Erik and Helina looked dubiously at each other, as though they doubted even that could keep Celice from fidgeting.
“Look,” I said, “Even if she does want to come back to her sisters after a few weeks, I still have to try.”
They both looked me in the eye and nodded.
“We see that you feel very strongly for Matteo and his people,” Erik said. “He’s done well to gain your loyalty, that you’d do all this just to help him out.”
“In that case,” I said, getting to my feet, “I promised that I’d return as soon as possible—”
“We’ll come with you, Kiev,” Helina said. “All of us. We’ll take the ship and drop you off there.”
“What? Why?”
She looked at me and smiled.
“A friend of our brother should be a friend of all of us. Clearly, Matteo has treated you very well. We owe him our thanks for that. And an apology… Maybe this will be a good way to resolve things with him.”
I stared at my siblings.
I still didn’t know what caused Matteo to speak so harshly against them, but whatever it was seemed to have been unwarranted. They seemed to be cool-headed and reasonable.
“All right,” I said, a smile forming on my lips. “Let’s go.”
Chapter 14: Mona
Home.
That was what I was supposed to call this place now. This tiny island north of The Sanctuary. I shivered as we approached the castle. When I hesitated, Rhys turned back to look at me.
“What’s wrong, Mona? Are you scared?”
I shook my head and followed him. He withdrew the key to the door from his cloak. Before he opened the door he turned round to face me.
“Efren and Isolde don’t know that I went to get you. Just keep your calm if they are… surprised to see you.”
Mention of their names made the knots in my stomach tighten.
He gripped my hand and led me inside. The castle was exactly how I’d remembered it—cold and gloomy. The floors were bare in all communal areas, as were the stone walls.
The entrance hall was empty, for which I was grateful, but as we exited it and started walking around the dim corridors we came across a number of witches and warlocks. I recognized most of them, and they all looked shocked to see me. But seeing that I was by Rhys’ side, they didn’t stop to talk to me.
We walked until we reached a dark red door on the highest floor of the castle. A door I knew far too well. I held my breath. It creaked open to reveal two figures sitting at a circular table. Rows of shelves containing heavy books and countless bottles of potions were fixed to the walls of the high-ceilinged chamber.
Efren and Isolde.
Efren was a tall, wiry red-haired man, and Isolde was a plump older woman with purple eyes and grey-streaked black hair.
They never had taken a liking to me even when I was a part of this coven. But now they looked at me with unmasked hatred. Especially Isolde.
She stood up, her mouth hanging open, and stared at me. “You brought her back?”
Rhys’ arm around my shoulder pulled him closer to him.
“Yes, she’s seen sense. She wants to rejoin the Cause.”
“After she betrayed you twice? Are you insane?” Efren also stood up, staring at Rhys.
Rhys glared at the two.
“Mona is resuming her role in service with us,” he said firmly. “Now, if you’ll excuse us…”
Rhys led me out of the room and closed the door behind us. He took a sharp right turn down a corridor and I knew instantly where we were headed to. Rhys’ quarters. My quarters.
I shivered as we approached his front door. The feeling of deja vu was overwhelming. The interiors were exactly the same as when I had left them. Barely anything had changed—even the bookshelf had barely been touched.
We entered into the sitting area, which contained a tall bookcase and a large black couch. The marble floors were covered with thick fur carpets. We entered the room next door. A bedroom. The smaller bedroom of the two contained within this apartment.
He gestured that I enter it. I did as he requested.
“You know how this works. We remain separate until you’ve been initiated.” He approached me from behind, squeezing my shoulders and breathing heavily down my neck. “You know I’d rather it wasn’t this way. But we must abide by the rules.”
I breathed out a sigh of relief that I’d not have to share his room that night, which he seemed to read as me responding with pleasure to his touch. His lips pressed against my cheek. I shuddered.
“Stay here, maybe get some rest. I’ll come for you when it’s time.” He turned to leave and was about to close the door. Then he opened it again, “And when I say stay here, I mean stay here.”
I waited for him to leave, then got off the soft velvet bed and walked around the small room. Everything about it brought back a flood of unwanted memories. The sapphire pendant. The carved wooden cup. The deep scratch marks on the wall behind the oval mirror. The room had been left untouched.
He’s been waiting for me to return. All this time. He knew I would give in and run back to him. Like I always do sooner or later.
I sat back down on my bed and lay back. I pulled the thick dust-covered blanket over me and buried my head beneath it. I closed my eyes.
My thoughts drifted back to my little home in the middle of that beautiful, tranquil lake. Tears swelled beneath my eyelids as I wondered what might have happened to it. Who might have been living in it since I left, and whether they would take care of the water lilies the way I did. My little sanctuary in the water. I regretted every time in the past when I’d complained to myself about loneliness, or yearned for more than the peace I already had in that little house, away from everybody. Away from danger.
I tried to imagine how things would have turned out if that red-eyed vampire hadn’t showed up at the island. It was hard to stomach the fact that I might still be there now, rather than in this soul-destroying place.
The front door unlatched. I breathed out, preparing myself for Rhys to enter the room.
But when my bedroom door opened and I looked up, a short red-haired woman, barely older than myself, stood in the doorway. She had a look of outrage in her eyes. I groaned as I recognized her as Efren’s sister. Tiarni.
Of all the witches in this place, I could always count on her to give me the most grief.
“Leave me alone, Tiarni.” I rolled back over on my side, not willing to give her the time of day.
“Traitor!” she hissed.
She gripped my side and turned me over to face her. I scrambled up to the headboard, kicking her away from me.