Page 54 of Sold to the Devil
“And what if I am?” I suddenly cry out, exasperated.
I freeze, my eyes wide in horror as I realize what I just said, my hands flying to my mouth. I see Mattheo out of the corner of my eye looking at me with wide eyes and his mouth hanging open in shock. Tom has a similar expression, coupled with pain. I clutch my uniform tighter to my chest before pushing past the two brothers and running out of the room. I ignore the chill of the September morning as I leave building G and duck as fast as my bare feet can carry me into building F.
I only stop once I'm in front of Nancy's dormitory, my heart pounding in my chest, my breath coming out of my chest from my frantic run, and my uniform clutched tightly around me. I glance over my shoulder and feel relief that the two Rigast brothers haven't followed me. So I take a deep breath and knock on the door, waiting for my cousin to open the door, my brain racing.
Fuck, what did I do…
I stay in my cousin's dorm all day and she doesn't move, staying by my side the whole time. We've both missed our classes, double-locking the door and carefully soundproofing the dorm with a spell. Kiara and Paula join us mid-morning as soon as the boys tell them where we are.
Tom and Mattheo tried to get me out several times, but to no avail. They even sent the other boys, who also failed.
I adore them, but they're also Tom and Mattheo's friends. And let's not forget that Mattheo is their future Master. If he asked one of them to drag me out of the dormitory or let him in, they would obey. Without hesitation and without question.
“I'm never leaving this room,” I whine as I bury my face in my palms.
“You know I don't care if you stay here, but… You'll have to get out at some point,” Nancy replies softly. “You still need to eat,isolating yourself won't solve anything. You still have to marry Mattheo, or the Dark Mage will kill you.”
I take my hands off my face and shoot her a small glare, making her smile with all her teeth in a falsely innocent way.
“That helps a lot, thanks, Nance,” I roll my eyes and sigh.
The girls laugh but get interrupted by someone knocking at the door.
“Angel?”
I freeze when I hear Mattheo's voice. He's tried to get me to talk several times throughout the day, and I kept telling him to go away. I'm not ready to face him. The situation is too embarrassing, and I certainly don't want to hear his rejection. I know he cares about me because he told me so himself, but I know he doesn't love me. After all, he told me the Rigasts couldn't love.
“Open the door, please. We need to talk and you know it.”
I glance at the girls and they are smiling, nodding gently in encouragement.
“You should accept, honey,” Kiara whispers. “You need to hear what he has to say.”
“If I do, I'll have to talk to Tom too, and I don't want to see him. Not after the way he spoke to me earlier,” I shake my head, whispering aggressively and defensively.
“You can always avoid him and talk to him when you’re ready. Let the poor boy suffer,” Nancy shrugs. “But Mattheo is going to be your husband. Unlike Tom, you can’t avoid him.”
I sigh when I realize she's right. I kiss their cheeks and stand up, heading for the door. Mattheo knocks again, and I take a deep breath. The click of the lock being unlocked echoes, and I slowly open the door.
I'm immediately met with two brown orbs looking at me with concern and relief. He steps back, letting me exit the dorm and close the door behind me. I cross my arms over my chest and look down, avoiding his intense gaze. I hear him sigh softly before I feel his warm hands cup my face. He forces me to look at him, but I don't meet his gaze, too afraid of what I'll see if I do.
“My angel, look at me,” he asks softly.
I shake my head and he sighs before letting go of my face. He grabs my hand in his, intertwining our fingers before he begins to walk away, pulling me with him. I don't protest as he leads us out of building F and back to ours. I tense as we approach the door to our dorm, but I continue to let him pull me along, knowing this conversation needs to happen.
We enter the dormitory and he locks the door before soundproofing it with a spell. His hands then cup my face again and he presses his forehead against mine. I close my eyes, trying to calm the anxiety consuming me. His cologne washes over me and calms me a little. It doesn't last long because every muscle in my body tenses when he speaks again.
“Aelys.” He calls softly and I hum, letting him know I'm listening even though my eyes are still closed.
I wait for him to continue, but all I hear is him swallowing loudly as he seems to think about what to say next. When he finally speaks, I feel my heart stop for a few seconds and my stomach twists with anxiety while my eyelids remain firmly closed.
“Are you in love with me?”
CHAPTER 22
Aelys
Time seems to stand still and I swallow hard. What I feared most has happened, and I have no one to blame but myself. I have to tell him the truth because he can read my mind if he suspects I'm lying.
