Page 64 of Spellbound
I swallowed thickly. “I’m sorry.”
His jaw clenched. “Why would you be sorry? You already think I’m awful, remember? Pure darkness, wasn’t it?”
“You could have killed us, and you didn’t. You protected us from Freya. I’m not an idiot. I can see you’re trying.”
He slammed his fist on the dresser, sending a crack through the wood top to the standing mirror. “And where did that get me?”
“Calm down.” I inhaled sharply, sitting down on the edge of his bed.
He closed his eyes. “I forget my strength. I don’t mean to scare you.”
“It’s okay.”
“I can’t lose my family, Elle.”
“I know, but I can’t steal the keys. I need to talk to Edmund first.”
He shook his head and stood. “If you won’t help me, then you leave me no choice.”
“What are you going to do? Kill us?”
He paused.
My shoulders tightened. “Freya said you’re trying to be good. Killing us would just prove her right when she said you couldn’t be good.”
“Trying got me nowhere.”
“Not true.”
“Hasn’t it? Even you hate me. I tried to do this the right way.” He walked to the door.
“Don’t.” I hurried to him and grabbed his hand before he could open the door. “Let me just think, at least.”
“I’m not going to hurt your coven,” he growled, pulling his hand from mine. “If that’s what you’re worried about.”
“Wait. Raiden, please.” I tried instead to hook my finger around his belt. He turned to face me.
“What, Elle?” His tortured gaze never left mine.
I relented. “I’ll try to help you.”
“You’ll steal the keys?”
I parted my lips. “Well, not exactly. Look, you’re wrong about him. I think I can get him to listen.”
“No.” He turned his back toward me. “You’ll make things worse. Don’t tell him anything.”
“Where are you going?” I asked when he opened the door.
“Hunting.”
“What or... who?”
“Freya.” He growled something under his breath. “I’ve wasted too much time on this foolishness. I should have been working on killing her first.”
He left. I called after him, but he never turned back. By the time I ran out of the house, he’d already gone, left for the forest. A part of me knew he wasn’t coming back. What reason did he have?
***
