Secrets And Sins Part 3: Happy ever after

Chapter 65

~Beatrice~

"Beatrice Sinclair you are under arrest for the murder of his holiness, Pope Marcus the First..."

Marcus stared at her, unblinking and unapologetic, and uttered three words that Beatrice feared the most.

"Destroy the Ark."

He didn't grin; he didn't even look overly pleased with himself, as he shattered Beatrice's last hope for saving Ava.

"Wait..." Mary's voice broke through the haze, but it was too late, Beatrice was already on her feet, the power surging through her body and she let it; she invited it in.

She wanted him dead.

"Mary!" Camila was right beside her, far too close, Beatrice realized with a start. Camila's proximity shook her out of the spiral of rage for just a moment allowing her to claw back a small amount of control.

"Bea, Hun, you need to take a breath." Mary was standing as well now, leaning in even closer than Camila but thankfully not touching her. Beatrice didn't know what would happen if either of her friends touched her right now.

She sucked in a long shuddering breath between her teeth, her eyes fluttering shut as she blocked everything out in order to focus on reining in the flood of power. "Trying."

Her Halo called for blood, screamed for it, the power singing through her veins. How dare they keep from Ava! How dare they keep her from her other half! Beatrice bit hard at the inside of her cheek as she tried desperately to calm herself.

The sounds of arguing reached her ears, but she couldn't make out what was being said over the battle for control. It was exhausting, almost agonizing, to keep up the fight. But there was a solution...

Beatrice's eyes flew open. "Take it back." Her words cut through the bickering between Mary and the Cardinals, directed entirely at the man dressed in white and gold.

Marcus physically withered, his face paled, the mask of disdain wavering. "I can't..."

Beatrice didn't need to hear the rest, whatever his weak, stupid explanation might be.

The power eclipsed her control, roaring through her body, and she gave in. She had nothing left to lose. She would take the Ark for herself.

At that moment she had cared about no one, not even Mary and Camila, two of her closest friends in the world, registered as she blasted her way into the basement of the Vatican. Had she killed Marcus? She honestly couldn't remember and that was almost worse. How could she not remember intentionally ending someone's life? A wave of nausea rolled through her stomach.

I couldn't have... right?

Beatrice vividly remembered seeing Mary's injuries one humid night as they travelled the Demon wasteland to the Citadel, the bruising and abrasions marring her ebony skin. Again, she had barely blinked an eye, so single-minded was her need to find Ava, but now the guilt hit her, and her knees nearly buckled under the weight. If she could do that to someone she loved, who's to say she didn't murder the Pope.

What have I done?

It was as though all the oxygen was sucked out of the room as the guards stalked towards her. She could see their mouths moving, feel their thickly gloved hands pull her arms behind her back.