Page 86 of Monster's Pretty Bride

I was supposed to kill him, not let him worship me, not let him make me feel as if I were something precious. Damn him. Damn myself.

The memory of last night flickers behind my eyes, the way he held me, whispered my name like it meant something more, the way he kissed me with desperation and… resignation.

My stomach twists. He wanted me to remember him.

My breath stutters as realization takes root. He wasn’t just losing control. He was saying goodbye.

No. No. No.

I shove myself out of bed, barely registering my state of undress as I grab a robe and storm toward the door. I need to find him. He can’t do this. He can’t just disappear after that, after us.

But before I can even yank open the heavy doors, Catalina steps inside, her movements slow, careful. She looks at me and stops. A moment stretches between us, her expression sharpening as she studies me, taking in my tangled hair, the flushed look of my skin, the bruises from Naranus’ grip on my hips.

“Did you do it?” she asks quietly.

I flinch.

The mission. She means the mission. Did I kill him? Did I finally fulfill my duty, strike him down as I was meant to?

I force my face into neutrality, but the hesitation, that damn hesitation is enough.

Catalina knows.

Her mouth tightens, and I see something strange flicker in her gaze. Something dark, something unreadable.

“You’re being watched,” she says, closing the door behind her, voice pitched low. “You realize that, don’t you?”

My pulse spikes. “What?”

“The Purna Elders,” she says, stepping closer. “They’re waiting. If you don’t do it, they’ll send someone else. They’ll kill him and you.”

I suck in a breath. “No. They wouldn’t?—”

“They already have,” she cuts in. “Amelia sent them before she disappeared. A kill squad. They’re coming, Eryss.”

My chest locks.

I stumble back, pressing my hand to the cool stone wall. They were never going to let me decide.

Catalina reaches for me, but then she stiffens. A violent tremor runs through her. Her hands shake, her breathing turns ragged. Her veins darken, pulse with something unnatural.

I grab her arm. “Catalina?—”

She yanks away. Her eyes dart around the room like she’s searching for something unseen. Her lips open, but no words come out.

A cold prickle dances down my spine. Is she still under Amelia’s influence? Is she fighting it?

I exhale slowly. “Catalina, are you?—”

“Where’s Naranus?” she interrupts, gripping my wrist with bruising strength. “Where is he?”

I freeze.

He’s gone. The thought slams into me like a blow. He left. After last night, he left.

A new kind of dread takes hold.

Where is he? What is he planning?

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