Page 37 of Turret

“No, Gemma, we can’t.” Torment filled his pleading tone.

His rejection was sharp yet not all encompassing, for I’d seen his desire to kiss me, and with it the assurance he loved me. In one courtship outing we’d gone from not speaking to tentatively exploring our feelings for one another, and with that there was progress.

“I’m tired of being held back,” I murmured. “I know what I want and refuse to give up.”

Hope warred with his doubts. “The circumstances haven’t changed. I’m still going blind.”

My heart lurched at the horrible words. We hadn’t spoken about his curse since he’d shared it with me. My gaze seeped into his, relishing the way he looked when he could see me. I couldn’t deny I’d miss that special look, nor could I lie and claim that the thought of his future without his sight wasn’t both frightening and heartbreaking. But it was nothing to a future without him.

“The circumstances haven’t changed,” I said. “ButIhave. I refuse to have worked so hard to escape the cage I created for myself only to experience a half life. I won’t give up until you’ve also broken free.”

Somehow I needed to help him escape the prison of his doubts and fears, just as he’d worked tirelessly to free me from mine. Only then would he realize that my greatest need was not for him to protect my future from any sadness but my heart. No matter the risks, that was what was most important to me.

I knew I would need to convince him of this, even if I didn’t yet knowhow. Every journey began with a single step, and though I could still see Quinn’s fears raging in his eyes, I knew we’d at least begun the journey, one I wouldn’t give up until I’d reached the end. Our love was stronger than either of our fears, which would allow us to overcome them one by one until none remained.

Chapter 14

The pleasant afternoon breeze caressed my cheeks at my place near the tower window while the golden sunlight illuminated the herbology book in my lap, but the tranquil moment shattered as a deafening crash suddenly echoed from several floors below, piercing the silence. The force caused the tower to shake, sending my book tumbling to the floor and nearly upending me from my seat.

Melina’s gaze snapped up from her embroidery, her eyes wide with fear. “What’s happening?”

I couldn’t answer. I clutched the arms of my chair with white knuckles, a grip that didn’t loosen even after the tower stopped shaking and a taut silence settled around us.

We didn’t move or speak for a long moment. Melina stirred first, striding to the door to yank it open and peer into the hallway, while I remained riveted to my seat, my heart pounding painfully in my chest.

Melina whirled around, her face pale. My pulse escalated. “What is it?” It was difficult to speak as my mind whirled with every possible explanation for the potential destruction such a noise might have caused.

It took her a moment to find her voice. “Quinn isn’t outside the door.”

My heart lurched. “He’s not?” Only this news could compel me to shakily stand. The rumbling tower had made me lightheaded; I reached for the wall to steady myself, but before the world could still, my urgency compelled me to stumble towards the doorway.

I clutched the doorframe for support and peered into the shadowy hallway, completely dark save for the single candle lit near my bedroom. Candles had been the most recent supplies to vanish, so we rarely kept one lit for the corridors unless Melina or I was traversing them, for Quinn insisted he’d not only memorized the tower hallways but had grown used to navigating his way through darkness.

The flickering orange light illuminated several yards from the doorway before being swallowed up in the thick blackness, but despite Quinn’s unwavering devotion to his post just outside my door, he wasn’t in sight.

My panic escalated. “Where is he?”

Melina bit her lip even as her gaze futilely scanned the small illuminated area. “I’m not sure. He always remains close, unless he’s—” Her words faltered, but not before she’d triggered my curiosity.

“Unless he’s…where? Do you know where he’s been going?” It was unsurprising he’d told someone what he was up to, but I was annoyed that someone hadn’t beenme, especially with the understanding slowly developing between us. His only reason for remaining silent was likely to protect me. I was tired of being coddled.

Melina hesitated until my sharp look compelled her to speak. “He’s been spending time in the cellar.”

My brow furrowed. We had a cellar? Why would Quinn find such interest in it?

“Take me to him. I must ensure he’s not harmed.” And that he was actually in the cellar, for the only other alternative was that he’d been in a room that might have trapped him the way I’d been the last time the tower shook. If he was, we’d need to find a way to rescue him.

I watched Melina’s inner battle as she debated the wisdom of such a venture before faltering at my clear desperation. Considering she was in love herself, she understood my fierce need. Relief washed over me at her nod.

She took the candle from its place near the door and led the way through the cold corridor with me following close behind. My heart pounded more wildly with each step that took me further from the comforting cocoon of my room, for each one ventured deeper into the darkness and the unknown, filled with uncertainty and fear.

But despite my all-encompassing worry, it wasn’t strong enough to completely smother my curiosity; the sense of mystery guided me almost as much as my need to assure myself that my faithful guard was well. What had he been doing in the cellar, a place as far from guarding me as he could get in this tower?

Despite the faint, flickering light from our candle, the darkness seemed to grow thicker the further we traveled, the air colder. With every step, I searched not just for Quinn but for the destruction that might have caused the booming noise that had preceded the tower’s shaking, but nothing appeared out of the ordinary…which only heightened my apprehension.

I wasn’t entirely sure whether or not it was my imagination, but the hallways seemed more twisty than I remembered, whether because of the darkness, my unfamiliarity with the corridors, or because the tower had recently shifted.

I glanced towards Melina, her rigid expression illuminated by the candle’s glow. “Do you know where you’re going?”

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