Chapter 21
Chapter
Twenty-One
Selene
Nausea churns my stomach. The rose-lined walls aid the sickness.
Why did I hug Titus?
I keep letting him see me cry.
I feel faint.
Stupid, stupid girl!
You don’t behave like this. You’re a mold; you do not bend or break!
Picking up my pace, I nearly fall into the door. Fresh air slaps me in the face as I emerge onto the rose-covered path. The thick vines could be mistaken for marble pillars. Their braided patterns knot so tight, a fly could not buzz through.
This hidden exit from the castle is Galen’s safety net, and a cage he gave me.
My foot meets the path with familiarity. It’s twists and winds, not disclosing the final destination until you’re brave enough to enter it.
When Galen first led me here, I was at his mercy. Exactly what he wanted, it wasn’t until I released my captive breath that he revealed the training field, which he enclosed in more rose bushes. The faster I walk, the fresher the air becomes.
I crave release from these roses! From this cage! From the chemistry that sparks when I look at Titus’s face.
The wider the path splits open, the more my heart cries. It’s so damaged that it should have evolved not to weep.
I glance over my shoulder, seeing Titus and Tristen follow suit. They look like twins, but Tristen’s face has a lightness to it. Blackthorn will expunge it.
Titus is all haunting eyes that lure the predator into his emotional depths. If he wishes to survive, he must resemble a stone. Let things soak into him but not change shape.
The brothers share a heated glance, jaws set firm, eyes locked in a silent argument as they hunt me through the caged path towards my field.
Shit, Tristen knows. He sees the bubbles dancing in the air when Titus and I are close.
He’s wise enough to pop them.
As must I.
I have to stand tall, numb everything. Reaching for a rose, I rip it from its vine, crushing it in the palm of my hand.
I sprint towards my refuge. Running as fast as I can away from the desire I feel for Titus.
There’s a problem. Those feelings are a predator; they have one purpose. To claim. To mark.
I run, they give chase.
I tell them no, I see their claws ready to hook me, dragging me to their jaws, no matter what the repercussions are.
I must discover an alternative tactic to defeat them. Snuffing the flame is impossible, but I don’t have to fan it.
Stepping free from the pathway, I enter my field, a wide-open cage that traps the sloped hills and pastures. Behind it, mountains frame the landscape, feathery skies, and a bright sunny day masks the corruption on these lands.
You are ice. You do not melt under Titus’s flames. Stomp on the swelling emotions!
Feelings so dangerous, empires would topple. Kingdoms would be no more.
Tossing the rose aside, I walk to the center of the field and grab my sword, pressing it to my lips. This is who you should love. Metal. Weapons.
Not men trying to save you.
I’ll never admit what is happening between Titus and me, why I inch closer when I should shove back, why I dreamt of him last night.
It can’t happen.
Spinning, I aim my sword at the man who has caused my heart to beat again.
It’s time to train, to stay steady on our course. At sea, an island looks inviting. It was never the final destination.
I can not divert.
Our emotions are nothing compared to the grand scheme. I will not let my brother’s death be for nothing.
“Let’s begin,” I declare. My eyes swim along the metal of my blade, the sky above reflecting on it. It’s time to vanquish these emotions so they remain forever hidden.