew her last breath. I felt something wet on my face and brought my hand up, wiping away tears that had escaped.

Something inside me snapped.

I screamed out, not caring who heard me. Needing to purge the emotions that had started to make their way to the surface. I picked up a candelabra from a nearby desk and threw it at the wall causing a large tear in the fabric of the paper. I clamped my hands over my mouth and held onto the bed column for support. More tears formed in my eyes, my entire body shaking. I blinked them back, rushed out of the room, slammed the door, and dropped to the ground. The door held me up as I sat there, cursing myself for disturbing Belle’s room. I would fix it later, but I couldn’t go back in there right now. Not with all of these wretched emotions so fresh in my mind.

I hurried down the steps, not wanting to be there any longer. The anger had slightly dissipated and all that was left was the guilt. I knew just what I needed to make myself forget about everything. I went in search of Callum’s room.

I didn’t find him in his chambers, so I went to the only other place where he would be. His favorite place in the entire castle—the battlements facing North.

It didn’t take me long to find him sitting atop one of the edges of the battlement on the castle's Northside, staring off into the distance. I approached him, rested my hands on the flat surface next to him, and followed his line of sight, still in his peripherals.

I knew why he enjoyed coming up here:. the view was endless. Rolling green mountains went as far as the naked eye could see, littered with trees and valleys. The castle was situated on the summit of a large hill and aside from the strategic reason for its placement, the panoramic view was spectacular.

Years ago, when the sun wasn’t hiding behind the fog, it was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen. The way that the sun would cast its light across the varying passes and turn everything into magnificent hues of oranges and yellows.

A sight to behold.

“You should have seen it when the sun graced us with its presence.”

Callum jumped so high that he was millimeters from falling to his death, just as I grabbed him and ensured that he didn’t.

“Your grace!” Callum gripped the edges hard as he tried to calm his rapidly beating heart. He didn’t waste another moment before he hurried down from his seated position and stood next to me, his chest still rising and falling quickly.

He looked exactly how I felt on the inside. Though I had calmed down and was completely drained of energy. I didn’t even have the desire to fuck him. Intriguing.

I looked back over the view and stood there while he hesitantly stepped closer. We didn’t say anything for a long time and just stared.

Feeling a little scattered?

Yes, I answered her truthfully, in my mind. Lying to her would do no good, she was a part of my subconscious.

I felt like I was out of my element, even more so when I took a step to Callum’s side, searching for his warmth. He didn’t moveand instead allowed me to lean into him, use him once more, but in a different way. A way that I knew he had been craving ever since he decided to stay.

The breeze blew past us, chilling the air to near-freezing temperatures, yet he didn’t move though I could feel his body trembling. He tried to hide it, to prolong my touch, but I straightened, ready to go back inside.

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