where Nicholas suddenly stood there waiting, April and Vanessa behind him. All eyes on us.
“I can’t,” Morgana whispered, begging me to let go of her.
I tightened my grip. I needed answers. Nicholas wasn’t talking to me and when he was, he would threaten, anger, upset, and
confuse me. I needed someone in this with me, to withstand the storm raging in my mind.
“She means you are bound to this land,” Nicholas spoke up. I refused to look at him, keeping my eyes fixed on Morgana.
Hoping she would deny his words and give a better explanation. “Let her go, Ornella,” he commanded.
There was this strange sense of warmth that ran up my fingertips and into my shoulder blades as I looked at Morgana. Her
eyes were becoming glassy as tears tried to escape. She looked at me, pleaded with me to let her go but I couldn’t release my
grip.
“How am I bound to this land, Nicholas?” I demanded, my eyes still locked on Morg.
“By my blood. By marrying me you cannot leave unless I allow it. Now I won’t tell you again. Release her.”
As I released her wrist, she pulled away from me, almost falling backwards down a few steps but Vanessa was there in a
flash. Holding her against her chest while Morgana rubbed her wrist, where I could see a hand-shaped bruise appear.
Shockwaves of emotions tore through me as I saw what damage I had done.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to. I—I…”
She tried to smile, but Vanessa turned her away leading her downstairs and into the dining hall. April followed behind
while Nic and I continued to stare at each other from either end of the staircase.
“Compose yourself and come down for dinner. I will allow you a few minutes.”
He didn’t spare a single glance as he turned away, his demeanour becoming more cold and distant. For just a minute I
wanted to hate him. Longed to scream at him as loud as I could. Because he was the reason for my bottled-up anger. For the
rage hungered to be unleashed. He promised to stand beside me, to love me, to grant me my freedom. Instead, he proved once
again to be deceitful, malicious and what I’d truly known all along.
A monster.
V anessa and April sat Morgana in the middle of them both, whereas Nicholas took the head of the table and I to the left.
Percy, who’d joined us unexpectedly, sat next to me. Everyone quietly dug into their dinners, but I could barely stomach a
single bite.
Percy seemed to be the only one who was willing to try and have a conversation with anyone. After trying a couple of
times, he finally got Vanessa to talk, the two of them discussing something about the city. Still the awkwardness and tension
hung thick in the air.
“I doubt very much, princess, you’d be able to beat me at a game of cards,” Percy taunted. With a roll of his eyes, he took a