“I would,” he says, looking torn between kissing and abandoning me. “But I’d hate to give you any more mixed signals.”
“Are you admitting that you like me?” I throw his previous phrase at him.
“I’ve liked you from the moment we met,” he says. “Even though I’m not supposed to…”
Silence.
For a moment, he looks as if he’s tempted to slip into bed with me, but he steps back.
“Dinner will be served soon,” he says. “I’m sure the servants in the kitchen would love to have you for company.”
“You’re not coming?”
“No,” he says, looking outside the window. “Not tonight. Perhaps the day after tomorrow.”
“Are you going someplace else, then?”
He doesn’t answer.
He just stares at me as pain and agony etch over his face, and then he leaves my room.
A Broken Crown
Gabriel
At SunFall
I’m standing outside on my balcony, smoking a cigar and watching Belle in the western tower. Wearing a bright red dress that falls in waves, she’s twirling around her room, making me question things all over again.
I’ve had to make several adjustments to my plan ever since her father and sister revealed who they really are, but the elements still feel amiss.
I keep wondering how my rose could ever sparkle and glow for her at all. Let alone “sometimes.”
Unless...
“I like the way that dress looks on her, too.” Sola hands me my bag. “I sewed it years ago.”
“I’m impressed.” I turn around to face her. “The full moon will be up soon. I’m leaving shortly.”
“Would you like me to go with you?
“What for?”
“I’m sure you could use the company.” She forces a fake smile. “Right?”
“I’ll be fine. Two nights away as always, more if the full moon decides to linger for longer. That’s always the plan.”
“Yeah.” She nods. “Speaking of the plan, Belle won’t split a hundred ways.”
“Excuse me?”
“I like her, don’t get me wrong, but it’s deeper than that with you,” she says, stepping closer. “I’ll never forgive you if you renege on what you’re supposed to do, just because of your feelings.”
“Don’t be absurd, Sola.” I roll my eyes. “I’m fully aware that she’s only here because she serves a purpose.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“You’re not allowed to question me about anything.”
“I’ve seen the way you look at her,” she says, pressing me further. “You’ve never looked at any woman that way.”
“Did you catch the part when I said, Don’t be absurd?”
“I’ve been holding my tongue since you went after her alone and made us all wait additional nights until she felt better. If she were anyone else, you would’ve come up with another plan to move forward without her.”
“You know what? I’d like to get ready for my night away in peace,” I say. “Close the door on your way out.”
“You promised that you’d do everything to help me see my friends and family again.” Her voice cracks. “Don’t throw our friendship or your mission away over some woman you barely even know.”
I say nothing while she wipes tears from her eyes.
“You promised me, Gabriel. You promised everyone.”
Sighing, I place my hands on her shoulders. “I still swear on my life to keep that promise. Can you make sure Belle remains under watch at all times while I’m gone?”
“I will,” she says, nodding. “All of our lives depend on it…”
A Bastard’s Ball
Belle
Three nights later
“Ohhh my godddd…Ahhhh…Ahhhh!”
Loud moans and murmurs sift under my door in the middle of the night, knocking me out of my sleep.
They’re more intense and drawn out than they were the night before, and from what I remember, they didn’t stop until long after dawn.
Pushing a blanket off my body, I grab a candelabra and open my bedroom door.
“What do you need, Miss Belle?” A guard immediately stands to his feet, his eyes red-rimmed and weary.
“I’m a little hungry,” I say. “I want to grab something from the kitchen.”
“Tell me what it is and I’ll have someone get it for you.”
“Please let me get it myself…” I beg. “If I wanted to escape, I doubt I would try running through the front door.”
He taps his chin a few times, considering.
“There are guards outside my window, too,” I continue pleading my case. “I’m not a threat for escaping…I just need to eat something.”
He turns his head away from me, clearing his throat. “Bring me a cake when you return.”
I nod and move past him.
Using my free hand to grab the staircase’s railing, I hold out the candle to illuminate my path in the darkness, following the moans and murmurs.
I stroll far past the kitchen, through a hallway of sullen, silver soldiers, until I reach a room hidden behind floor-length velvet drapes.
Letting out a breath, I grab the cord to pull one side open, and my jaw slowly unhinges and falls to the floor.
The room is full of naked men and maidens, and their bodies are sleek with sweat as their bodies writhe all over the furniture.