There was something going on beneath the surface of this castle—of Cian’s life. Everyone was still too tight-lipped about certain things. Like why Cian never breathed a word. I got the feeling he could talk, but he chose not to.
What trapped his voice inside of his head?
Why wasn’t I allowed in the other ballroom?
What happened to the man to turn him into the Beast?
A definite line existed, though, between the man and the beast. I’d witnessed his temper in Boston, when I’d first met him, but he hadn’t reared his head since then. Cian seemed to hide behind the beast when the rest of the world faced him, but with me, the man was slowly revealing himself. He trusted me. I saw it in the way everyone in the castle reacted to how Cian was reacting to me.
The castle was such a dark place, and I just wished some brightness would fall on it, chasing all the dark shadows that seemed to cloak it away.
Delaney stepped into the room and shut the door behind her.
That had been a shock. Cian had flown in my dad, Delaney, and Robert before the wedding. I didn’t find out until the morning of. I was just thankful I had no makeup on. My tears would have made a mess of it. Especially when my dad told me he was staying indefinitely. Which was why he was off exploring the castle. He was fascinated by it. I almost wondered if he believed it was going to come alive and tell him secrets.
“Looks like you have a stage-five clinger on your hands…yourhusbandis waiting outside the door.”
“He doesn’t like to…leave me.” I gathered the long veil and lifted it, plopping down in a seat after, not all that gracefully, considering I was wearing a beautiful gown.
Beatrice had done an amazing job choosing a dress that fit me. It was a ballgown with sweetheart sleeves made of lace, bodice top, and more lace appliqué on the dress itself. The heels were gold with an intricate pattern.
The entire thing was a nod to a fairy tale where the hero isn’t exactly a prince, and I knew she’d done it purposely.
It was all so romantic.
The golds.
The deep reds.
The candlelight.
The magical feelings behind every touch.
“Does he think you’re going to run?”
“I thought that in the beginning, but I was wrong. He just doesn’t like to be far from me.”
She nodded, then took a deep breath. “We didn’t get a chance to talk earlier. It’s honesty hour. I was almost prepared to steal you from the ceremony, but the look in your eyes stopped me. The look you had before you even walked up the aisle. You’re in love with him.”
She didn’t pose it as a question. She knew me too well.
“That’s weird, right?” I whispered. “That I fell in love with the man I should hate? He didn’t give me the choice to stay in Boston or leave. He didn’t ask me to marry him.” How to explain this without sounding mad in the head? “But it’s almost like he didn’t have to because he knew. He knew it was right between us.”
“The no-talking thing. That’s not an issue?”
I shook my head. “Not at all. It’s like…I know him, Delaney. He doesn’t have to say a word, and it’s like I just know. There are times I wonder if I’m right about what he wants or feels, but it’s not an issue. If I’m unsure, I just ask, and he answers in his own way.”
“He’s gorgeous as hell, but it doesn’t eliminate the sense of danger around him.”
“I agree.”
She walked toward me and got down on her haunches, placing her hands on my knees. “Can I go back to Boston with a peaceful heart? Knowing you’re okay here? I’ve been worried sick.”
I could tell. She had dark circles underneath her eyes, and she’d lost a lot of weight, which she didn’t have to lose in the first place.
“With a peaceful heart,” I whispered.
She lifted her hand and barely touched the veil. “My beautiful little turtle.” She smiled. Her eyes were watery.
