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“Tell me what to do and I’ll do it.” Her voice breaks and I let out a deep exhale, turning around. I shouldn’t have. I should’ve just walked back out the door. Now, staring at the tears that streak from her beautiful hazel eyes, my heart breaks for her. I bite my lip, letting the pain diminish the need I have to wipe those tears away. She’s a blood witch… Her kind killed your mother… Her kind has taken thousands of innocent lives… I can say it over and over in my head, spewing every variation of how evil the blood witches are, but looking at her, not a single fucking one of them makes sense.
I watch a tear escape from the corner of her eye, making its way down her flushed cheek. Her white hair is a tangled mess framing her face, but even disheveled, she remains infuriatingly captivating. How can I feel this way about her when she’s everything I’ve been taught to despise?
“Please,” she breathes, her voice barely audible. “Tell me what you want from me.”
“Fuck, Scarlet.” My hands ball into fists at my sides, knuckles straining white. “I wish I knew.” As I stare into her eyes, I can see the pain and confusion swirling within them. She’s a puzzle I can’t solve, a riddle with no answer. The more I try to understand her, the more lost I become. “I can’t do this.”
22
Scarlet
Asuddenwaveofpanic shoots through me as Sebastian turns toward the door. I lurch forward, not caring that the water likely doesn’t cover much. He’s seen it all now, every inch. I don’t have to hide anymore.
“Wait! Please,” I beg him. “Let me explain. If you still think I’m the same as that thing we killed today, then fine, but at least try to hear me out. Please…”
He freezes as if his shoes have rooted themselves to the floorboards. “Why should I care how you were marked? It doesn’t change what you are.”
“Because I could help you. Maybe it would be enough for you to allow me to live. Even if it’s just until you get your shadow.” I lean against the edge of the tub, ready to run after him if I have to.
Slowly, he turns, eyes narrowed into lethal slits. “It’s precarious that the woman who was so willing to sacrifice herself for kingdom and crown is now willing to beg to live a bit longer.”
The blood drains from my face. He thinks I planned for this, or maybe that my father did. He thinks I tricked him, that I played a part in a setup. I’m not sure I blame him. After seeing the lengths the blood witches will go, knowing what my father does to the outer realm by hiring such awful creatures… I get it. If I were in his shoes, I’m not sure I’d see it much differently, either.
“You still don’t get it, do you? I was willing to do what was required of me. I had no choice in the matter, anyway. I didn’t even know who you were when you offered me that deal, but it changed everything. I had a way to live and see the world, all while fulfilling my duty to the crown. I didn’t ask for any of this. I didn’t ask to be marked, I didn’t ask to be married off to a stranger. My father was just as shocked as I was to see your real face in that arena. Still, the only decision I made was to help you. I bet on you.”
Sebastian steps closer, but I can’t tell what he’s thinking or even if he senses a shred of truth in my confession. My heart races as I continue, “I didn’t have to go through with our deal, and I took a huge risk in doing so. My father would’ve killed me himself had I been caught.”
His voice softens, the anger in his eyes flickering in and out. “What changed your mind?”
“You did. You didn’t just promise a chance at survival; you gave me a reason to live.”
He scoffs, looking up at the ceiling. “What do you want me to say... I’m honored.”
“No, you donkey.” I try to keep the frustration from bubbling out of me.I’m trying here. The least he can do is hold the sarcasm. I point at the porthole in his room. “What’s out there—the adventure, the beauty, the magic... There’s so much more to see than pale stone walls and golden teacups. I wanted to see it all. I never meant to hurt you. Tell me what I have to do to prove that and I’ll do it.” I sit back in the tub, wiping at the tears and trying to regain some of my dignity.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
I trap my lower lip with my teeth, struggling to find the right words. “I thought you’d kill me. I was warned after you won the gauntlet that you hated witches, and honestly, I didn’t think you’d listen.” His eyes gloss over, pain swirling in their depths, but he never sheds a tear.
“All this time,” he starts, scoffing and pacing around the room like a caged animal. “I thought you were worried and scared… In reality, it was your own skin you were worried about.” Sebastian stops and faces me, his voice raised. “How did you hide it, hmm? How do you look like you do?”
I look away. I have my memories, the most significant being the way he used to look at me. I don’t want to remember this, the hate in his eyes, like I’m some vile creature. I’m only guilty of existing. No matter what I say, he won’t listen. He’s made up his mind, believing I was planted in his life to uproot it. Nothing I can say or do will change that… I won’t waste my breath.
“Answer me, woman!” he yells, making me shudder.
Inhaling deeply, I summon the strength to face him with a cold gaze and flex my jaw. “I am a person. You will treat me as such.”
His eyebrows shoot up in shock. “A person?” He laughs soundlessly. “No. You’re a witch. You’ve lied to me ever since I met you. Why would I believe a single word that comes from your mouth?”
I stand from the bath, snatching my towel off the cabinet and pulling it around me. Closing the distance between us, anger boiling inside me, I steel my expression. “I’m not the only one guilty of lying. Or did you forget the fact I met you as a fucking elf?”
Sebastian leans away from me for a moment, and I’m not sure if it’s because it’s the first time he’s heard me curse or if it’s him realizing that no one is in the right here.
We stand there, inches apart, staring into each other’s eyes. The tension is palpable, and I can’t help but think about how we’ve come to this point—how the secrets have finally caught up with us.
The cold air in the room bites at my flesh as I clutch the towel. Sebastian’s eyes narrow until I can see his thoughts simmering beneath their glossy surface.
“Show it to me,” he demands, his voice low and dangerous as he reaches for my arm. I slap his hand away, standing my ground. His teeth clench as he sucks in a breath. “Show me the fucking mark, Scars.”
