Javier pulls out his phone, his voice calm and measured as he calls for backup from the royal guard and the police. “We need assistance at the old ruins in the Alves Forest. We have a dangerous suspect in custody who needs medical attention, as well as her victim. I’ll text our coordinates.”
“Your father along with the police, is on his way,” I say, peering down at her in disgust. “Do you want to tell him or us why you did this?”
“She’s Marie’s abandoned daughter,” Bellamy explains, not giving Charlotte the chance. “It’s why she wanted to work for us. She knew you found the blanket and was hoping you’d lead her to Marie and Desta. That’s why she had this place. She’s been planning revenge for a long time and was going to bring them both here to do God only knows what to them.”
Motherfucker.
“I deserve my revenge,” she snarls up at Bellamy from the floor. “My mother loved her and not me. Do you know what that’s like? Being abandoned by your mother because shewanted another daughter instead of you? Now she’s dead and Desta is dead, and I have nothing left to live for. You should have just killed me.”
Rowan and I exchange looks, and I stare back down at her. “Marie isn’t dead. At least not as far as we know. I told you that to see your reaction. But with any luck, you two can share a jail cell and hash it out then.”
With that, I walk Bellamy out of the cell-like room, Rowan following us.
Rowan sweeps his hand over Bellamy’s hair, pressing his forehead to the side of her face. “Glad you’re okay. You scared the shit out of us.”
Bellamy chokes out between sobs. “I’m fine, thanks to you all.”
Relief washes over me like a tidal wave, but it does little to quell the storm of emotions raging inside me. This was too close. Again. And curse or not, something still doesn’t feel settled. It feels like it’s waiting, standing right here beside us, invisible until it’s ready to be seen and felt.
But for now…
“I’m taking her out of here,” I tell Rowan.
“Good. I’ll help Javier deal with Charlotte.”
“Thank you,” I tell him, my voice dripping with sincerity.
“Just take care of her and my future niece and nephew.” He smacks my shoulder, and then I’m carrying a crying Bellamy out toward the car.
“Shh, it’s okay now, baby,” I murmur, pressing my lips to her forehead in a tender kiss.
“Sebastian, I was so scared,” she whispers, her breath hitching as fresh tears threaten to spill over. It breaks my heart to see her like this, and all I want is to take her pain away. “I really believed that was going to be it.”
“Me too,” I admit, my voice barely audible. “I thought I’d lost you, and I couldn’t bear the thought of living without you.”
“Charlotte told me…” She sighs. “It doesn’t matter what she said. You’re here.”
With every step I take toward the car, I feel a sense of urgency and protectiveness coursing through my veins. I won’t let any distance come between us again.
I open the door to the back seat and climb in, keeping her on my lap.
I take her face in my hands and force her to see me. “Whatever she told you was a lie. It didn’t take long for me to catch on to her. Your words of distrust for her sparked in my mind, and after that, it was easy to put the pieces together. I’m so sorry,” I whisper, my voice shattering as I press our foreheads and noses together. “So fucking sorry, Bellamy. You were one hundred percent right about everything. I was afraid and pulling away and…I was a coward,” I admit. “There is no other word for it. But never ever was I interested in Charlotte. I promise. It’s only you. Only ever you,” I vow without hesitation, sealing it with a passionate kiss. Every fiber of my being is devoted to loving her, to keeping her safe, to making sure she knows how much she means to me.
As our lips part, I wrap my arms around her even tighter, pulling her closer to me. She buries her face in the crook of my neck, her warm breath fanning against my skin. I breathe in her familiar scent, reveling in the comfort it brings me. But then I notice her bleeding hand and pull back, taking it gently in my own.
“What happened?”
I run my thumb over the blood, wiping it away before I press the hem of my shirt against her knuckles to stop the bleeding. She has a cut on her cheek too and the side of her head that appears a little more healed.
“I fought her,” she tells me simply. “I wasn’t going to just lie there and take it. I broke the bed and used a piece of wood to attack her. Only she was fast and, well, had a gun.”
“Christ,” I kiss her. “You fierce fucking woman.” I hold her close, my heart aching with shame. “Bellamy,” I begin hesitantly, pulling back slightly to look into her tear-filled eyes. “I’m so sorry. I should’ve been there for you, and I should’ve believed you when you tried to warn me about Charlotte.” The sting of regret burns through me. “I let my own fears and doubts cloud my judgment, and because of that, you suffered.”
“Sebastian,” Bellamy whispers. “What will happen to her?”
“I don’t know,” I admit, my anger renewing, bubbling beneath the surface. “But I promise you, she won’t hurt anyone else ever again.” With our gazes locked, I can see the pain and fear she’s been through, and it fuels my resolve to protect her at all costs. “Can you forgive me? Can you ever forgive me for all I’ve done to you?” I ask gently, brushing away her tears with the pad of my thumb. “I’ll do anything. Anything to win back your love and trust.”
She gnaws on her bottom lip, her blue eyes so big and wide. “What about the curse?”
