Page 134 of The Scars Within
I blinked, my throat tightening as the sting of tears burned behind my eyes. My voice wavered as I whispered, “Are you sure I’m not just another storm threatening to break you?”
His eyes softened as he whispered, “Oh, baby. You are not the storm that breaks me. You’re the storm that set me free.”
After a few more moments of rolling around, savoring the morning, we reluctantly got up. Rhodes helped me back into my gown, draping his suit jacket over my shoulders to ward off the cool breeze.
As he dressed, my fingers brushed against something in the pocket of his jacket—a folded piece of parchment. Curiosity got the better of me, and before I could stop myself, I slipped it out and carefully unfolded it. The parchment was torn, its edges jagged and uneven, as if someone had ripped it apart in a moment of fury. Half of the top was missing, leaving only the bottom piece.
I told you to get close to her. Not that close. You fucked everything up. Have Scarlet on the mountain by this evening, or Kalluri will know that you’re a mage. -Grim.
My hands trembled uncontrollably as I reread the note, desperately searching for an explanation, but none came.
“Are you working with the Grim?” My voice wavered.
Rhodes’s eyes widened in shock as he saw what I was holding. He reached out, but I stepped back.
“No, Scarlet, no,” he said urgently, holding his hands up. “I am not working with the Grim.”
“Then what is this, Rhodes?” I demanded, my voice rising despite my efforts to stay calm.
“I can explain,” he said, his voice edged with desperation. “But not here. Not at Mageia. We need to—”
“I’m not going anywhere with you until you explain why you have a note from the murderer who’s been terrorizing these halls,” I cut him off, my heart breaking with each word. I forced myself to speak quietly, even though every fiber of me wanted to shout. But for some reason, I was afraid of someone overhearing our conversation that villainizes Rhodes.
“Scarlet, please,” Rhodes implored, his voice breaking with frustration and worry.
“Stop,” I said, my voice breaking. I crumpled the note and let it fall to the ground with his jacket.
I began to turn away when Rhodes’s voice, filled with anguish, reached me. “If you’re so afraid of being abandoned, then why are you walking away from me right now?”
His words cut deep, and the pain of his accusation made me falter.
But I didn’t stop.
I swept my arms across the table, scattering every card I thought I knew about Rhodes into the air. They spun and fluttered like fragile truths, breaking apart under the weight of the man behind me.
And I abandoned him on the roof.
Chapter 52
I flew down the stairway, clutching my gown to keep from tripping over the hem as I darted down the cold stone steps. The chill from the floor seeped into my bare feet, but I couldn’t afford to stop. If Rhodes was on the rooftop, then I needed to escape to the Bolthole.
The halls were mostly empty, and the castle was still quiet this early in the morning. Most cadets were either still asleep or passed out from the excess of the ball. I slipped through every shortcut I knew, trying to stay hidden.
After everything, I let my guard down with Rhodes.
And he turned out to be part of the darkness haunting this college.
His voice followed me as I left, pleading with me to hear him out. But I couldn’t—I wouldn’t. Once again, something good in my life had been tainted.
And this time, he didn’t chase after me. So, my assumption must be correct.
A sharp pain seized my chest, the pressure making it hard to breathe.
“Did you know?” I asked through the bond, my voice trembling.
Lakota didn’t respond, but a wave of despair from him pressed against me, heavy and suffocating.
“Scar?” A voice called from an alcove, but I didn’t stop. The person’s footsteps grew faster, echoing behind me as they caught up.
