The Palace (Chateau 4)

I squeezed his hand again. “Tell Melanie…nothing would’ve made me happier than to see her in that white dress and make her my wife. Tell her to forgive me…but I did what I had to do. And I would do it again…even if I knew what would happen.” My heart broke for Melanie, that I had to leave her behind, but I was grateful I had been there to keep my brother alive. It was always my job to protect him—and I didn’t fail.

He nodded.

My eyes blinked a few times, the image of my brother’s face and the stars fading further and further.

Then it went dark.

Twenty-Seven

Ten-Inch Blade

Melanie

Raven and I sat beside each other on the couch.

The windows showed the darkness outside.

We both waited for sunrise, both looked at the clock over and over, wishing time would pass in the blink of an eye.

Neither one of us spoke, too upset to talk about anything.

I’d thought my time at the camp was torture. I’d thought being apart from Raven was torture.

No. It was this.

If he didn’t come back…I wouldn’t know what to do.

“There’s something I need to tell you…” It was the first time she’d spoken since the men had left.

My head turned her away, seeing her pale-as-snow skin, seeing the stress discolor her eyes.

“When I was at the camp, Alix had it in for me. He was determined to get me, no matter the cost.”

I wasn’t sure if I wanted to hear this. “Raven…”

“Magnus always protected me, but they pinned him down so there was nothing he could do. Alix yanked me from the cabin, stripped me naked, and dragged me across the ground by the hair…”

“Oh god.” I cupped my mouth, my eyes closing to shut out the imagery she painted for me.

Raven continued with a calm voice, as if she felt no emotion whatsoever. “It didn’t happen—because Fender stopped it.”

My eyes opened, and my hands slowly fell from my mouth.

“He’d just arrived at the camp. That was why Fender was out there to see it.” She inhaled a deep breath then looked at me. “He told Magnus that he did it for him, but Magnus doesn’t believe him. He thinks he did it for you.”

I knew he’d done it for me.

“Just wanted you to know that…because he obviously didn’t tell you.”

I shook my head. “No, he didn’t.”

She looked forward again.

“Does this mean…I have your blessing?”

She stared at the clock, her face devoid of emotion. Seconds trickled by until they turned into a full minute. “You can have anyone you want, Melanie. There are better men than him.”

I swallowed my disappointment with a dry throat. “He’s freeing the girls now.”

“Doesn’t excuse the fact that he enslaved them in the first place—”

“Raven.” I inhaled a deep breath, feeling the pain in every corner of my body. “I’m going to marry him whether I have your blessing or not.”

She turned to look at me, equally disappointed.

“I know him in a way you never will. I believe he’s a good man…who just lost his way. You’ve seen glimpses of his goodness yourself.”

“If Magnus hadn’t stopped him, he was going to hang three girls at once.”

I shook my head. “He wouldn’t have gone through with it. I believe that with all my heart.”

She looked forward again, her eyes down. “Perhaps he won’t come back…and that will fix the situation.”

I inhaled a sharp breath as my eyes drilled into her cheek, flames rising from wet firewood. “How dare you say that to me.” Tears welled in my eyes because it hurt so damn much.

She wouldn’t look at me. Her eyes remained down. There was no apology. No justification for the horrible thing she said.

Her presence had given me comfort, but now, it just made me sick to my stomach. It was the first time I truly wanted nothing to do with her. I rose from the couch and moved into the other room—because I’d rather suffer in silence than sit beside her a moment longer.

Hours later, the quiet sound of the elevator reached my ears. The gears shifted, and the distant hum of machinery was unmistakable. “Fender…” I left the room and entered the main sitting area where I’d left Raven.

She must have heard it too because she was on her feet and heading to the same hallway.

We stopped in front of the elevator, waiting for it to open and reveal our men.

The door slid open, revealing a tall brunette.

The disappointment was heavy to swallow, because I could picture Fender standing there, a slight smile on his face. He would walk up to me and say, “Let’s go home, chérie.” It all happened in the blink of an eye, my imagination running wild.

This stranger was a slap in the face.

Raven knew her. “Miranda? What are you doing here?”

“Who is she?” I asked.

Raven ignored me and stepped forward.