Page 11 of Crimson Devotion
“A part of the stupid curse Yvonne put on us,’’ she hisses.
“You cannot enter the sea,’’ I state, and Ophelia nods.
“Correct. So, I’m confined to these walls, little hunter. I most likely didn’t kill your parents, unless it was about two hundred years ago. Which, given that you’re a human, is impossible.’’
“Then who was it?”
She shrugs. “I lost mine in a fierce battle against werewolves,’’ she says, then a glint of something dark flashes behind her eyes. “I killed that pack, by the way. But that’s the last time I saw the bracelet. I only noticed it was gone when the suncame, and I nearly burned to a crisp.’’
My mouth opens to ask more questions, but before I can voice them, Ophelia stands right in front of me. Beating rapidly against my ribcage, my heartrate picks up. Her speed is something I’ve yet to become accustomed to — it’s still catching me off guard.
I’m momentarily frozen on the spot. Her eyes flick down to my pulse point, and she licks her bottom lip. It glistens under the dim light, and I’m unable to move. I pray internally that Yvonne’s spell works, just in case Ophelia decides to touch me.
And she does.
Her hand lifts, and before I can react, she clutches the necklace that Yvonne had gifted me. Ophelia screams, a gut-wrenching, all-consuming scream that shakes me to my bones. Her entire hand starts bleeding with a dark, almost pitch-black substance, but she doesn’t let go.
Instead, she holds it tighter, and when her eyes meet mine, all color drains from my face.
Her red eyes have blackened, with inky tears streaming down her cheeks. It’s a thick liquid, matching the color of her blood. Fear consumes me for a moment, and I finally realize that I’m way in over my head.
A sadistic look is in her eyes as she pulls the necklace toward her, breaking the chain. She tosses it to the side, and I can only watch as it shatters against the wall, falling down into ahundred small pieces.
“Now, now, little hunter.’’ Her voice drops an octave. “What do I do with you? You’re defenseless now. How fun.’’
FIVE
Faith
The next while feels like an eternity passes, though, in reality, it’s been perhaps twenty seconds. Ophelia’s eyes don’t return to normal; if anything, they darken a shade. I didn’t think it’d be possible, given the shade of black, but it’s as though I’m staring into a black hole, the darkest abyss.
I swallow around a knot that formed in my throat, a couple of sweat droplets rolling down my forehead. Hesitantly, I step backward, but she follows suit, taking one step forward for each of mine. She’s expressionless, and I’m not sure if I’m even encountering the Ophelia I met.
With a deep breath, I steel myself for the inevitable.
I came here looking for answers, and despite the fact that Ophelia wasn’t the one who killed my parents, someone left that bracelet there on purpose. It was positioned right on my mother’s dead body, on her lap. If it were an accident, the killer would’ve seen it happen.
Ophelia is the key to the puzzle, the missing piece. I’m notdying here like a pathetic bitch, when I was the one who came here with the bravery of a thousand men, as if I had an entire army backing me up.
My eyes close for a moment, gathering the last bits of courage I definitely need right now. When I open them, I know that Ophelia can see determination written all over my face, the desire to live, to see another day. Her head cocks to the side as an amused smile lingers on her lips.
I don’t give her a chance to say a word, quickly grabbing my backpack and running out of the library. She’s faster than me by a lot, and that she can catch up with me before I take another breath, but she won’t. If I’ve understood one thing about Ophelia since meeting her officially two hours ago, it’s that she loves playing games, whether it be mental or physical ones.
My feet carry me out the narrow corridor, going in the direction I originally came from. The torches on the wall flicker as I run past them, my shadow seemingly massive. My heart thumps in my chest, fear creeping its way into my veins. It’s insane. I’m fucking insane for even coming here. I should’ve listened to Yvonne and stayed put.
I don’t know how long I’m running through the castle, but she’s somewhere near. She’s taking immense pleasure in being the cat in this game, and I’m her little mouse, confined in the trap she deliberately prepared for me.
How she managed to ruin Yvonne’s necklace is beyond me. As the oldest witch alive, and the true immortal of this world, Yvonne’s strength is beyond that of the Sacred Seven. Unless she sabotaged me on purpose, but I don’t see her doing that. Yvonne may be a cunt from time to time, but if she wanted me dead, she’d kill me herself, then gloat to everyone about it.
I shake my head, pushing the thoughts to the back of my head, and focusing on escaping this madness. Deep, bone-chilling laughter fills my surroundings, bouncing off the walls.Goosebumps appear all over my skin, the small hairs on my neck standing up straight. My heart picks up the pace, and I’m scared it will leap straight out of my chest.
I’m slowly getting tired. I don’t know how long I’ve been running, but the halls seem never-ending. They’re more or less the same, with a couple of things separating them. However, I haven’t been here long enough to understand what the small differences meant, and I know they mean something.
My lungs spread wide open when I reach the entrance of the castle, the very same sight I’ve seen when I first encountered Ophelia. The wind blows my hair out of my face, my body shuddering. I’m sweaty, and combined with the harshness of the weather, I’m getting chills.
“Did you run enough, little hunter?”
I jolt, spinning around to face Ophelia. She’s leaning against the wall, a wineglass in her hand. Her eyes are back to normal, and I see her palm has healed entirely. My eyes drift back to the liquid in the glass, and I can tell it’s not wine.
