Chapter 9
“Ah!” Celeste suddenly slammed against the wall, Renric’s hands around her throat.
Evander froze for a second before rushing forward to pull his brother back. “Are you insane? She’s the Virell heiress!”
But Renric acted like he hadn’t heard a word. “You knew all along, didn’t you? Those kidnappers-they’re working for you, aren’t they? You said they treated you so well there, so what the hell is this?” He gestured toward the severed fingers.
Celeste’s eyes went wide with terror as she struggled to force words from her constricted throat. “I… I don’t… know…”
“Stop it!” Evander landed a punch on his brother’s face, finally creating some distance between them.
He quickly stepped in front of Celeste, keeping himself between her and Renric. “She has nothing to do with this! Maybe you should be wondering if Elara staged the whole thing!”
Renric let out a bitter laugh. “Elara called me… I had a chance to save her. If the she hadn’t fed me lies, why would I have cancelled going to get her?”
He looked directly at Celeste, using her name for the first time without any title. “Tell me the truth, Celeste. What’s your relationship with those kidnappers?”
“Renric…” Celeste covered her mouth, her lips trembling as tears streamed down her face.
“Apologize right now!” Evander grabbed his brother’s arm.
But Renric kept his eyes locked on Celeste. “Tell me. You know nobody in this room can stop me if I really want the truth.”
“Stop!” Evander hissed under his breath.
Tears hit the floor as Celeste suddenly grabbed an ornamental sword from the wall display, unsheathing it and pressing the blade to her own throat. Renric blinked in shock.
Evander lunged forward. “Miss, don’t!” He wrestled the sword away and threw it across the room, but not before the blade had already drawn blood from her neck. Celeste was still reaching desperately for the weapon.
“Let go! The only way I’ll be innocent is if I’m dead! Don’t stop me-let me go be with my sister!”
Evander held her tightly as he snapped at his brother. “What are you waiting for? Apologize!”
Celeste looked at Renric through her tears. “If you don’t believe me, Renric, I’ll cut out my heart and show it to you. Would you
believe me then?”
Seeing the blood trickling down her neck, Renric stepped forward and pulled her into his arms. “I’m sorry…”
His voice was rough and low. Celeste shook uncontrollably, her fists beating weakly against his chest. He didn’t resist, just held her tighter until she finally collapsed sobbing against him.
Only then did Evander exhale in relief. But watching his brother hold her so close, his expression grew troubled again.
