Page 10 of Wicked Chains
“I don’t want your martyr act. I want you to fight for something besides your own survival.”
I reach for her, but she steps back. Not out of fear, not Rose. Out of stubbornness, and a need not to be touched by hands that serve two masters.
“You want a confession?” I say, lowering my voice. “Fine. I betrayed the Crescent Moon Coven. I sold out. Betrayed them. And I would do it again, a thousand times. I am a monster, you know.”
“I hate you.”
“You do.” I touch her cheek, and she lets me, but only for a heartbeat. “But you hate him more.”
“I don’t trust you,” she says.
“It would be stupid if you did.” I step back, giving her space. “Distrust is safer than hope.”
She walks to the window, arms folded again.
“Why didn’t you just run?” she says, not looking at me. “Flee with the rest of the Crescent Moon Coven?”
“Because the moment I leave, Ash will send someone less gentle to watch you.”
She snorts. “Gentle. That’s a new one.”
I look down at my hands. “I will make sure the leash is as long as I can make it.”
She turns, silhouetted in the light from the dimming day. “I’ll break it, you know. Sooner or later.”
I smile, just a little. “I’m counting on it.”
She shakes her head. “You’re a bastard, Lucien.” She heads for the door, then pauses with her hand on the knob. “Don’t pretend this is for me. You’re just as much his lapdog as you were Victoria’s.”
Then Rose leaves without looking back, closing the door silently behind her.
I stand alone in my room, listening to her footsteps as they fade down the hall.
I know the word for what I have become. I know what it means, and I accept it.
Because in the end, monsters don’t get happy endings.
But I can give her a fighting chance.
Four
Rose
I head straight for my room, and as I get closer to my door I see a figure in the shadows.
It’s Soren.
He’s leaning just beside my door, hands in his pockets, head tipped back. His shirt is half-unbuttoned, of course, and the tie that was his one nod to formality is now draped loose and crooked.
“I was starting to think you were never coming back.”
“I was busy.”
Soren’s mouth pulls sideways. “Lucien.”
“Make it make sense, Soren. The last time I saw either of you, Ash had you both down on the ground like dogs. Now you’re besties with the bastard?”
He finally looks at me, eyes pitch black. “I work here, Rose. The name on the letterhead changes, but the job’s the same. Nevermade promises to the Crescent Moon. Never claimed I’d be loyal to them, or you, or anyone. I teach here because it gives me access to the things I need, and protection from obligations I'd rather avoid. The Crescent Moon paid well. Now the Blood Moon pays better. It’s that simple.”
