Page 79 of When Bones Whisper
With a thick swallow, she glanced at Alexander who shot her an apologetic look, then at Katherine who was a little gray in her face, the bags under her sunken eyes showing the depletion of her magic. In the corner, Zachariah and Irene stuffed body parts into bags.
“Are you still going to kill me?” she asked pointedly, tired of being shrugged aside, especially considering she had just taken down the most powerful witch of their time. Still, she was careful with what she revealed about the ritual, knowing the other twovampires would kill her if they knew she could be used to make them mortal again.
Nathaniel stood, running his eyes over the four of them. “Leave us.”
“Are you certain?” Alexander asked hesitantly.
“Yes.”
Alexander took Katherine’s arm, lifting her gently. “Come on, let’s get you a cup of tea.”
Charlotte watched them leave, her heart pounding once they were alone.
“We can talk freely now,” he said wearily.
“Good,” she said shakily, her lips buzzing from the adrenaline. “Are you going to answer me this time?”
“You lied to me,” he said instead.
“I will not apologize for that. I was protecting myself from you. I knew you would lock me away if you discovered I had no intentions of doing the ritual, which, in case you were wondering, I would do in a heartbeat if the cost were anything but my life.”
“Why?”
With a deep breath, she confessed, “Because I care about you.”
“You shouldn’t.”
“Is that all you have to say?” she asked, scoffing.
“I am a monster and your caring for me will only get you hurt.”
His lips curled as she looked at the decapitated corpses around him. She saw the moment the hope left his eyes, when his expression hardened into something more formidable.
“Yes, but I wanted you to be my monster,” she stated, feeling ridiculous once the words left her mouth.
“I—do you think I enjoy being in this predicament?” he asked, standing now, stumbling over his words.
He never stumbled.
He continued, her heart racing as he towered over her. “Despite what you may think, I do not relish murdering innocents.”
She snorted, noting that he did not rebuke her, and looked at the surrounding bodies. “I am not innocent. Tonight I almost killed Charles Eringhorn. Despite everything I said to you earlier, I considered murdering the man with no remorse, just like I did my uncle and cousin, and do you want to know my most sinful thought?”
“Always,” he said in a deep rumble.
“I wish I had. It is my only regret for tonight because I am glad the truth came out. At least now we both know where we stand and there doesn’t have to be any confusion over feelings.”
With a wince, she sucked in a deep breath. He didn’t say a damned word, just stood there, frozen, watching as shaky, angry confessions slipped from her lips.
“So you know,” she added. “I will not go down without a fight and as you saw tonight, I’m no longer some sacrificial lamb you can order around. There is nothing I won’t do to save myself.”
With a lump in her throat, she lifted her dress and walked away, avoiding the puddles of blood. Her heart broke with each body she saw, their pain melding with her own. The heaviness of their suffering followed her like a dark cloud, all the way to Katherine’s room. She could sense them, pressed up against the veil amid a well of confusion and anger.
Tears slipped down her cheeks, a surge of emotions washing through her.
“No more crying,” she said aloud with a sniffle, wiping her nose with the back of her sleeve. After a few seconds, she rolled her shoulders back and lifted her chin.
If she had to embrace the darkness to beat it, then that was exactly what she was going to do.
