Black Rose (Rose Kisses #1)

26

Isaline Winter

Born only to die in the end. That was the human curse and Life was such a fickle little thing. She was unpredictable even in Her best moments and in Her worst, She was unforgivable. I'd always had a bone to pick with Life. She and I bumped heads far too often because She was always taking what I could no longer give.

I had nothing left.

I had no one left.

She'd claimed them all for Herself and when I closed my eyes at night, I could see them lined up along her wall like shiny trophies. They taunted me, even when I was awake. It was a constant reminder of my failure and Life's betrayal.

You did this, they'd whisper. This is your fault.

I felt the world shifting on its axis as I followed Lucille blindly through the halls. She was still talking but her words were muffled and distant like I'd been submerged underwater and she had already broken the surface. Amina was constantly checking up on me, her brows creased in concern, and I didn't have the energy to try and convince her that I was okay because I wasn't. I was from okay.

We approached the dining hall doors and immediately, the scent of fresh blood wafted up to my nostrils and filled my head with a thick haze. I felt the beast stir beneath my skin, its claws scratching gently against my insides like it was reminding me of its presence.

Something felt off about Lucille leading us to the dining hall when I remembered vividly that I'd left Lucien in the greenhouse, but I brushed aside any thoughts I had and pushed my way into the room.

"Son of a bitch," Amina cursed aloud as we entered. I should've known what was happening but the idea of Lucien being hurt has clouded my judgment and I'd done exactly what Aida had planned.

I'd walked into her trap willingly and freely.

"What kind of sick game are you playing at?" I roared, storming towards where she sat at the head of the table. The nonchalance in her posture made my blood boil to astronomical heights and I was just itching to rage like no tomorrow.

"You knew what was coming," she chided, jerking her chins towards the other end of the table where Lucien was seated. My heart dropped at the sight of his bloodied face. His body was battered and bruised and if I hadn't been staring so hard, I would've thought that he truly was dead. But no, he was alive. Barely holding on but alive nonetheless.

The rest of the de Luca's were seated around the table as well, their arms and legs bound to the chairs and their mouths gagged with a cloth. No one else had been hurt beside Lucien and I didn't know whether I should be thankful for that fact or not.

"What have you done?" I asked as calmly as I could. I tried to keep my composure but I was falling apart at the seams and Aida was picking up on everything. Every faltered step, every hitch in my breath, she was seeing it all. She was watching as my defenses crumbled right in front of her, the very same defenses that she had worked so hard to build up.

Her greatest creation was being destroyed right in front of her eyes and she could no longer stand for it.

"What have you done?!" I roared once more, storming towards her in determination. I was barely an inch away from her when I was snatched backward, hard. I flew through the air weightlessly and when I hit the wall behind me, it was like last breath of air had been knocked out of my entire body.