Page 66 of Scent of Desire
The air cut around us, stolen at the sound of Radcliff’s name.
“I don’t think Radcliff did that.” My eyes locked firmly on Hugo’s, and a burst of wind blew my hair. “I’m certain it was him. It could only be him.”
He had burnt my place of nightmares and changed my life in so many ways.
He might belong to the darkness, but he’d helped me reach the light by enshrouding me in his black wings, defying the scorching heat of the sun burning his skin, and with arrows shot behind his back shedding all the blood in his body.
“After that night, I went to live with my uncle,” I closed the chapter. “He wasn’t parent material, and he let me down a lot, but he did his best.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,doudou. But at least the one that bullied you, she died too that day. Justice has been served.” Hugo smirked, doing his best to lighten the mood.
“Mother Anne?” I gulped, blood draining from my face. “She had another fate.”
A fate I would rather forget.
“Hugo, do you know anything about Radcliff’s father?” I changed the subject and paused, my eyes drawn straight to the greenhouse—or whatever was left of it.
The roof still hadn’t been repaired. I was afraid of the carnage the ravens could have done inside, and a wave of protectiveness washed over me.
“I’m afraid not. He’s always been very mysterious about this topic. You probably know more about him than anyone else.” Hugo’s eyes switched between me and the greenhouse. “You’re his soul mate, after all.”
“You believe that?” My cheeks turned crimson at the remembrance that Radcliff had used the exact same word to define us.
“You went through his church of scars to find his dusty heart. He’s yours, and I’ve never seen Radcliff belong to anyone.” Hugo chuckled. “You never hated him, even though he’s probably the most hated man in France.”
“You don’t hate him.” I raised a questioning eyebrow.
“Oh, I did… sometimes. He doesn’t have an easy temper,” he joked.
I smiled back and let my mind wander across every sharp edge of the manor. They pointed toward the sky like a seasoned sword. Ravencliff Manor truly was Radcliff’s church of scars—from the windows in the form of stained glass to the gloominess of the unwelcoming place. It overlooked the terrible precipice, and one day, it’d collapse into the merciless ocean if the rock decided to let go.
There lived a cruel monster. Radcliff’s father, who abused his own child. He was a villain, yet Radcliff’s actions made him one too. But how come I couldn’t condemn his darkness? Fourteen years ago, I’d seen the same darkness in—
“Something is on your mind,doudou.”
“It’s just…” I shook my head. “Never mind, it’s nothing.”
“You shouldn’t hold everything inside. It’s what Radcliff did, and it slowly destroyed his soul.”
“The director, Vincent,” I enunciated as one would summon a ghost. The wind rose up, probably fleeing away at this baleful name. “He looked like Radcliff. Terrifying. Tall. Imposing. Feared. It was like looking in a mirror.”
Hugo’s eyes widened. “You think that Vincent is—”
“His father, yes, and I hate myself for it. To compare them. To see the resemblance after everything he did to him. To—”
“Stop torturing yourself,doudou.” Hugo’s hand stroked my arm in an attempt to calm my nerves. “Radcliff has a darkness, but he’s not him. He’s just lost. He made a different choice by allowing himself to feel with you. You brought him back to the light.”
“You don’t understand,” I dropped in a whisper. “He had to survive his father by becoming worse than him to beat him. And a part of it was because of me. Because he protected me. I’m his weakness, Hugo, which means I have the power to—”
“Plummet him into the darkness for good and make him become… him,” he finished.
“Yes.”
“But you also have the power to heal him.”
“I’m not the ray of light everyone thinks I am.” Remorse devoured me inside.
“You don’t have to be.” He grinned with all his reckless confidence. “I’ll wait for you by the car.”
