A pit opened in her stomach, a sinking feeling like she was falling from a great distance even though she was sitting on the firm mattress.
“You’re the one who’s lying!”
She couldn’t help but raise her voice, panic building as Bellinor stared down at her with glowing white eyes.
“She feeds off your love, your devotion, makes you crave her acceptance like a drug. But when you get a taste of something else, it changes, doesn’t it? It didn’t feel the same once I marked you for the first time.”
What he was saying couldn’t possibly be true. Celeste was selfless, serving her faithful as they worshipped her. A mother guiding her flock of children.
“I was in love with her once,” Bellinor continued, his voice cracking.
The statement hit her like a ton of bricks, and she opened her mouth to protest, but saw the truth in his watery eyes, his furrowed brows, his deep frown.
“She seduced me, tricked me, made me love her, and then banished me here when she needed her first sacrifice. She knew this place would ruin me, but she did it anyway. She is a vile witch who cares nothing for you, who doesn’t even know you exist!”
His voice rose as he continued on, and he looked like he was on the verge of crying, just as tears burned at the corners of her eyes.
“It’s not true,” she said halfheartedly, but she didn’t believe her own words.
“Celeste created this place when she came to power. Everything has a cost, and when she stole the creation magic, pure destruction is all that remained. Le Voile needs to be fed souls so she can sustain her eternal life.Thisis where she sends her most devoted followers.Thisis the Sanctum that her priestesses harp on about. She’s a cruel witch who cares nothing for those who have devoted their lives to her. How can you not see that?”
The way she felt drained after every midnight confessional and offering of light, it was more than just the shame she’d been forced to feel over and over again for her bodily wants and needs. The temple had never helped her move past the loss of her father, had kept her in a state of perpetual humiliation, had made her feel unworthy of real love.
It was all so clear now that she was out of Celeste’s reach.
But what was the alternative? She submitted to Bellinor and Rul, just as she submitted to Celeste. They owned her just as the moon mother owned her. How could he act like he was any different from the one who had cursed him to this hell?
“You’re the ones who send people out there when you’re done using them. You’re the ones who feedit.”
Bellinor shook his head furiously.
“The souls who feed le Voile are sent by Celeste. Over the years, I… I chose to get my revenge on her, though it pales in comparison to what she did to me. I bring her devotees here and make them see the truth of their goddess before returning them to Marilet. Not all of Celeste’s followers are as ascetic as they make themselves out to be, but none of them are quite like you.”
A deviant. Awhore.
“What do you want from me?”
Bellinor glanced at Rul, who avoided eye contact with both of them, his shoulders sagging as he stepped up to the bed.
“Please, trust me,” Bellinor said, placing a palm to her cheek and sending her into darkness.
“Don’t you love me?”a woman asked, her lips pursed into a perfect pout.
She was beautiful, more beautiful than any person Isabelle had ever seen, but there was something sinister about her eyes. They were empty, bereft of any emotion, as black as the void of le Voile.
“Of course, I love you,” Isabelle said, but it wasn’t her voice.
It was a low, masculine sound, though the words had come from her mouth, her body trembling as she stood before the beautiful woman. They were in a small room, a table and chairs the only furniture, an open window letting in a gentle breeze.
“Then why won’t you give me what I want?”
“I can’t,” Isabelle said, the words flowing as if they were automatic. “It would mean…”
“But you said you loved me. You know what will happen if you don’t do this. I’ll have to find someone else.”
The woman frowned, touching Isabelle’s face and looking deep into her eyes. The black holes were mesmerizing, horrifying, clenching her chest with anxiety. She didn’t want the woman to leave her.
She didn’t want to be alone.
