Page 37 of Beneath the Flames
Brie said with a reassuring smile, “He shared with me how much he depends on your strength.”
Celestia’s bottom lip trembled. “I love him so much.”
Brie nodded, appreciating the depth of that love. “He wants to protect you, Celestia.” She glanced up at Sir. “To protect all of us. That’s the reason he remains silent and withdrawn.”
“What is he protecting us from, Brianna?” Celestia whimpered, the fear apparent in her eyes.
Brie glanced away for a moment and sighed deeply before meeting Celestia’s pleading gaze again. “From himself.”
She crinkled her forehead in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“Marquis told me he is experiencing something he described as a ‘dark night of the soul’.”
Celestia gasped, her gaze darting toward the door of the study. The soft cry that escaped her lips gave Brie goosebumps.
“What does that mean?” Sir asked Celestia.
When she turned to answer Sir, it looked as if her heart was about to break. “Hazrat Khan once described the ‘dark night of the soul’ as a total annihilation of all that you believed in and thought you were.” Bowing her head, Celestia cried out, “My poor Master…”
“I assume this has everything to do with Holloway?” Sir asked Brie.
She nodded sadly. “Marquis Gray is being consumed by it.”
Sir frowned, glancing at the study. “I can’t imagine being in Gray’s shoes right now, but I am certain he will find a way through the darkness.”
Celestia asked Brie in a voice tinged with desperation, “Did my Master tell you what happened exactly?”
Brie shook her head. “He would only tell me the barest of details. He is keeping something back.”
Celestia shot Sir a worried glance.
Concerned, Sir headed to the study and rapped loudly on the door. “Gray, I wish to speak with you.”
“Go away, Mr. Davis,” he answered, his tone firm and cold.
Sir glanced down, letting let out an exasperated sigh. Choosing to respect Marquis’s wishes, Sir called out, “I’m a phone call away if you want to talk.”
Brie stood up and wrapped her arm around Celestia, remembering how difficult it had been when Sir faced his own demons concerning his mother. It had strained Brie’s new relationship with him to the point of almost breaking them—until Marquis Gray stepped in.
Walking back, Sir took a seat on the couch. “Celestia, we stand in complete support of both you and Asher. Anything you need, you call me—day or night.”
“My Master is a righteous man,” Celestia stated emphatically, her hand hovering over her heart. “Whatever he has done, he did it out of love. I do not question his actions, whatever consequences come.”
Brie understood Celestia’s steadfast loyalty to Marquis Gray. She had no doubt that her unwavering love and devotion would help him navigate the darkness he was drowning in at present.
On the drive home, Brie was lost in her own thoughts. She contemplated everything Marquis had shared with her. The respected trainer was not only complicated but was also an exceedingly intelligent man with rigorously high standards. What she hadn’t understood until today was that the standards he held for others were nothing compared to those he held himself to.
It was difficult to see a genuinely good person questioning their own motives and taking responsibility for something Holloway had orchestrated.
“How did he seem to you?” Sir asked, glancing over at her as they neared the house. “I want your honest opinion.”
Brie’s heart ached when she told him, “He is struggling on so many different levels, Sir. It was frightening because Marquis Gray has always seemed so certain about who he is and what he believes in. He seems different now…”
“I can’t imagine the internal battle he must be going through,” Sir muttered, his voice deeply troubled.
Once they arrived home and he had turned off the car, Sir turned to face her. “I need to know. Did he confess to killing Holloway?”
“Marquis refused to answer when I asked him directly. He was firm about it not being a burden I should bear, then apologized again for sending that text that had inadvertently involved me.”
