She pauses again, inhaling deeply. The pools of darkness under her fingers grow larger.
“He raped me. Almost every day I was down there,” Arianna finishes, hugging her knees to her chest again.
My heart breaks for her. I want to sob for what she went through. But I know that anything that looks remotely like pity will break her.
“Well, shit. I guess you win. Want to raid the kitchen for chocolate?”
Arianna laughs, wiping away her tears. “Yeah, that sounds good.”
We sneak back into the castle, both of us keeping the mood light. We don’t come across any of the others, and I’m grateful for the alone time together.
Arianna slips in front of me. “Do you know where you’re going?” I ask.
Arianna laughs. “You do know I lived here for years, right?”
I smile, following her. “I forgot, sorry.”
Arianna moves through the corridors, heading to an area I haven’t visited yet. “Morgana keeps a stash of sweets in a secret pantry over here. I found it before I left for the Council. Let’s see if she still has it.”
I swallow. Stealing candy from Morgana feels like a bad idea. Then again, I’m really working on turning a new leaf in the Shadow Realm.
Being a badass bitch. That’s the leaf I’ve been trying to turn.
“Perfect,” I answer.
We find the pantry hidden behind a large portrait. The portrait is of a gluttonous horse, rearing up in a field of red flowers.
I kind of love it. Is Morgana secretly a horse girl?
Arianna swings open the pantry door, and I marvel at the sight within. Cookies, chocolates, and gummies line the walls. Arianna starts picking up sweets, and I join her.
Laughing like fiends, we sneak out of the pantry with our contraband goods. We end up locked in my room, binging junk food. I show Arianna my books, and she borrows at least seven. We keep thingslighthearted, catching up on the softer parts of our lives.
Later, when we’re lounging on my bed with our feet propped up on the wall and our heads hanging off the edge, Arianna turns to me and asks, “So, are you planning on mending things with Leon?”
I wrinkle my nose. “No. I felt bad after I got Cassandra’s memories back. I know she lied to him about being a pacifist. I felt like I owed him something because of that. But his actions, they’re not excusable. He treats me like an object and was happy to exploit the bond to get what he wanted.”
Arianna hums. “I bet that threw a wrench in Morgana’s plans. We all assumed you two would be happily in love again when you returned.”
I turn to stare at the ceiling. “Leon never loved Cassandra. He never knew her. And now, he doesn’t want to love me. He wants to own me.”
Arianna throws a chocolate chip in the air, catching it in her mouth. I’m impressed.
“So, what now, oh great prophesied one?” she asks mockingly.
I throw a chocolate chip at her. She catches it and eats it.
“Morgana said the prophecy wasn’t specific about which Destroyer I would love,” I answer, trying not to blush.
Arianna snaps up, her mouth wide. “Oh. My. Fates!”
“Ari, no,” I start, wanting to explain my lack of fucks about the prophecy.
Arianna only grins before pouncing on me. She tickles my waist, and I squeal.
“Tell me everything! Rosie said Irena is still locked up. You love Sin!” Arianna speaks a mile a minute, and I keep trying to push her off, but she won’t stop tickling me.
“There’s nothing! It’s nothing! Morgana just wants us to work together. We can’t stand each other,” I gasp out the words as tears run down my face.
