Page 387 of Coal Hearts

Look!

Look at what you did.

Look at what you’ve become.

Blood trickled beneath her collar.

Shadowy bruises marked her breasts.

Teeth marks punctured her throat.

She looked as if she’d been attacked.

Not by the man I’d killed to keep her safe but by a man who’d let evil turn him into something un-fucking-forgivable.

And instead of kneeling for her forgiveness. Instead of flaying myself alive for ever laying a finger on her...I felt pride for marking her as mine.

Balling a hand in my gut, I turned away from her.

This was by far the worst thing I’d ever done.

Not because I’d done exactly what I promised and treated her like my jewel but because...I’d thought she wanted it.

Damn, even the monsters inside this castle didn’t slip that far into insanity.

They knew their boundaries.

They accepted they would never have the love of a jewel and contented themselves with their pain instead.

But me?

Me?

Ha!

I’d deluded myself into thinking she could forgive me.

Believed in a fucking fairy-tale that she’d suddenly switch from hate to love and choose me.

Choose me?!

No one would ever choose me.

Because I didn’t deserve to be chosen.

Sighing heavily, I slowly turned back to face her.

Gritting my teeth against her tear-brimming eyes, I swallowed the razors in my throat. “Go to bed, little nightmare.”

And then I barged past her and imprisoned myself in the bathroom.

I needed bars.

And locks.

And chains.

I needed to get a fucking grip before I killed her, all because she’d just killed me.