The voice in my head kept my lips locked around her neck, even as I felt her blood spilling from the wound.
I have to stop… Please… I need to stop…
“Ca… Cass.” Her voice was gargled and weak, but I couldn’t pull myself away from her. She tasted so good. So… fucking… good…
Drink more. Drink all of it. That’s what you want, isn’t it? More… Always more… Drink.
“P-Please,” she begged.
No… Please… let me stop.
You can’t stop. You’ll bleed her dry someday, why not now?
A tear slipped down my cheek, mixing with her blood that now smeared across my face as I fed like an animal. It wasn’t until I felt her body fall limp against me that I could finally pull away. I sucked in a sharp, painful breath just before the sound of rushed footsteps echoed in the hall outside.
It took me a couple of seconds to realize that Morrigan had fallen to the ground. In one quick motion, I dropped down and pulled her into my arms. “Morrigan!” I yelled at her, covering the still bleeding wound with my hand. “Morrigan, I’m sorry! I don’t… I don’t know what?—”
A scream screeched from the doorway, and I turned to see Shae staring in horror.
“Shae! Get Harley!” I pleaded.
But the look she gave me was one of pure fear. “You…” She pointed at me with a skinny finger. “You did this… You… You’re a monster…”
No… I’m not… I didn’t…
I looked down and saw Morrigan’s blood caked along my shirt, turning the orange vest into a deep crimson color. In an instant, I bit into my wrist and brought it down to her mouth. “I’ll fix this,” I heaved. “I can fix her.”
No, you can’t. You will be her ruin. You have stripped her of every choice. You have bound her to you, and her only escape will be in death. Because that is what will happen. Youwillkill her.
No, I wouldn’t. I love?—
You love yourself.
I tried to shut out the voice, but I couldn’t stop the pain in my chest as I felt the warmth leaving her body. Her skin grew colder by the second, and her eyes hadn’t blinked for such a long time.
“I’m sorry,” I cried, pulling her to my chest as I held her tightly. “I’m so sorry. Please… Please don’t leave me, Morrigan… Please…”
Chapter 35
ERIS
“You’re not listening to me!”
I had to blink away my confusion as I stared ahead at my dining table.How did I get?—
A strange, dark shadow passed over the doors of the dining hall, and I tilted my head—confused as to whether it was a hallucination or not.
“Eris!”
When I turned toward Morrigan, it was evident that she was angry with me; I just didn’t knowwhy. I felt a crease form between my brows as I tried to remember what we had been discussing.
With an exasperated sigh, she threw down her napkin and stood from her chair. “All you care about is yourself. I’m done trying. If you don’t want to get to knowme, I’m not going to waste my time onyou.”
“Morrigan,” I said, even more confused than before. “I don’t— Just hold on a second.”
Of course, in typical Morrigan fashion, she didnot. She stormed from the dining hall, and I could only follow after her, doing my best to keep her pace as she marched toward the library.
“What is wrong with you?” I asked, though I instantly regretted it.
