At the center of the room stands a grand four-poster bed draped in luxurious black silk sheets. Various decorative elements—including an antique mirror and ornate, Gothic sconces—enhance the beautifully grim atmosphere. A towering fireplace dominates the far wall with dark antique furniture arranged around it.
“This was your room as a child?” Oak asks, looking around the dark room.
“Yes.” Silas rubs his temples. “Until I moved out, this was my bedroom.”
“It’s...inviting.” Oak makes a pained face. “Explains a lot.”
I remain near the door with the threatening words from earlier still racing through my mind.
“Briar, come sit,” Maines urges, indicating a chair around the crackling fire.
I stare blankly for a moment before stuttering out, “I…I want to change.”
The red dress is blinding in this dark bedroom, and when I look down, I no longer see a stunning gown of crimson.
I see blood.
I see Barlowe lying in the courtyard, covered in blood. I see Oak’s broken leg bleeding before my father. I see Silas with an arrow that nearly pierced his heart. I see his mangled arm on theship. I see Rose’s bloodied body, about to take her final breaths. And I hear Malachi’s taunting words.
I’m covered in blood.
I’m drenched in their blood.
I look down at my hands and no longer see the dark veins tattooing my pale skin. Instead, I see streaks of crimson in their place. I see dripping blood falling from my hands to the floor, like every tear of the fallen is pouring out of me. I hear the drops of blood hitting the hard ground like exploding cries, and it begins to consume me. The blood slowly covers my arms, trailing up my body like bloodied snakes. Their mouths open, ready to devour me with their razor-sharp fangs, and I can’t breathe.
I deserve it.
I deserve the pain.
My heart races, and my stance becomes as chaotic as the veins shooting up my arms. I claw at my own skin, trying to rid myself of the bright red blood, and my heart drops as my mother’s crown slips from my head, crashing against the hard floor.
“Get this off of me,” I cry, my voice breaking as I squirm, trying to escape my own body.
They all jump up and rush toward me. The overwhelming feelings bubble up in my throat, and my chest heaves as tingles of fear, shock, and anxiety move through me like lightning bolts.
“I’ll grab you something from my room.” Maines rushes to the door with Oak following closely.
Silas takes my hand and pulls me toward the bathroom. I move from clawing at my skin to the gown, desperate to wash off the blood, ripping through the red silk fabric.
“I’m covered in blood,” I pant out, panic lacing my words. “It’s everywhere, Silas.”
“No, you aren’t. Just breathe,” he says softly, attempting to steady my breathing. “It’s only a gown.” Silas grips the fabric, ripping it from my body as quickly as he can.
The torn fabric falls to the ground like crimson rain, and my stomach rolls.
“Don’t listen to Malachi’s words. What happened is not your fault.”
Tears streak down my cheeks.
“Barlowe, my mother, the resurrection stone, leaving Daramveer in Eden’s hands… It’s all ruined; it’s all my fault.” Tears stream down my face. “Everyone is gone because of me. Everything is fuckingcrumblingbecause of me.”
I can’t control myself, and my movements become as frantic as my thoughts.
The crushing feeling of the past months floods into my mind like a tidal wave. I wipe the falling tears from my cheeks and pull my hands away to see more blood.
Blood.
So much blood.
