I chewed on my quivering lip, trying to release my anxiety through the pain, but it was no use. Suddenly, the room wastoo bright. The walls were too closed in. My dress was too damn tight. It was all too much. I couldn't take it.
The pressure of a hand grazed my upper arm, and I didn’t need to look to see who it belonged to. I didn't care if he would be mad—I shrugged his arm away and forced my legs to help me escape the purgatory I was in.
Chapter
Nine
Iran as fast as possible in heels. I ran until I was outside of the castle and away from the horrified looks belonging to my classmates.
Going back to the dormitory was my best option, but I couldn't be confined to such tight quarters right now. I needed air. Needed to breathe.
My mind didn't know where to go, but my body did. It took off down the cobblestone path along the cliffside. Sand trapped itself between my shoe and the arch of my foot as I bombarded the beach. I unfastened the buckles of my heels and threw them to the side, then sank to my knees in the sand.
My palm slapped against my chest as the air thickened and my breathing became difficult. I gasped and slid the straps of my dress off my shoulders, trying to remove anything that confined the walls of my chest from expanding properly. In the process, my fingers caught on the pendant from my mother, and the added reminder of how she wasn't here sent me toppling over the edge.
I let out a wail of sheer, emotional anguish.
Tears dripped down my nose. The saltiness crept its wayinto my mouth, and I could taste it on my teeth as I wept in the sand.
Why couldn't Blythe have chosen someone who actually wanted to be gifted, like Delani? She would have loved the attention and power—and that wasn't a bad thing, that's just who she was.
Me? I wanted nothing less.
I fisted the sand and let it dribble out of my hands as I sobbed.
I felt pathetic.
Iwaspathetic.
If I planned on retaining any dignity, I needed to find a way to prevent ambushes like this from happening. Gods forbid any of the other students saw me like this—they'd sense my weakness immediately. I couldn't allow that. Not when I already had a target on my back.
I took some deep breaths and stared up into the night. The atmosphere was illuminated by a sliver of golden moon that peeked through a fading cloud. My hyperventilation let up with my counting of the stars, but I still choked on air as my tears continued to spill.
In time, the twinkling stars gave me my breath back, and I rose to my feet, wiping the final shroud of wetness from my eyes. Sand fell from the satin of my dress as I secured the straps back into their proper position on my shoulders. My gaze scanned the shore for my shoes, and found them a few yards from where I collapsed. I decided to keep them off. Sand and stilettos didn't mix well.
The few sniffles I had left were hidden by the sound of the waves as I started my walk back to my dorm. Soon enough, the pathway that took me here came into view, along with a very angry Sebastian. His eyes narrowed on me as he stormed across the sand, meeting me where I stood.
“What did we literally talk aboutmere hoursago?” he snarled as he approached, his fists clenched.
He had every right to be angry, and I didn't have the energy to argue. “I'm sorry,” I stuttered, not knowing what else to say.
His eyebrows pulled together when he got close enough to make out the swollen features of my face. “Are you okay?” He came to a halt in front of me.
“I'm fine.” I brushed him off coldly, turning my head towards the ocean.
“You're crying.”
“No. Iwascrying. Now I’m fine.”
He sighed. “Listen, I'm sorry that I didn't prepare you for the speech tonight. I was going to tell you about it, but you just really pissed me off earlier and I?—”
“Hold on.” My gaze darted back to him. “Youknew? You knew that he was planning to put me on the spot like that and you didn't bother to give me a warning?”
Sebastian stammered, “I kind of figured it was a given after what he said yesterday. I mean, when's a better time to make an announcement than when you already have half the kingdom in front of you?”
My eyebrows arched in anger. The king had never specifically said when he was going to announce my gift, but I figured I would have received some sort of a warning.
“It wasn'ta given. He was pretty fucking vague about it, actually. And you could have given me a heads up, but apparently you like to hold a grudge,” I snapped.
