Page 114 of Crown of Thorns
I failed him. And I see it now. It’s not just in the flickering light of the projector, but in every decision I made that brought us here.
The crow on my back burns. Not from ink, but memory. Control, guilt, power. It all means nothing if I can’t keep him safe.
And it’s tearing me apart.
I want to smash the projector, to claw my way through the screen and take him back. I want to kill every last one of them who laid a hand on him.
But all I can do is kneel here—bleeding, fractured, and burning with the need to make someone pay.
Not for me.
Not even for revenge.
For him. Because I love him. And I didn’t see it until it was already too late.
32
NOAH
idon't know how, but you removed a lot from the original chapter: My eyes flutter open, agony blooming behind them like a migraine forged in fire. I’m sprawled in my office, skull throbbing as if nails were hammered straight through it. The room pulses with eerie shadows, the kind that dance just beyond reason. I blink again, the sick glow painting everything in ghost light. Slowly getting up, my hands search the edge of my desk for support. The room is dark. I’m afraid of the dark. I’ve always been. Too many nights spent hiding in alleys, listening to footsteps that meant danger. Darkness was never peace. It was survival.
The corridor is quiet, but I know the castle isn’t abandoned. Somewhere in these echoing halls, Louis is out there, alone. My mind scrambles to piece it together. He was just here, wasn’t he? We were together. Then…what? The stone. The masked man. The broken window. Did they take him? Did he run?
Panic coils through my gut.
I call him, but he doesn’t pick up, nor has he sent any messages. “Tell me you’re safe?” I whisper into his voicemail, rushing toward the corridor that always sets my nerves on edge.“I’m sorry for shutting you out. I didn’t mean to push you away. I thought I was doing the right thing... but I was wrong.”
And now? I don’t even know where he is. Every second feels like a lifetime. I failed him. He’s in trouble. I feel it in my bones.
My hand trembles as I open the app. And there it is, his last location.
Inside the castle. Close to my office.
My chest caves. I know exactly where he is.
There’s a thunderous crack as the front door of Monterrey slams open. The sound shudders through the stone like cannon fire. Shouts echo down the hall, footsteps thundering like an oncoming war.
The Deverauxs have arrived, and with them, a storm I can no longer outrun.
But none of that matters. Not now. Let them shout, let the walls crumble. Louis is somewhere down there, and he needs me. I round the corner, welcomed by the flickering light, now a strobe of dread. I’d fixed it before, but someone messed it up once more. My heart hammers as I descend the stairs, calling him again, each unanswered ring slicing deeper than the last. The vibrating sound is close now. I follow it, every step a vow: I will find him. I will bring him back.
And once I’ve brought Louis to safety, I’ll never leave him alone after today. He can make it official all he likes. Even if it means my career is over. Once he’s back in my arms, he’ll stay there until the day I die. Too many years have passed, too much insecurity has plagued my fucking heart. No more. Louis only deserves the best.
I whisper into the stale dark, “Where are you, little devil?”
Then I hear it. The sound of voices is unmistakable. I can’t make out what they’re saying, but I follow their monotone rasp until I reach for another narrow corridor that houses a set of doors. One of them is open. Sliding my knife from its holster, Iuse the tip to ease the rest of the door open. My heart pounds so violently in my chest, I feel the sickening sound of it in my throat, like it's trying to rip its way out. Louis sits in the middle of the room, attached to a chair. He’s slumped forward, his dark hair a mess. Injuries form bruises on his lower arm, together with smears of blood. A projector plays against the wall, its light forming a uneasy strobe in the darkness of the room.
I rush toward him and pull him back by the shoulders. There’s a gaping wound in his forehead, blood slicking his nose, his lashes, the contours of his face. Fuck. I wipe it with the back of my sleeve. My little devil, who takes pride in his ethereal beauty, is now all bloodied because of me.
“Louis?” I brush a hand through his hair. His forehead feels clammy. “Sweetheart, please wake up. I can’t lose you…” My voice cracks as a wave hits my insides, bringing the past and the present together in an unwanted collision. “Please. I can’t live without you. Come on. Wake up.”
“Oh, he will soon,” someone says behind me. Monsieur Z. “Here, let me help you.”
He throws a bucket of water over Louis. The second he sputters, I’m already moving. I slam Z hard against the wall, the jolt of impact echoing through the dark. My knife is at his throat before he can breathe. His mask splits at the edge, revealing more of his face.
He laughs. Low, guttural, unhinged. Even with my knife at his throat, he doesn’t flinch.
“Perfect timing, Professor,” he sneers. “Although I should warn you, Louis won’t be happy to see you here.”
