Page 58 of Heart of the Villain

Marlena stared at the wall for a moment before she spun around and slid her pretty mask back into place.

She passed by a waiter with a tray and downed an entire glass of bubbly in a couple gulps, then put the flute back with a little too much force. The glass cracked, a spiderweb shatter traveling to its rim.

Ivelle spun on the dance floor with Khort, her laugh mixing with the sound of the music. She had taken her job very seriously—so seriously that he was still lost in their own world, a happy smile lighting up his handsome face as he and the most beautiful girl in their realm danced the night away.

Marlena silently hoped when this all fell down, Ivelle wouldn’t rip his heart out. It seemed he might finally be able to let her sister go.

Crossing the room, Marlena was flagged down by a group of her parents’ peers, and she would have gone to them if it weren’t for the beauty in a bronze dress who caught her attention on the opposite side of the room.

Arlet’s eyes twinkled against the lights strewn across the ceiling, but when they met Marlena’s, she caught the sadness inside them and the dark circles underneath. Even with makeup, they were still visible in the shadows.

Marlena changed course, ignoring the group of brown-nosers. Her new path ended where Arlet stood. She held Marlena’s stare until she was halfway to her, and she turned, leading Marlena down the Aeris home’s halls. Her reaction didn’t make Marlena stop… They were used to catching one another’s eye across the room and sneaking off. It had been part of their game for months.

Marlena glanced over her shoulder every so often, ensuring no one was following or noticed them. Arlet snuck behind a door but left it propped open for Marlena.

The only sound in the library was the door closing with a click when Marlena shut it behind her. There were rows of shelves with books as old as the house itself, mixed in with newer collections.

Marlena had spent many nights studying here after the house went quiet and everyone else was asleep.

Arlet trailed down the middle row, her fingers skimming over books until she looked up and saw Marlena standing at the end and stopped.

“Hi,” Marlena said with a smile pulling at the corners of her lips. Gods, I’ve missed her.

“Hi,” Arlet squeaked back.

Marlena felt like she was floating as she walked down the aisle towards her. She reached out and grabbed Arlet’s cheeks between her hands and kissed her softly. “You look fucking amazing,” she mumbled against her lips.

Arlet didn’t reach out and touch her like she normally would, and she didn't kiss her back with the fervent need Marlena was used to.

Her hands fell from Arlet’s face and traced the curves of her body, then rested on her hips. “Are you okay?”

Arlet immediately shook her head. “No.”

The bags under her eyes were darker under the dim lighting between the shelves at night. Marlena fought the urge to bring her hand up and trace the lines of her face.

“Your parents…” Arlet started, biting at her quivering lip. “Your parents know about us. That’s why you freaked out.” It wasn’t a question.

Marlena nodded, finally breaking the hold she had on her body and reaching up to push a piece of Arlet’s hair behind her ear. Marlena was so much softer with Arlet than she was with anyone else. This version of herself that she let Arlet see was fading, but with her, she could save just a small piece. For Arlet, she would.

“I didn’t mean to get caught. I didn’t mean to start all this trouble.” Marlena could tell Arlet was doing her best to keep herself from crying.

She was hiding something. Marlena could feel it in the way her body stayed stiff, when she usually melted into her touch.

“It’s okay. It’s okay they know.” Marlena traced a thumb over her cheek. “I told them I didn’t care what they think, and I don’t. They can’t take you from me… I won’t let them.”

Arlet closed her eyes and leaned into Marlena’s gentle touch. She kept her eyes closed when she spoke. “But I can.” Her eyes popped open, and any trace of her sadness had been stored away, locked behind her hazel eyes.

Marlena’s stomach dropped, and she stepped back. It could have been minutes, hours, or days before she finally spoke… and when she did, all she could manage was, “What?”

“But I can,” she repeated. “I can take me from you.”

The world seemed to spin on its axis, sending Marlena’s stomach on a twisted ride. “What are you saying?”

Arlet seemed to be operating on autopilot, but her hands were shaking at her sides. She opened and closed her fists a few times, and they still shook with nerves. “Mar, I think…” She paused and swallowed, her throat bobbing. “I don’t think we should do this anymore.”

No.

Marlena had been pushing people away, scared in the end that they would give up on her but hoping they would see through the mask she’d been wearing—hoping they would see she was only doing this for now.