The candles in the hallway don’t offer much light, and the oversized frames on the walls don’t look anything like the other ones around the castle.
They’re all photos of a family—a man, wife, and two kids—but the faces of the children are torn so badly that I can only make out their inky black hair color.
No frame is immune to the damage, and the owner has made it more than clear that this is exactly how he wants them to be seen.
A bright red light seeps under a door down the hall, and I turn the door handle—pushing it open.
Inside the room is stuffed with beautiful rose blooms, similar to the ones Gabriel gave to me.
They part a pathway for me as I approach, sparkling and twisting with my every step.
Stunned, I pick up one, twirling its stem between my fingertips, bracing myself for a stab.
It only glows brighter, though.
I pick up another, carrying them both over to the balcony to watch them under the moonlight.
How is this even possible?
I gently tug at one of the bloom’s petals, but it doesn’t give way at all.
Instead, it hardens under my touch and shifts into stone.
The other rose follows suit.
“Fine…” I carry them both inside and return them to their places.
Moving further into the room, I push aside a toppled chair and notice more tattered family portraits.
As I’m pushing back a shred of canvas that reveals a piece of the young boy’s smile, Gabriel’s voice comes from the other side of the door.
Walking over, I gently push it open.
Red-faced with puffy eyes that reveal he hasn’t slept since he left me, he’s clutching an ornate mirror.
“Show me again.” He glares at it.
“Show you what?” A raspy voice in the glass answers.
“The most beautiful girl in all the kingdoms…”
The raspy voice laughs. “It’s the same as what I’ve shown you before. Nothing is different.”
“Fuck you.” He clenches his jaw and sets down the mirror.
Before I can blink, he picks up a lamp and slams it onto the ground—shattering it to pieces.
He knocks everything off his desk.
Enraged, he pulls portraits off the walls and slumps down to the floor, cursing and yelling at the top of his lungs.
I start to step inside to console him, but someone grabs my hand from behind and pulls me away.
Sola.
“You can’t fucking be here.” She hisses.
“There’s nothing—”
“You can’t be here.” Anger flashes in her eyes and her change in demeanor stuns me into silence. “You’ll kill us all.”
What? “I don’t understand how I could do that.”
“You don’t need to.” Tears fall down her face as she drags me farther away from Gabriel. “I should’ve known better than to trust you being alone.”
She snaps her fingers, and two guards appear ahead of us, ready to lead me away.
I wait in my room for Gabriel to knock on my door, but he never comes.
Instead, when I walk over to my balcony, I watch him and his troops leave.
They return at sunrise, but he never returns to me.
It’s True After All
Belle
I’m officially burning a hole in the bedroom floor with my incessant pacing and waiting. I’ve never longed for anything as badly as another touch and kiss from Gabriel, and I’m honestly willing to say, “I belong to you,” if it means I’ll never have to suffer through this agony again.
Sola has unfortunately evolved into a warden overnight, and she’s only let me leave the room to relieve myself.
While she watches from close range…
Tonight, she’s being “lenient” and allowing me to spend the night in the library.
The moment the henchman shuts the door, I read one more chapter from Chaucer and slip behind a shelf Gabriel showed me.
It’s a stairway that leads to the kitchen, so I stand and wait until the voices of the staff cease.
Pulling a cloak over my head, I press my back against the dim wall and slowly make my way back to the north wing, then to the study.
Slipping inside, I shut the door behind me, and the rose blooms sparkle once more.
“Gabriel?” I call out. “Gabriel?”
No answer.
I move forward into the office where I last saw him, swallowing as I take in all the damage.
The mirror remains atop the desk, glimmering.
Gripping its handle, I stare into the broken glass—wanting to see what made Gabriel so upset, but nothing happens.
“Show me the girl,” I say, repeating his words, and suddenly the handle heats and a fog covers the glass.
An elderly woman in a grey hood appears, and a smile spreads across her face.
What the hell is this thing? I watch as she tilts her head to the side and taps her hairy chin.
“Who are you?” I ask. “Are you the girl?”
“Not at all, Beautiful.” Her eyes gleam. “I’m someone who is about to have some fun. Tell me what you want to see.”
Confused as to what she means or why she’s trapped inside this glass, I decide not to overthink things.