Page 66 of Her Dark Promise

“I overstepped,” he said again, slowly. “Thank you for what you did for Léna. You have no idea how much that has been weighing on my soul all this time.”

Something changed in him at that moment. He wasn’t just looking at me as though I was a mystery he wanted to solve, but rather, something precious. Someone worthy of his affections. I had tried to scare him, and it hadn’t worked.

I removed myself from his gaze and was about to head to the dining hall when Soren asked, “I have a request.”

“I have told you that you get one question,” I snapped, my temper shorter than normal.

“Not a question. A request.”

“Hurry up.”

Just then, we both heard his chamber doors opening. Bastian said, “Ren, let’s go to breakfast before the witch scolds us with her venom for being late.”

At that same moment, I felt something sharp glide across my arm. I didn’t even flinch at the pain that radiated as the object made contact. I swung my head back to find Soren holding a knife dripping with my blood and a small cut on my upper arm.

“Ren!”

I could hear Bastian yell as I grabbed the knife from his hand, gripped his hair and yanked it back, exposing his throat, and held the point of the knife there. The room went silent and I seethed, a sense of betrayal washed over me. Moments earlier, I’d shared a tender moment with him.

“Do not think that just because I have allowed you to stay here,alive, means that I won’t kill you.”

Soren’s eyes widened. “I was only—”

“Let him go!” Bastian demanded.

“Hunter, order me around one more time and I will slit his throat and force you to watch him die in front of you.” I could see him take another step forward, so I pushed the blade further into Soren’s throat. “Do not test me.”

Soren swallowed, wincing as the knife nicked him, and held his breath. After a moment, I lowered the knife and dropped it on the bed.

Soren took in a large breath, hand covering his throat, and whispered, “You aren’t human after all… Fascinating.”

“You fucking bastard!” Bastian wracked his hands through his hair, pulling at the ends.

What was wrong with him? His brother was right, he was completely unhinged.

Chapter twelve

Then

The sun was shining bright as I looked down from the window in my chambers, seeing all of the carriages pulling forward with people streaming out of them—members of royalty with their many entourages.

I didn’t want this. I knew that I was going to have to marry someone soon as my father needed to secure an alliance with a larger kingdom that had more resources than we did. While we were thriving on our own, we were small, and my father feared that the magic born would retaliate and there would be a war.

I didn’t realize that I was fiddling with my hands until my mother came over and placed her hand atop mine.

“Darling, let’s make haste.”

She was in the most elaborate dress that I had ever seen her wear, adorned with an outrageous amount of jewels. I suppose they already had someone in mind for me to marry if they were insisting on wearing such outlandish attire.

The dress I wore had so many layers of petticoats that I wasn’t sure how I was going to sit in it. They even brought outmy tiara and placed it upon my head, securing my hair around it in complex braids.

“Mother…” I didn’t know how to tell her that I didn’t want to go. This entire night had me on edge. I had been working with Circe for years to control my magic, but I had already lost control multiple times with Circe whenever I thought about this night. I couldn’t do it. “Just tell them I am ill and choose a suitor for me. We all know that it doesn’t matter if I approve of the man or not.”

Her brows knit together as she responded, “Where is all this coming from? I thought you would be excited to be around girls your age and dance the night away. You love to dance.”

I squeezed my hands together behind my back, not wanting her to see just how much this was affecting me. Never wanting to disappoint her, always wanting to be the perfect daughter, but I was far from it. If they knew who I truly was they would hang me.

That thought wasn’t helping my nerves.

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