Page 64 of Beast of Blood and Roses
I panted heavily, each breath feeling like fire in my lungs. Images flashed through my mind—all the things I’d done, the lives I’d taken, the innocent girl who’d only asked for help. Guilt clawed at my chest, more painful than any physical wound. I didn’t deserve her forgiveness, didn’t deserve her at all. “Rosalie, I’m a monster...I was a monster long before any curse.” Another brutal wave of agony gripped me, arching my back until I thought my spine might snap. “Maybe I deserve this.”
The magic was systematically tearing me apart, piece by piece, from the inside out. What had Volaris done to me? This wasn’t just the curse returning—this was something far more vicious and personal.
My words came out in ragged, shaky gasps as realization dawned. “Volaris’ spell...It’s making me feel every sin, every life I took...the pain I caused...” Each atrocity from my past slashed into me like a whip, faces of my victims flashing before my eyes, their terror, their pleas for mercy I’d ignored. The young witch reaching out for help. The countless people I’d drained for Enzo. Every drop of blood on my hands felt like acid burning through my soul. “It’s punishment...for everything...until it kills me.”
I forced myself to meet her eyes, even as tears of pain leakedfrom mine. She was looking at me like I was worth saving, and it broke something inside me that I didn’t know could break. “But you’re good, Rosalie. You’ve been selfless your whole life, sacrificing everything for people who didn’t deserve it.” With tremendous effort, I loosened my grip on her arm. “I set you free. Don’t...don’t waste your life...trying to save someone who can’t be saved.”
“Beast, I won’t let you die. I promise.” She broke free from my weakened grasp, my claws scraping helplessly against her skin as she pulled away.
“Marcel...stop her.” The words came out like dying steam, my strength ebbing with each passing second. It took everything I had just to speak as another slash of spiritual agony tore through me, this one so vicious it felt like it had torn something vital inside my chest.
Blood suddenly welled up in my mouth, metallic, warm, and far too much of it. I could taste copper and salt as it rolled down my chin in thick rivulets, staining my shirt crimson. My body convulsed as I coughed violently, spraying blood across the hardwood floor in dark splatters. Each cough sent fresh waves of pain through my chest, and I could feel more blood seeping from somewhere deep inside.
As I watched her disappear toward the door, heading straight into mortal danger, something beyond the physical pain tore through my chest. The thought of losing her forever—of never seeing her smile again, never hearing her voice—hurt more than all of Volaris' magic combined. The truth hit me with more force than any of his magical attacks. I loved her.
My vision blurred as weakness washed over me. Marcel scrambled after her, but she was already moving with desperatepurpose. Through my fading consciousness, I could only watch helplessly as the woman I loved walked into a trap to save a monster like me.
I was dying, and I’d never even told her how I felt.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Rosalie
I burst out of the house like a woman possessed, my feet barely touching the front steps as I launched myself into the daylight. The blazing sun made me squint as I ran as fast as I could, my arms and legs pumping frantically, driven by pure desperation. Every step brought me closer to the border where golden eyes gleamed even in the bright light—my father surrounded by a pack of wolves that looked restless and dangerous in the afternoon sun.
A tall, muscular man stepped through the pack with commanding presence. Long brownish-blond hair caught the sunlight, and even from this distance I could see his piercing blue eyes—cold and calculating. Trystan Hunter. He moved like a king among his subjects, radiating dangerous power that made my skin crawl.
Fear exploded in my chest as I saw Dad raise the Witch’s Heart, the dual-colored stone catching the light in his hands.He was about to hand it over to the creature who could destroy everything.
“Dad, no!” I screamed. The sound carried across the property in the clear daylight, causing several wolves to turn their golden eyes toward me.
But I was still too far away. I pushed my legs harder, ignoring the burning in my lungs as I raced against time to stop him from sealing Beast’s death warrant.
I was still running when he ignored my desperate plea and extended the amulet toward Trystan’s waiting hand. Time seemed to slow as I watched the exchange about to happen—Beast’s only protection about to be handed over to his enemy.
But just as their fingers were about to touch, a brilliant blue light suddenly erupted from the Witch’s Heart. The magical energy shot out like lightning, striking both Dad and Trystan with enough force to send them flying backward. They hit the ground hard, rolling across the grass as the wolves around them erupted into vicious snarls and snaps.
The amulet went spinning through the air, glinting in the sunlight. It flew out of Dad’s hands and landed somewhere in the grass between us.
I skidded to a halt, my chest heaving as I tried to catch my breath. I was halfway between the house and where they’d fallen—too far from the amulet to reach it before they recovered. Already, Dad was pushing himself up on his elbows, his eyes scanning frantically for where the Witch’s Heart had landed.
Maybe I could draw on my powers like I had before. Beast believed in me, trusted me to save him. Right now he was back at the house, bleeding and dying because of the spell Dad had cast. I had to try.
I held out my palms, closing my eyes and reaching deepinside myself for that fluttering sensation I’d felt before. Come to me, I commanded silently, focusing all my desperation and love for Beast into the magic.
Nothing happened at first. The air remained still, mocking my efforts. Frustration and fear warred inside me as I stared at my useless hands.
Dad spotted the amulet glinting in the grass and lunged for it, his fingers stretching toward the dual-colored stone. But just as he was about to grab it, the Witch’s Heart suddenly skidded away from him across the ground as if it had a mind of its own. The Witch’s Heart—it was free! I had to get it before Dad did.
He scrambled after it on his hands and knees, almost managing to close his fingers around it—but then the amulet glowed with that same blue light. It lifted off the ground, swirling through the air in lazy circles before suddenly shooting toward me like a comet.
I held out my shaking hand, and the Witch’s Heart landed squarely in my palm with a warm pulse of energy. The moment it touched my skin, something powerful rippled through me—like ice and fire colliding in my veins. This thing was incredibly powerful, powerful enough to restore Dad’s abilities that I never knew he possessed, powerful enough to curse Beast and tear him apart from the inside.
The amulet felt almost alive against my palm, thrumming with ancient magic that made my skin tingle and my magical abilities stir in response.
A loud, menacing snarl brought my attention snapping away from the amulet. I looked up to see Dad scrambling to his feet, his face twisted with fury, while Trystan rose with silent menace beside him. They were both racing toward me now, their legs pumping with inhuman speed. Behind them, the packof wolves fanned out in a perfect hunting formation, their golden eyes locked on me like I was prey.
I clutched the amulet against my chest, feeling its power pulse against my heart, then whirled around and ran back toward the house as fast as my legs could carry me. Every step felt like it wasn’t fast enough—I could practically feel their breath on my neck as they closed the distance between us.
