Page 54 of #Resort Love
“Ambrose, please,” I begged, my heart feeling like it was about to be ripped out of my chest. “Please don’t make me do this. You were supposed to help me, help me not hurt anyone else. That’s what our bargain was for, so I wouldn’t hurt anyone else.” The words came out so fast they tumbled into one another.
Ambrose released a frustrated breath, leveling me with a dangerous glare. Moving too fast for me to react, Ambrose wrapped his hand around my throat, lifting me off the floor and bringing me close to his face, cutting off my air. Gagging, I strained against his hold, trying to find some type of footing.
“If I remember correctly, ourbargainwas for me to have control of your magic. There was nothing said or agreed upon about not allowing you to hurt anyone. Now,” Ambrose paused, shoving me against the metal bars behind me, “kill him.”
Letting me go, my knees buckled, and I leaned into the cold metal bars, gulping down air. I looked at Arbus. Heavy tears were falling down his beautiful, wretched face. He continued those muffled pleas, his hands pulling against his chains. I swallowed, trembling wracked every part of my body. But I couldn’t do it. I wouldn’t do it. Not again.
I shook my head, whispering a silent no, unsure if anyone could hear me. A few quiet seconds passed before I cut my gaze to Ambrose, repeating my refusal, this time a bit louder.
Ambrose scowled, his jaw clenching from my rejection. His hands curled into fists, and he bared his teeth. “Sybil, Icommandyou to kill him.”
His words felt like they echoed through me, reverberating through my bones, through my entire being. I stood, unmoving, breathing heavily, waiting for something to happen, for some indication that his command held any sway over me. A moment passed. Then another. A small hope began to bloom, a whispertelling me that the bargain did not work. That hope steeled me, and I took a step to leave the cell. “I said that I?—”
Pain shot through me, up my arms, across my chest, feeling like a knife striking me in my heart. My steps faltered and I clutched my hands against my chest, gasping for air. The pain sliced through my body again and I groaned, my legs buckling from the hot, agonizing torture that pulsed through me. My knees hit the dirty stone floor hard, and I winced. My breathing was labored, and the agony in my body grew. Another wave of pain ripped through me, and I fell forward, barely catching myself before my face hit the stone.
Lying my head against my forearms, I cried out into the grimy, cold floor beneath me, my heart racing, my body feeling like it was slowly being torn apart.
My chest heaved, hardly able to take in air when Ambrose knelt beside me, leaning down beside my ear. “This could all go away, my darling Sybil,” he said, his voice soft and kind, as if time reversed itself, like this bargain never happened while he moved my hair from my face. “Just listen to my command and the pain will go away.”
I lifted my head, my eyes meeting his. He looked at me warmly, reminding me of the days when I thought of him as a friend. But now? That version of him was gone. His love and friendship were nothing more than a ruse. A trick to make me trust him. But that tenderness, that affection still shone in his eyes. So, I begged, hoping there was a small part of him that truly came to care for me. I begged him to make it stop, to take away the pain, to rescind his command.
Ambrose gave me a soft smile, his eyes reflecting the warmth of better times as he wiped away my tears. “I can’t do that, Sybil. I commanded you to kill him, and even though we may not always like it, we all must follow the commands of ourmasters. Now, be a good little girl and do as I say. Once you do, the pain will go away. It will be like it never even happened.”
I looked away from him, unable to stand the false compassion in his eyes. The pain was spreading through my body, and I shook. I tried to take a breath, but dust from the floor caught in my throat. Coughing, the taste of iron coated my tongue while blood splattered on the floor. Warmth trickled from my nose and over my lips. My hand came up to my face, feeling the stream of blood.
Once you are in a bargain, it is bound by death. Meaning, if you don’t keep up your end of the bargain, the magic of it will take your life instead.
I was dying. Mybodywas dying. Unless I?—
A fresh wave of pain ripped through my chest. My lungs were fighting for air. Ambrose cooed, gently lifting me off the floor and setting me on my feet. I felt weak, and the world tilted around me. My breath rasped in my lungs, but Ambrose took my hands, placing them side by side in front of me, cupping them as he had when we were in the room in the library. The memory felt spoiled, tainted by the harsh light around us.
“Remember your training from before,” Ambrose murmured softly, recalling the same memory. “Feel for your magic, then picture it in the shape of a dagger.”
Pushing through the pain, I moaned, feeling for my magic. The pain eased as I followed his guidance. I thought I was going to be sick right then and there. But this agony? I couldn’t fight against it. I didn’t want to die.
My hands trembled in his while I tried to call my magic, but nothing happened. I could feel it whirling under my skin, but it felt though it too recoiled from Ambrose’s command, not wanting to follow his order.
Ambrose squeezed my hands, this time commanding me toform the dagger. A sob broke from my lips, but I pushed, coaxing my magic to listen, to help me stop this torment.
My light formed, small and pure, growing as I breathed into it, like a flame. I glanced at Arbus, still fighting his restraints, and my heart fell. My hands twitched and my magic rushed out of me in a long, sharp spike, almost cutting Ambrose. Arianna cursed, stepping away from me.
A growl from Ambrose was my only warning before he grasped my face tightly in his hand, the force making me whimper. I slid my gaze up, meeting the blue fire in his eyes, and I wanted to cower and hide away from him. “It’s not that hard, Sybil. Picture a dagger in your mind’s eye and form it. Don’t think about anything else. Not your emotions, not your surroundings. Just the dagger. Form it. Now!”
Letting out a quivering breath, I focused on my magic again, letting it slowly illuminate into a sharp dagger. It felt warm and heavy in my hands, but the pain began to edge away. Ambrose curled his lips in a dark smile, moving my hand along the dagger until it wrapped around the hilt. Placing my other hand on top, he led me closer to Arbus, now pleading with every inch of his life. I choked on a sob, every step closer lessened the pain, replacing it with nausea and vicious self-reproach.
My heart pounded against my chest, my horror growing from the ever-closing distance between Arbus and me. Tears fell heavily down our faces, but our eyes never broke away. The way he looked at me was so full of understanding, like he knew how hard I fought against the bargain, against Ambrose, and I faltered, hating that look.
Stepping between Arbus’ legs, Ambrose placed my dagger against Arbus’ throat, the heat of my light reddening his skin. Arbus gave up his pleading, accepting his fate while my mindand heart thrashed against it. I wavered, but was met with another slice of pain through my heart that left me breathless.
Ambrose stepped behind me, curving his body around mine. I could feel his hot, repulsive breath along my ear and neck. With his hands still wrapped around mine, he pushed the dagger through Arbus’s throat. The sickening sound, the feel of piercing skin and cartilage echoed through my mind. I wept, apologizing to Arbus, repeating it over and over as the light faded from his eyes, still filled with quiet understanding.
But I didn’t understand, not as Ambrose waited, blood pouring over our hands. Not as Arbus’s body went slack against the chair, his chest no longer moving. Not even as Ambrose unwrapped his hand from mine, stepping beside me, my light dissipating along with the heat of his body.
“Good girl,” Ambrose said happily, stroking his bloodied knuckle along my cheek, leaving a smear of blood behind. “That wasn’t so bad, right? One rat gone, and now we can focus on ridding ourselves of the other pests.”
I wept, studying every part of Arbus through blurry tears, wanting—hoping—to memorize everything about him. I didn’t want to forget his beautiful face, not even a single moment as life left those eyes that reminded me so much of green leaves blowing in the wind.
My gaze moved further down his chest, narrowing on the glint of silver just above his shirt. I hadn’t noticed the necklace earlier, but now I reached my hand out, lifting it from under his shirt. A simple silver ring rested on the delicate chain, the edges round and smooth. Grabbing the thin chain, I raised it over his head, gathering it into the center of my palm before curling my hand into a fist around it.
