Page 86 of Sold to the Devil
I jump in surprise as he presses his forehead against mine and I immediately try to pull away, but his right hand moves to my waist, trapping me in an embrace. I look at him with wide eyes as he closes his eyes and sighs softly, his jaw clenching for a few seconds.
“I have a plan,” he mumbles. “You don’t have to marry him. We can be together. Please,” he begs hoarsely.
I try to speak, but again, no sound escapes my lips. His grip on my waist tightens, I wince in pain, trying to pull away, but again without success.
“Mattheo has been useless these past few weeks. If he were to… die. My father would appoint me his right-hand man, and I could marry you. We could carry on the Rigast name together.”
A small smile tugs at his lips and I feel my heart skip a beat in horror.
I try to escape his embrace again, but he holds me even tighter. I frown, my lips trembling as I feel tears begin to well up in my eyes. I can't believe what he's implying. He wants to kill Mattheo so he can marry me. It's a completely insane idea, and I'm terrified.
He pulls back and begins to lean in to kiss me. That's when my reflexes choose to kick in again. Finally remembering the existence of my shapeshifting power, I force him away from me, finally freeing me from his grip. His eyes snap open and widen in surprise as he backs away and steadies himself. He tries to move closer again, but I push him away, harder thistime.
“Aelys… Please, darling, I won't hurt you,” he pleads, hoping I'll let him get close.
I giggle and start laughing maniacally. I'm stunned by every word that escapes his lips. Does he think I'm afraid of him? Is he serious?
“I'm not afraid of you, Tom,” I breathe in disbelief.
“Does that mean you agree with my plan?” He asks, his eyes shining with hope.
I snort and shake my head in disbelief. I clench my fists and glare at him, my jaw clenching in anger and frustration.
“Are you listening to yourself, Tom?” I cry out. “I won't accept anything! I won't let you kill Mattheo and I won't marry you.”
He frowns and I almost feel bad when I see his expression fall and how devastated he looks.
“I love him and I want to become his wife for the love of the Gods!”
He snorts and I give him another glare.
“Why?” He growls, furious now.
I sigh and shake my head. “That's how it is, Tom. I'm sorry. You're my friend, I thought you knew that.”
He purses his lips into a thin line and doesn't move for a few seconds before slowly nodding his head. He turns on his heel without another word and leaves the room, slamming the door behind him, startling me.
I stand frozen in place, staring at the door, my mind still racing, trying to comprehend what just happened. I hear the bathroom door open, my eyes finally move to watch Nancy enter the room, wearing her magnificent emerald dress. Her short black hair curled and loose, her makeup matching her dress. She looks beautiful, but I can't seem to form words, too shaken by my conversation with Tom.
“Hey, is everything okay?” She asks worriedly.
I nod slowly and finally force myself out of my thoughts by smiling at her. She smiles back, not noticing that my smile is fake, and spins around to give me a better look at her appearance.
“So what do you think?”
“You're perfect, Nance,” I hug her gently and she laughs.
My thoughts involuntarily return to Tom's plan. I need to talk to Matt about this so we can find a way to stop Tom from killing him. I'll tell him after our wedding, when we're back at the Academy in the comfort of our dorm.
I clutch my bouquet of green and white roses, feeling nervous. I wait for my father to walk me down the aisle. In a few minutes, I'll be marrying the man I love, and that terrifies me. Especially after learning Tom's plan.
What if he attacks Matt today before the Dark Mage can marry us? What if he ruins our wedding?
I jump slightly when I feel a hand on my shoulder and my head turns to look at who it is. I exhale in relief when I see my father's blue eyes filled with affection and pride. He smiles and kisses my cheek.
“You look lovely, my sweet child.”
“Thank you, Father,” I smile, feeling myself blush.
