Page 44 of Bleeding Love

I tiptoed to where I had discarded my dress and shoes, picking them carefully before hurrying to the door. It was slightly cracked, thank the Goddess, because I wasn’t sure I could open it without him waking. The house was old, and while I had learned most of the places that creaked, this door didn’t seem inclined to go any quieter, even after oiling its hinges several times. I suspected Roman kept it on purpose.

I slipped outside where Nym waited, eyes still bright red. I gave him a sign to follow, moving left and right to avoid the planks that would give me away. It was only after we reached the ground floor that I allowed myself to pause. Nym watched me as I got dressed, tail swishing in agitation, but thankfully, he didn’t say a word.

Once I had my cloak secured on my shoulders, I headed toward the front door, and then I stopped.

This was it. The moment I was waiting for, the moment I was dreading, the moment that I, deep down, didn’t want to come. I told myself I was leaving because of his betrayal, because of the trust he broke, the violation he made against my body. But it was so, so much worse.

Because I couldn’t hide the truth from myself, even if I could from others.

I was terrified this would end exactly like the last time. Betrayed, heartbroken, and lost. Afraid that it wouldn’t be revenge I sought, but destruction. Afraid that I would have it this time.

I strode to the closest room, stopping by the writing table, where books of magic and notes full of spells and potion ingredients lay scattered. I left them. I left everything, grabbing only an empty parchment and a quill, before summoning the will to write all the words I could muster.

I returned to the entry hall, sending the note toward the door. A pin of my magic flew after it, nailing it to the wood. Without looking at the smudged ink, I pulled the door open. Light flooded the foyer, and I raised my hand to cover my eyes. The sun was high up in the sky, not a cloud in sight, but the air was chilled and quiet.

Pulling my hood up, I stepped outside, walking down the steps of the house as quietly as possible. Nym bounced on my side, keeping silent until the trees hid the building from view and the sound of the stream nearby grew loud enough to cover all other noise.

“What happened?” Nym demanded when I stopped to catch my breath. Leaning my hands on my knees, I refused to look at him until he moved to stand in front of me. “Tell me. What did he do to you?”

I swallowed the lump in my throat, catching the edge of my dress and pulling it aside so he could see the mark. I refused to look at it, refused to feel the strange warmth emanating from it, refused to acknowledge the strange tug that pulled me back to that house.

“You bonded with him?” Nym asked, his voice strangely unsurprised.

“I didn’t!” I snarled, pushing my dress in place and stepping back. “I told him not to. I told him I’d leave if he ever fell…” My voice broke and I took a deep breath, clinging to my anger. “He didn’t ask. He…”

In the blink of an eye, Nym’s body exploded, a monster taking his place. Eyes red and hungry, he looked away from me, back to the house, and bared his teeth.

“I’ll tear his heart out!” he snarled. I moved in his path, spreading my hands wide to stop him. He turned his face toward me, teeth an inch away from my face. I didn’t flinch. Instead, I captured his cheeks, ignoring the burning in my hands at the touch of his scorching skin.

He lowered his eyes to meet mine, death still dancing in his gaze.

“No,” I said quietly, but I held him firm when he tried to move back. “Please.” My voice cracked, and he stopped fighting, nudging his face against mine instead. “Please, take me away from here. I want to put as much distance between us as possible. Before the sun sets. Can you do that for me, Nym?”

His hot breath warmed my face, and he sighed, sitting on the ground.

“As you wish,” he said with resignation in his voice. “Get on. It will be faster this way.”

I nodded, finally releasing his face. Circling his massive body, I climbed onto his back, grabbing fistfuls of fur until my legs were tucked next to his armpits, my arms wrapped around his thick neck. I spread my magic over my body, willing it to counter his hot touch, then gently patted his shoulder.

Nym rose to all fours, waiting until I adjusted on his back. Slowly, he turned, locking his eyes on the sky where the sun was dipping toward the horizon. I had time for one look back, toward the house that had held years of laughter, pleasure, and peace, before Nym charged forward with speed that had me hiding my face in his furry neck. I kept my eyes closed the whole time, telling myself that the tears that were burning my cheeks were from the wind blowing in my face.

Chapter 22

Roman

Iwokeupfroma pain in my heart. Sitting up, I clung to my chest, only to remember I didn’t have a heart. At least not one that could hurt. This could only mean…

My head snapped to the empty bed next to me. Celeste’s scent was old, an hour, maybe two, had passed since she lay there. The warmth that her body usually left was gone, too.

“Celeste?” I called, listening in for the sound of her steps. Maybe she had gotten up; it was still day outside, I could feel it, and she was human. She might have switched her internal clock for me, but living things were wired to be up when the sun was.

But why was she so distressed? Or was that me?

“Nym?”

I listened for her familiar, for his heavy steps or strange, burning hot presence, but I sensed nothing. Yet, there was this odd feeling in my stomach, this dread that ate and ate at my calmness as I rose to my feet and moved around.

Everything was just the way we had left it before we went to bed. Her clothes were here, her gloves and hats and jewelry. Her books, her notes, even her enchanted wood was here. The only thing missing was the dress she wore last night and her shoes.

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