The Watchmaker

25 - The end?

The following days could be compared to a living hell. Anthony locked himself in his study and refused to talk to anyone. Marianne was missing, but both Lumiere and I had been given orders not to leave the house. I couldn't help but worry about her, but at the same time, I couldn't shake off the thought of what she and Lumiere had discussed when I was away in London. He had asked her to keep an eye on Luis, and she had always been extremely protective of me in his presence, but I couldn't understand why.

The days dragged on. The new bond with Anthony made me long for him in a dreadful way, and furthermore, I felt his emotions much stronger than before, and everyone treated me differently now. I was more powerful, but I would have done anything to undo it. I didn't miss Luis's bitter laughter, but he deserved a better ending than this, and my heart ached when I thought of him.

Lumiere told me to give Anthony time, time to mourn his brother, but a gnawing feeling made me suspect that Anthony suspected me of being involved in Luis's murder. To quell my anxiety, I had decided to sort everything out with him, but now that I stood outside his room, doubts began to grow.

With my forehead leaning against the thick oak door, I tried to sort out my feelings and thoughts, but they must have pulsed through the wood and straight into his heart because suddenly the door swung open, and I fell right into his arms. We stood like that for a while, and I relished in feeling his scent envelop me, and our newly awakened bond immediately grew stronger.

"I know you weren't involved," he whispered, running his fingers through my hair. "She loves you, and she wanted to protect you." His honesty surprised me, but I eagerly welcomed every word. "But with that being said, I can no longer accept her in our family. She can stay in the basement with the other scum, but if I ever see her again, I will kill her."

I nodded briefly but said nothing. When his hand moved to my chin and he raised my face to meet my eyes, I saw the deep sorrow reflected in his gaze.

"You regret everything," I gasped as the realization hit me.

"Not everything," he said shortly, stroking my lips with his thumb, "but things will change. Our new bond cannot be undone, but I won't make you my husband Clocksworth."

"Okay," I mumbled, feeling my legs almost give way beneath me, "so what happens now?"

"I am your creator, as I have always been, and you work for me, just like before," he answered coldly.

"So what happened was a one-time occurrence," I muttered bitterly.

"My bed is yours if that's what you want," he replied emotionlessly, but I couldn't help but wonder if it was more than an offer. His emotions were locked deep within him, but deep down, there was still a glimmer of uncertainty and longing for me, though perhaps it was only the bond affecting him. "Pack your things, we're moving back to France in three days," he continued, his hands still resting on my body.

I nodded briefly, unwilling to leave him. The realization that our bond would make everything so much worse tormented me, but I would take what I could get. A part of him was finally mine, even if it was only during the nights when we were alone, and I would be content with that.

Determinedly, I took his face in my hands and pressed my lips against his. Our shared power vibrated between us, urging us to continue, but neither of us took the step to do more than that. With a sad smile, I took a step back and looked into his icy eyes, searching for the slightest hint of emotion in his body. 

"I'm here if you need me," I murmured softly, then I left him to his mourning or whatever the hell he was doing during the days.

With each step I took, I longed more and more for the darkness of the night when I would finally get to meet him again and show him how much I fucking loved him.

A/N 

This is the end of The Watchmaker, which is the prequel of The Beau & The Beast. I hope you enjoyed it and that you continue to read the rest of the series :)