Nether

10. Hollow (Part One)

I struggle to stand. "Caleb, it isn't what it—"

He lifts a hand. A gust of air whooshes past me and slams against Roane in full force. It brushes him across the floor toward the kitchen. A dry smack makes me cringe as his body crashes into the wood panel under the breakfast bar and cracks it in half.

"Stop it, Caleb!" I scream.

He slams Roane against the wall again. Again. "You lied to me and you brought a troll here with you!"

There's no denying it now. With his shirt off and tattoos visible, there is no way to hide what Roane is, something I knew Caleb would know as well. Too weak to fight back, Roane groans and rolls onto his stomach. Knowing Caleb won't talk to me, I run before Roane and shield him with my body. "This isn't his fault! He isn't like them."

"Aramina, I swear to you, if you don't move..." he says through clenched teeth. He's never yelled at me before, never threatened me.

Still, I don't move. "Will you let me explain?"

"Explain how you betrayed our people, the treaty, and my trust by bringing a troll into Convent? How you used me to bring him in here? How you let him..." He presses balled fists to his mouth. "How you shared with him and let him mark you?"

I realize that with my hair up, Caleb can see my tattoo. They say be careful what you wish for. The look Caleb gives me brings to mind all those times I wished he'd get tired of my rejections. I had wanted him gone so I wouldn't hurt anymore. But his stare tells me he's finished with me, and the pain is staggering.

I walk to him. Wanting to touch him, to drag him into my arms, I clutch the towel tighter. "Listen to me, please. He's not like them. He saved my life."

His jaw tightens. "So all he has to do is save you from a kidnapping he probably planned, and he's your knight in shining armor." He chuckles bitterly. "I thought you were smarter than this. Thought you had a little more dignity than letting yourself get branded like an animal."

I flinch and slap him. Caleb raises a hand to his cheek, slowly, eyes of fire fixed on me.

I swallow, and as much as I want to step back, I hold my ground. "I am not an animal, and he didn't brand me."

He snatches my wrist into his hands in savageness unlike him. I struggle, but his grip tightens and he yanks me closer. "I'm going to make you suffer, force you into the one thing you want the least."

Drawing his dagger, he slices through my heartline. "I'm not losing you to him." He snatches it from my wrist and shoves me away.

Numb, I watch him cut through his own heartline. Jerking it from around his wrist, he tosses it in my feet.

"You're marrying me, whether you like it or not." He turns a glare to Roane. "I'll be back in an hour. If you're not gone, I'll kill you myself." Sliding his gaze back to me, he stuffs my heartstring into his inner pocket and his dagger into his scabbard. "You better be here when I get back."

A hot tear spills down my cheek. "Or what? You'll kill me too?"

He smirks, a dark smile I've never seen before. He's hurt, and like Roane said, darkness has polluted us and we've finally snapped. Caleb turns on his heels, walks out, and slams the door behind him.

I watch the closed door for a minute, the low click of the lock echoing like a reoccurring nightmare. The clock chimes and pulls me to present. We have an hour—less. It'll take time to make sure Roane makes it out safely. He's still weak and his health deteriorating by the minute. I'm not enough to keep him from withdrawals.