Page 125 of The Sinner's Bargain

“Stay with me,” she murmured, stroking my cheek. “I’m right here.”

“You shouldn’t be.” My lungs contracted around the words making them tight. “Don’t you understand? You shouldn’t be here because the house will take you, too, and I can’t fucking live without you, Blue. I don’t fucking want to.”

She didn’t understand. I knew it the moment she gave me a tiny smile and kissed my mouth.

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“Every woman who has ever stepped foot in this place has died,” I told her, anger and panic making my voice sharp. “I’ve been almost married five times, sweetheart. Five.” I jerked up the sleeve of my right arm to show her the twisting vine of roses. “They all died, Blue. I brought them here knowing and barely had a solid year with any of them. “Penelope,” I pointed to the smallest bud near the bottom, “Six weeks.” I pointed higher to the second bloom. “Danika. Three days.”

I could hear the ting of hysteria creeping into my voice. Pulsing at my temples. Drumming until it was all I could hear.

Blue placed her small hands across my forearm. Hiding the ink.

“Tell me about them,” she said gently.

She wasn’t listening.

Maybe I wasn’t telling it right.

Maybe she really was broken and I had only broken her further.

“Who was first?” she asked.

I sighed. “Elena. She was Amari’s older cousin. Her aunt, Amari’s mother, and my father had this vendetta going back years over lost shipment. It was so long ago I barely remember it, but they thought the solution to stopping the bloodshed was to have me marry her niece.”

“Did you like her?”

I shrugged. “She was nice. Nothing like her cousin. She was calm and sweet.”

“How did she die?”

I rubbed my free hand over my eyes. “One of the guards found her at the bottom of the stairs leading towards the conservatory. I have no idea why she was there.”

“What about Danika?” Blue pressed, keeping me going.

“She was the daughter of a rival I overthrew. She was my ... prize. After she died, they just assumed I killed her and that was it. No one cared. Her body is in the family plot.”

“How did she die? You said three days.”

I looked down at her flower on my skin. Her memory because no one else had. “She fell into the well in the garden. I told her not to go there.”

I felt Blue shudder violently. “Sorry,” she lowered her gaze. “I passed the well when I got lost. I thought I heard something inside.”

My heart forgot to beat for a second. “Did you look inside?”

Blue nodded. “For a second. But I got scared and ran.”

I closed my eyes and let my head fall back. “Jesus Christ, Blue.”

“I didn’t know,” she pleaded.

I was reminded yet again of all the ways the house had nearly gotten her and she had no idea.

“Tell me about the next one,” she prodded.

“Constance.” I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Vance found her. She was daughter of a foot soldier for some small drug lord. He tried to get his boss to seek revenge for her death, but the guy wasn’t stupid. He wasn’t going to risk coming up against me. The father came for me himself. I actually felt bad when I killed him.” He had done all he could and, in the end, it had cost two lives. “She threw herself out the upstairs window. I guess the thought of being married to me was just too much for her to handle. She died immediately,” I said before Blue could ask.

“I don’t believe that,” she said. “Maybe she fell.”

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