Page 62 of Betrayed in the Dark
Everything.
All of it.
I can’t do this.
But I have to.
I don’t have a choice.
“Breathe,” he repeats.
“C-can’t,” I gasp as black dots start to cloud my vision.
Oh my God, I’m going to pass out.
Suddenly, his hands grip my waist, lifting me out of the tangled tulle and into the air. My bare legs wrap around his torso as I bury my face in the crook of his neck. He adjusts one hand firmly against my back while the other finds the underside of my thigh. With strong strides, he carries us back into the dressing room, shuts the door behind us, and then reaches for something on the table before sitting on the couch with me straddling his lap.
“Take a sip,” he says, lifting a bottle of water to my lips. The cool liquid falls on my tongue, and I swallow every drop greedily. His left hand reaches up toward my neck, and I squeal. “Relax. It’s just ice,” he assures me, his voice softening. He glides the ice down my neck and across my chest, instantly cooling my overheated body. I close my eyes, feeling the lightheadedness dissipate with each gentle stroke. “You’re okay,” he affirms. But it sounds like he’s trying to convince himself more than me. “You’re okay,” he repeats softly, his eyes absorbing every inch of me. “I won’t ever let anything happen to you.”
I lean forward, pressing my head to his shoulder, exhaustion engulfing me. Inhaling his familiar scent eases my racing mind. He wraps his arms tighter around me, his tenderness soothing every tense muscle within me.
As his hands gently glide up and down my back, he asks, “What brought this on?”
How do I answer that? How do I tell him I don’t want to marry Alastor? How do I explain to him that I signed my life away to the devil? I can’t. So instead, I reply, “Everything.”
We sit in silence for a few minutes. I’m too scared to move or say anything because I don’t want this moment to end.
I just want to be in Eli’s arms for the rest of my life.
Because that’s where I’ve always felt safest.
His lips move next to my ear. “You don’t need to do this.”
I shake my head, fighting back tears. “I don’t have a choice.”
His hand stills on my bare skin. “What do you mean you don’t have a choice?”
I pinch my eyes closed.Shit.
“I just mean…” I sit up, looking him in the eye. “Everything is booked—the caterer, the venue, the florist. It’s in a matter of weeks and is happening now, whether I want it to or…”
Not.
I let the last word die on my tongue, knowing it lingers in the air, heavy between us.
“Don’t marry him.”
It’s a plea.
One that slices right through my beating heart.
A single tear slides down my cheek. “You don’t understand.”
“Then tell me. I’m right here. I’m listening.” He reaches for my face, his thumb brushing away the tear. “I can fix this for you. Just tell me, love. Tell me what happened.”
You,I want to say.You are what happened.
But I don’t.
