A nasty gleam flared in her eyes. “Wish I could say the same to you, Cade.”
Her strike left me raw, bleeding, and stunned.
I watched through a blurry veil as Ella sidestepped me and slipped back into the bar.
Dismissing me like I was a mere toy she’d gotten bored with. Leaving me alone in my solitude. Pretending like we never vowed that this—us—would last until our dying breaths.
I stood outside in the dark night, frozen in time. When the sound of the rain was louder than the deafening crack splitting my heart in two, I finally left, utterly numb and miserable as ever.
And still pining away for her.
C H A P T E R1 5
Broken Souls
Ella
The Present
1:28 a.m.
Ijourneyed down the secret staircase that connected the bell tower to the dormitories in Balthazar Building. When I landed on the sixth floor, my ears strained to hear if Cade was following.
He wasn’t.
Based on the stark silence that welcomed me.
I should be happy that my jab dug into Cade like a bullet wound—that it hurt him as much as it hurt me to witness him with that other girl.
A cocktail of regret and resentment swirled on my palate. I wished I could let go of this grudge. Not because he deserved it. BecauseIdid. I deserved to feel at peace without all of these unfettered emotions constantly warring inside of me. Not only was it painful, it was beyond exhausting.
Knowing Cade would recover from the burn of my insults and come after me, I descended the stairs of the dormitories. I knew from past experience of wandering the school grounds that the woods had a pathway connected directly to Balthazar Building, meaning there must be a door in the foyer that would lead us straight outside.
Every clack of my booted heels against the stairs echoed like a cacophonous beat reaching crescendo. The light of my torch ate away at some of the tenebrosity in the building, but an inkling of trepidation wrapped around my body, causing my flesh to pebble, as if warning me thatsomethinglurked in the vicinity.
The foyer opened before me as I reached the last flight of stairs. With two last steps remaining, my hand reached out for the gargoyle carved newel post…when the air suddenly rippled with a sinister aura.
In a flash, the ancient church bell started ringing.
I practically jumped out of my body at the horrifying sound tunnelling through the building in banging strokes, growing louder, louder, andlouder. I lost my grip around my flashlight and it rolled down the staircase.
Out of nowhere, a hard shove came from the side.
I shrieked, tumbling down the last steps and landing painfully on my hands and knees.
I panted, a mixture of fear and fury.
Holy shit. What just happened?
The bell kept ringing, but the chimes were receding.
I crawled forward for my flashlight, my heart pounding, sweat perspiring my skin. When I grasped a hold of it with shaky hands, I lifted my head and let loose a strangled scream.
A man wearing a Guy Fawkes mask lowered to his haunches in front of me.
“I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” The stranger grazed his knuckles over my cheek and leaned close until millimeters separated our faces. “You stupid little bitch.”
What. The. Fuck.
