Page 101 of The Light Within

“And fuck Béatrice!” Julien tipped his head back, shouting towards the heavens now. “My only sister, for lying to me for months, then dying and leaving me alone to deal with all this shit!”

Cinn found himself flattening against the wall of the church as if Julien’s words were a strong wind.

“We were meant to be ateam.”Julien’s voice cracked. “We were all we had left. Why didn’t she tell me about AP? Why didn’t shetrust me?”

Julien looked to Cinn for an answer, blinking rapidly.

“Um…” he started, fumbling around for something comforting to say. “I’m sure she had her reasons. Maybe she was trying to protect you? She ended up dead from it, after all.”

“Dead…” Julien ran the word over his tongue. Something was ticking over in his brain, and Cinn braced for the next inevitable outburst. Pressing two palms against the brick, Julien slowly shook his head. “I… I think he killed her as well.”

“What?”

“I think my father killed Béatrice.”

A sharp gust of wind whistled through the bare branches, cutting through the cold air.

“It adds up with his wife acting weird when she saw Béatrice’s locket on me at his birthday party.” Julien’s hands went to his empty neck, where the locket usually lay. “I stole it back from the evidence locker. They probably had the whole thing covered up.”

Cinn started to protest, to deny the possibility that Julien’s father could have had his own daughter killed, but the conviction in Julien’s eyes stopped him cold.

Julien often maintained that Béatrice’s relationship with their father was even worse than his own. If Lucien had learned that his daughter had joined the very organisation that threatened his power…

But to kill your own flesh and blood? In such a brutal way?

Cinn hesitated for a moment, mind racing. Looking into Julien’s tormented eyes, he realised there was no room for empty reassurances. Instead, he reached out and gently tucked a stray lock of Julien’s hair behind his ear, his touch lingering to squeeze the back of his neck. “I believe you,” Cinn said softly, lifting Julien’s hand to press a tender kiss against his knuckles, scratched and already bruised. “Whatever happens, we’ll face it together.”

“He killed Béatrice. He’s partially responsible forMère—”

“Entirelyresponsible,” Cinn insisted, rubbing his thumbs over Julien’s swollen hands. “You need to stop blaming yourself. It’s not healthy.”

“It’s the truth! It’s fact. It’s what happened. You saw it with your own eyes!” Julien cried, trying to free himself from Cinn’s grip.

“Yes, exactly.” Cinn battled to keep hold of Julien. He wouldn’t allow him to punch the wall again. “I saw a terrified child be very brave and try to help his mother.”

Julien visibly rolled his eyes.

“Julien, you need to listen to me. Please.”

After a beat, Julien stilled, finally meeting Cinn’s gaze.

“It. Was. Not. Your. Fault.”

Cinn said the words often enough to himself, whenever the memory of the four bodies, bloodied and staring towards him with lifeless eyes, haunted his thoughts. If Cinn could believe them, so could Julien.

“It was his.” Cinn brushed his knuckles against Julien’s chin. “And if I have to tell you that every day for the rest of time for you to believe it, I will.”

Julien opened his mouth, eyebrows drawn in defiant lines.

Cinn pressed a finger to Julien’s lips. “No. You’re not allowed to say another word except ‘you’re right.’”

Julien’s mouth snapped shut at the touch of Cinn’s finger, his defiant expression wavering. For a moment, his eyes flickered with the familiar storm of anger and guilt, but then something softened. He let out a shuddering breath, the tension in his shoulders easing just slightly. His gaze remained locked on Cinn’s, searching for any sign of insincerity. Finding none, Julien swallowed hard, the fight slowly draining from him.

A small, bitter smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he finally whispered, “You’re right.”

Thank God.

A small sense of victory tinged with sorrow settled over Cinn. This was simply one battle in a long war, but seeing the fight leave Julien, if only for a moment, gave him the strength to keep going. Keep filling the cracks in Julien’s soul, the ones caused by years of grief and self-blame. And as he stared into Julien’s hopeful eyes, and saw the trust so plainly written there, it strengthened Cinn’s resolve to stay by his side, no matter how many battles lay ahead.

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