“Why can’t you?” He threw another punch. “You. Are. Mine. End of story.”
“Listen to me, Damien, and listen carefully. I’m tired of your sick, selfish games, of being a pawn, of being used by you the same way Heaven is using me. You’re no different than them. You fucking tricked me into becoming your queen because you knew if Zavariel had explained the whole truth and gave me all my options, I wouldn’t have chosen you.”
“Nonsense. You will always choose me.”
“No, Damien, and that’s what scares the shit out of you. You were scared I’d reject you. You’ve been rejected once by Heaven, your family, your home. You can’t handle rejection once more.”
He suddenly stopped beating me and closed his eyes for a split-second. It was more than enough for me to flip him over. Then I grabbed him up and hurled him against the circle of trees surrounding the clearing.
“I said enough!” Belle screamed, a force conjured from her hands exploding in our faces, flying us to the trees ourselves.
“No more fighting over me. No more choosing for me. No more tricks to get me to choose what you favor. For once in my lives, I get to choose what’s best for ME.”
I scampered to my feet as I caught a glimpse of the others rising, too. I had to agree with her. She had been manipulated all her lives. That was never fair. It was time all of the injustice toward her stopped. It was time she truly chose.
“I want all of you to get back here, and each one of you lay a hand on me before the willow tree where it all started,” she instructed.
My hand was the first to touch her without a question. It was as if I could not handle the distance, the void, the lack of not feeling her close. The werewolves and the vampire followed. Then Damien reached a hand, his teeth clenched.
“No,” she interrupted him. “I have your crown. It won’t be fair to the others to have two entries. Unless you want me to take that off.”
The muscles around his jaws tightened and pulsed as he retracted his hand and shook his head. He must have known the influence of the crown exceeded his touch.
“I need to know for myself what I’ve become, what I’m capable of, what I still have in my heart, what my body feels for each one of you after what I’ve done to myself when I became a Belle, when I became the queen of Hell.” She chuckled. “Have you ever noticed that Belle and Hell rhymes?”
“I have,” Damien uttered.
“Shut up,” one of the twins said.
Belle rolled her eyes before she closed them. Now, all we had to do was wait for the word she would speak next.
For the choice that would either save or doom us all.
The breaths were loud and thick. The wait was pure agony worse than that of literally chopping a part of you. I prayed as hard as I could even though it was most likely to be rejected, but I did anyway. I prayed there was a flicker of light she could hold on to. I prayed she would find her ability to love and care and accept it back. I prayed she would believe I could be a better companion and father for her children. I prayed she could find me, find the four of us, in the light.
“I’ve made my choice,” she declared, and my heart sank to my knees.
Please let it be a good one.
She opened her eyes and maintained eye contact with each one of us until she was satisfied. Then her gaze fully focused on Damien’s.
Now my heart was in my feet.
No, Belle. No. Please. I…I love you.
I realized I had never said it to her before, and I should have. Had I lost my chance at a life with her, the creature I had fallen for, forever? Had I just truly lost any attempt at happiness? Had I truly lost my wings, my job, my home, my heart, everything?
Please do not say it, Belle. Do not choose Damien.
“Damien,” she started.
A smug smirk covered his mouth. “Yes, my queen.”
“I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
“That’s why I…unlike what you’ve done…will give you a proper chance to say goodbye.”
