Page 161 of Heir of the Beast

I feel Pierce pulling me.

“Let go!” I try to push him off me. “I am not leaving without him!”

He pulls me into his embrace, surprisingly strong. His arms hold me tightly as I thrash. I look up into his eyes, vision blurred.

“I was born here, why can’t I stay?” I desperately try this tactic. “I don’t want this to be the end.”

“It does not matter, I’m afraid.” I can see the pain in his expression.

“Pierce, I can’t leave him.”

He glances toward the Castle of Garthorn, then closes his eyes, jaw flexing. “If you do not leave with me, you will be transferred out. I am so sorry.”

I am crying, delirious with pain.

I can feel Mort hugging me from behind and it makes me cry harder.

I feel Pierce pick me up, and I just bury my face into his wool coat, not wanting to take one more breath.

I numbly feel for my Darling necklace and rip it off, throwing it. Maybe Apollo will find it and realize what a mistake he’s made.

Apollo Augustus Garthorn the Fifth just made the biggest mistake of his life.

***

~New Orleans~

The sound of heartbreak is complete ~silence.~

My bathroom is steamy from the hot bath I am soaking in. A week has passed, and it feels like a lifetime, the pain ever-present. A distant memory that seems more like a dream, a nightmare.

I slowly lift my leg out of the steamy tub filled with red rose petals. Yes, rose petals—how fitting. My skin is smooth and perfect. But who cares? I don’t. Nothing matters to me anymore.

Little water droplets fall off my leg, breaking the sound of silence.

~Drip, drip, drip.~

Fairy Godmother offers therapy for their contestants who lose.

I laugh rudely.

~Give me a break.~

I am just going to stay in this bath for the rest of my life. I slip under the rose-filled water, feeling weightless, tranquil. I just want to stay like this forever, insubstantial.

My eyes cramp but I have no tears left. I am just numb.

I wonder what Apollo thought when he came to his senses. Is he broken like I am? Will he never forgive himself?

What did he do when he came to the South Shore and saw I was gone? Did he cry? Scream? Or did he not care at all, actually thankful I was gone?

I will never know, unfortunately.

I break the surface of the water, gasping for air.

A knock at the door makes me jump.

I am still, hoping the person leaves as I listen. It could be Laura—she said she was going to bring pizza and ice cream. She is just as hurt as I am.

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