Page 47 of Unkindness of Crimson Ravens (The Crimson Duet #1)

For Your Own Good

T he blood from my long forgotten wound slid down my wrist, dripping down onto the floor with a loud splash. I moved away from the bars until my back hit the wall.

“Mories asked my father to turn you before we took the throne.” Caleb’s gaze bore into me.

“Where is my family?” I whispered. My mind traveled through every possibility of finding my way out, yet found none. The panic pierced my skin, making my lungs bleed in helplessness.

“My grandmother—my father’s mother—Mories loves you like her own child, Cordelia.” Caleb did not seem to care for my distress, continued his story. “She never wished you any harm,” he added.

“I don’t believe you,” my voice broke. “She is not one of you!” I screamed. “She is kind!” My whole body shook, refusing to believe a word from this man’s mouth. “She would never allow you to kill me! She would never allow you to kill innocent humans!”

“It is not for her to decide!” he screamed back, his eyes shooting fire.

I took a deep breath, choosing my words carefully. In a whisper I finally said, “Is she—she is—” I shook my head in disbelief.

“She is a human,” Caleb finished my sentence for me.

“Then why...” My brows furrowed. “Why did you bring me here, Caleb? Where is my family?” I said as calmly as possible.

“I lied to you then.” He sent me a sad smile.

“In the training room when you asked about my family.” Caleb sighed.

“My mother never died, but she abandoned us at birth,” he paused, searching my eyes.

“She was young, sixteen years of age, when they had me. My mother’s family did not approve of my father’s social status, so after my birth they kicked him out: all by himself with a child in his arms to care for.

They gifted him with a castle far away from here.

The castle I call home.” His gaze fell upon my bleeding wound.

“My father was banished from returning.” Caleb's voice became harsh, “After my mother married a proper man, she secretly gave my father a job as a smith.” Caleb’s jaw tensed.

“My father accepted the offer, leaving me behind, with Mories to care for me.”

“I do not care for your family, Caleb!” I interrupted him, despite my best attempts at not angering my capturer.

Caleb sent me a smile that covered my skin in goosebumps.

“As you know, many royal marriages are arranged. Your parents were no exception. You see, your mother already had a suitor. They loved each other.” I shook my head but Caleb continued, ignoring my reaction.

“They kept it a secret from everyone, even your father. Until people started to talk about how two of the royal children did not look anything like the King.”

“Stop!” I screamed, unable to hear anymore of his nonsense. “Stop it!”

“You have to know the truth, Cordelia,” Caleb ignored my pleas.

“Our mother had an affair with the smith. Our dead, useless King found out after seeing your—black as night—hair, but since he did not carry royal blood, he could not do much about it,” he scowled.

“Instead he began tormenting my father at every opportunity. He cut off my father’s fingers for trying to recreate Royal steel, he ordered the guards to torture my father for months. ”

“Where is my family!” I shouted at him. “Tell me!”

“Right in front of you!” he yelled back at me, as though annoyed at my naivety. “You should worry about yourself right now, Cordelia.” He grasped onto the bars until his knuckles were white.

“Where is my family?” I replied weakly.

“After the torture our father had to endure, our Queen finally gave him the order to leave and never come back for his own safety, leaving two of his children—you and Brian—to grow up without him.” Caleb stared me straight in the eyes.

“The King promised to raise you both as his own, if our mother promised to never see our father ever again. Father asked for one last favor from the Queen in return: to let Mories work here at the palace, to watch after her grandchildren,” he said slowly, as though making sure I understood his words.

“The Queen agreed. Our father left for good.

“After the torture Father barely survived, his health had failed him. He could barely stand on his own. I was thirteen when I had to take care of him all by myself. I thought he was going to die, part of me accepted it even, but Father was not ready to give up.” Caleb’s expression changed from sadness to pure rage.

“He sought revenge for his troubles. He found a vampire that gifted him with a bite. A medicine, he told me.” He let out a small laugh.

“That is when he started planning revenge against the King, against all humans.

“He went mad.” Caleb paused, as though waiting for me to say something; when he realized I wouldn’t, he sighed.

“Father wanted to kill the whole Royal family, his own children included, though Mories convinced him you—” he met my gaze, “you were nothing like them.” Caleb laughed, shaking his head.

“She told Father that you are like us. That’s why he decided to spare you. To give you the bite,” Caleb scoffed.

I swallowed a lump in my throat, waiting for Caleb’s next words.

He did not say anything for a long while, deep in his thoughts.

I started to think he wasn’t going to continue at all until he cleared his throat before speaking once again.

“I was the one to bite you, for our father could not risk being seen on Royal grounds. I failed him and paid for my mistake.” He looked at the scar across his hand.

As though in a snowstorm, my heart froze in place.

“You see, you were my first creation, Cordelia. I had never done it before, and quite frankly was terrified of the assignment,” he scoffed.

“I wasn’t sure what to do: I panicked, and let you get away.

I wanted to go after you, but I heard Francis nearby.

I could not let him see me there. He would figure it out.

” Caleb paused before adding quietly, “He is like a brother to me. A brother I never got to meet.”

My frozen heart suddenly set ablaze. Bitter words itched my tongue to let them free.

“All this time—” my voice shook. “All this time you stood by Francis who put his life at risk to save us from your father!” I shouted. “To save you from your father! And you, all this time—” I shook my head. “You destroyed the documents,” I suddenly realized.

“You don’t understand, Cordelia!” Caleb shouted.

“ Our father might be mad for starting this war, but he has the right to take what is his. The crown ruined everyone’s life.

It took everything from Father!” His words turned into a scream.

“It took his only love, it took his children, it took his life!” Caleb’s body visibly shook.

“It is safer for us to be by his side; why don’t you understand?

” He got on his feet, leaning on the bars.

For the first time, I was glad the bars were in place, for it was the only barrier from whatever madness Caleb wished upon me.

“I saved your life by bringing you here!” He hit the bars.

“You are lucky our father is giving you a chance to prove you are not like them! Our father chose to spare you, to keep you safe!” A tear fell down his cheek.

“As long as you do as he wishes, you will never know trouble.”

“Am I supposed to thank you?” I yelled. “You are a coward, Caleb.” A sad smile spreads across my face. “You are a coward for choosing your own safety over doing what is right. You are weak,” I spat out.

“You—” Caleb shouted, pointing at me. “You lived in luxury your whole life, ignoring those in need. Don’t you dare call me a coward! You had everything, Cordelia, you never knew struggle. You had a mother.” His shoulders jerked with rapid breaths. “I am merely being loyal to my family.”

“Francis, Florence, and Roxanne are your family too,” I said, shocked by my own calmness.

As though an inner battle was happening behind this shell of madness, a silent, helpless tear escaped Caleb’s eye.

“Why did you save me from the Wurdulacs that night if you were just going to bring me to him anyway?” I asked him quietly.

He stared at me, as though seeing me for the first time, his face wrinkled in confliction.

Perhaps he heard the sanity in my words, perhaps part of him wished to put this nonsense to an end.

Part of me—deep down, behind all the anger and terror I felt toward the man before me—part of me felt sorry for him.

Nothing could justify the choice he had made, but who was I to talk about what was right.

I understood. I understood the need to do what was asked of you, what went against all of your beliefs and wishes.

The need to feel loved and needed by someone—anyone—even someone as evil as his father no matter the price. I understood.

Our gazes collided when Caleb finally broke the silence, “Our father will be here tomorrow at midnight. If you want to stay alive, do as he says.” With that Caleb left the dungeon.

Sleep did not come, did not take me away from the horrors of this place. Francis did not come either.

“Let me out!” I roared into nothingness for hours after all of my efforts at breaking the bars had failed. “Let me out, you bastard!” I kicked the metal. “I will kill you with my bare hands! Do you hear me? I will fucking kill you!”

“I hear you, daughter.” A low chuckle finally replied to my threats.

I traced the source of the voice and my eyes landed on Brian. I had gone mad.

“Daughter,” an ugly smile spread across his face. “You have grown since the last time I saw you. Of course I do not expect you to call me Father, you may refer to me as Kane.”

I glared at the man who stood a few feet away from me. His freshly trimmed beard could not hide his scarred face, shoulder length hair was tight in a low bun.

I blinked several times before realizing it was not Brian standing before me, though the similarities made me sick to my stomach.

“Sorry for such formalities,” Kane gestured around the cage I was in. “You have my word that you will be free soon. We just have one last matter to attend to.”

“Where are my siblings?” I spat out.

“The King’s offspring are not your concern, daughter.” He crooked his head, studying me.

“I am not your daughter,” I seethed.

“You got your mother’s tongue, but my hair,” the man hummed. “Raven,” he stretched out his hands towards my strands.

“Do not fucking touch me,” I bit out, taking a step back.

“Raven is what I wished to name you, daughter, but your mother insisted it was not a Royal name.” His lips curled. “Interesting creatures they are, don’t you think? So intelligent, so loyal, yet most dislike them for their cleverness.”

My heart banged into my rib cage, my teeth ached for this man’s neck. “Let me out!” My voice carried through the dungeon.

“Soon,” the man nodded. “We must take care of an inconvenience first.”

“What do you want from me?”

Laughter broke through the walls when Kane looked at me. “It’s been brought to my attention you aren’t what I expected you to be.”

“What do you want from me!” I took a step forward.

“I see you inherited your patience from your mother as well. No doubt you would make a great Queen,” Kane smiled.

“A little test, if you will. Should you pass, I will personally ensure your safety, but you must first prove your worth to me, daughter.” He narrowed his eyes on me.

“Bring her in,” Kane ordered the guards, taking a step back from the bars.

A golden haired woman was dragged into the dungeon and my heart stopped. I took a step back, wishing an unknown force would end me right here, right now.

Oh, how I wished Caleb had indeed poisoned my water, or perhaps the fire in my throat would have finally come into reality, taking my body with it, burning my flesh until nothing but ash was left of me.

How I wished a silver arrow was shot through my heart, stopping it forever.

How I wished I could take my own life to spare hers.