Page 54 of Wicked Salvation

Thoughts swirl in my head, bringing me back to the one night where I felt truly free and happy. I close my eyes, looking up at him. If I kissed him, I would feel better.

I want to kiss him.

Tilting my head, I try to move closer.

“I’m proud of you for standing up to him,” Lucian mutters, turning his head away. He’s averting my kiss, it’s clear. “But a boy like Silas? He’s not going to just leave you alone.” His eyes grow sharp when they fall to the ring on my finger.

He picks up the hand, the diamond glinting even in the dull light.

“He asked you to be his for the rest of your life, and you said yes.”

It looks more like a shackle than a ring to me. “I already told you, Lucian. I didn’t have a choice. I need to get married or else?—”

“You don’thaveto do anything, Eden.” He takes a deep breath. “You just need to say no to him. I’ll take care of the rest, I promise.”

There’s something glinting in eyes, something I can’t place, but it’s comforting. Lucian cares for me more than anyone else in my life—but between my family and Silas’? He doesn’t have a chance if I break off this engagement.

“I can’t, Lucian. You know that?—”

Before I can realize what’s happening, he sets me down on the damp grass. He rises to his full height, like a dark sentinel. His hair flops over his eyes, his massive body blending into the surroundings like a shadow.

“There’s no such thing ascan’t, Eden. You always have a choice.” He rakes a hand through his hair, anger suddenly coloring his features. “Whatever else you have to say,” he says, already turning on his heel. “Say it to Vivienne. She’s always had more patience than I ever did.”

Grass crunches under his boots as he walks away.

Tears bead in the corner of my eyes as I lean against Vivienne’s gravestone.

“I always mess things up.”

XIII

EDEN

The chime of my phone drags me from sleep like a hook behind my ribs. The bleary world comes into focus. I’m still dressed in my clothes from last night—even my bed slippers, damp from the grass.

I was tired after pouring my heart out to Vivienne. So tired that after dragging myself back to my dorm, all I could do was crawl into bed. Anastazya had been asleep at least, so I was grateful for that—I find her so strange that the less I have to talk to her the better.

Groping blindly in the pocket of my coat, I squint against the early morning light slicing through the open window. The clock above the door reads 6:07 AM.

Breakfast is in an hour.

Classes start in two.

And Anastazya? Her bed is empty.

I hold a breath, but no sound comes from the bathroom either. The sigh I let out is one of relief. I’m alone in the room, so I don’t have to be on edge. When I pull myself up, her phone is missing from the nightstand, her Goyard tote bag gone from the trunk at the end of her bed.

I hope she’s already started her day.

Finally, I look at the notification that woke me up.

Silas:

Where did you go last night? You didn’t go straight to bed after I walked you to your dorm.

The air thins.

I reread the message once, twice, three times.