Page 65 of Her Dark Promise

“You have yet to answer my question per our agreement.”

“Then ask me anything else, but my patience is running low,” I warned.

“Her name was Léna. She was one of the chosen from my village when she was eleven years old, and I was ten. They sent her out and I was going to follow her and save her before the beast got to her.” He loved this girl, however much a child could love another child. I narrowed my eyes at him as he continued, “She was short, had thin brown hair that reached just below her chin, and wore a white dress with chiffon around the edges.”

“You remember her dress?”

“Yes.”

I had looked through his memories that first day he came and knew exactly what girl he was talking about. Léna… The small girl who had shown up in a beautiful dress and had such polite manners. I remembered her well.

“So, what is it that you wish to know?”

“Where is she?”

“Why? Do you wish to see her?”

His throat bobbed. “I just wish to know what happened to her. Is she being taken care of?”

A pang of jealousy coursed through me. They were mine the moment they stepped on my land, and now he wants to leave forher?

Circe tsked. Everyone always leaves you. It is inevitable.

I bit back my retort, focusing solely on Soren.

I could tell that he saw a change in my demeanor, so he held up his hands, not knowing what to do.

He tried to explain himself. “I do not wish to seek her out. I merely wanted to satiate my curiosity and worry. I never found out what happened after you found the children, and before I could investigate, I was shipped off to a private boarding school.”

Still, I said nothing, considering what the information meant to him—how long could I hold it over his head? But then I thought about Annabelle, Emilia, and what I would do if I were in his position, hunting for the truth. I would stop at nothing; I would need to know what happened.

I sighed, my resolve waning. “I remember your friend. She had a birthmark on her upper arm that was visible out of the bottom of the sleeve of her dress. I normally don’t remember the children, but she stuck out.” I clasped my hands behind my back. “I sent her with Mariam, my liaison for the children. There are little towns all over. Mariam would spread them out to orphanages or families looking to home them.”

He swallowed. “She could have been sent to an orphanage?”

“Better than dead in the woods, wouldn’t you say? I apologize for not having an extensive book of eligible families looking for sacrificed children in my library, Soren.”

“Why couldn’t you have kept her,” he whispered, just loud enough for me to hear.

“What did you say?” I said loudly, my voice snapping.

His eyes found mine, and there was a hint of defiance. “You could have kept her, just like you did Emilia. At least then, I’d know she was safe.”

I stared at him like he had two heads.“How did you know about Emilia?”

“It was a guess,” he said simply, “that you just confirmed.”

I blinked and felt the rage inside me simmer. He didn’t know what his father did to Emilia before he left her for dead.

“Emilia is special,” I told him without shame. “She has seen horrors, horrors your sweet little Léna never had to endure. You cannot understand why Emilia is a part of my soul, and for that, you should be grateful. You have spent your life soaking up the privileges that come with the second-born son. You have never understood what it is like to be an outcast… To be truly different, and have the entire world hate you for it—to be chosen to suffer. You do not understand horror or true loss.” I stopped, feeling the rage shift inside me, twist there until a sadness overcame me.

“I overstepped.”

“You talk too much,” I said sharply. “Your head paints a rather beautiful image of the world, Soren. Wouldn’t you like to keep it that way?”

He didn’t respond.

“Keep that in mind before you ask your next question.”

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