Page 8 of The Serpent's Bride
She stopped at the edge of the bed, staring at me like she didn’t know how to say it. “They’re taking you.”
The words hit like a slap. “What? Who’s taking me where?”
“The Morettis,” she repeated, tears spilling now. “Papa… Papa said you’re getting married off. You’ll meet… him… today.”
A cold dread crept into my chest.
“No,” I said. “No, that’s not possible. Papa would have told me. I’m supposed to debut, go to dances… meet people…”
“He didn’t tell you because it wasn’t his decision,” Aurora choked out. “The Morettis didn’t give him a choice. Chiara… the maids said you’re leaving with…himtoday.”
My stomach dropped. “Leaving with who?”
Aurora hesitated. Just for a second. But it was enough to send chills down my bruised spine.
“The maids said…” Her voice trembled. “They said The Serpent asked for you personally.”
The room tilted. The Serpent? It couldn’t be true.
He was just a scary story. A legend invented to scare little kids like Sienna.
“No,” I repeated, louder this time. “No, that’s… not possible. That doesn’t make any sense.”
Aurora grabbed my hands, squeezing tightly. I couldn’t breathe. My mind flashed back to those dark eyes behind a mask, blood on his mouth, his voice in my ear.
Our little secret.
Did my masked stranger really betray me in the worst possible way? Give me up to a villain?
“You’re lying,” I whispered. “You must be. I don’t even know him!”
“I wish I was,” Aurora whimpered. “Someone must have told that man about you.”
Panic surged, hot and suffocating, taking over every cell in my body. Could it be true?
“The Serpent isn’t real,” I managed. “He’s just a scary story.”
Aurora shook her head. “I saw him.”
“You… what?” I snapped my head in her direction, but she couldn’t even meet my gaze. “How did you meet him?”
“I saw him coming out of Papa’s office,” Aurora admitted. “The maids were whispering his name. I knew he was important. Nobody dared look him in the eye. Not even Papa.”
I sank back into the bed, reality hitting me like a freight train. It was true. My father was going to marry me off before I had a chance at a life. And not to someone I liked. To someone with a killer reputation.
“He’s going to kill me,” I said, the knowledge crashing into me all at once. “Aurora, you said it yourself. The Serpent poisons people. Hetorturesthem. Why would he… why would he want to marryme?”
Aurora shook her head helplessly. “I don’t know. But Papa is furious. I’ve never seen him like this.”
A sharp knock cut through the moment. Before either of us could move, the door opened and two maids stepped inside.
“SignorinaChiara,” one of them said softly. “You need to get ready.”
“For what?” I snapped, though my voice wavered.
They exchanged a glance before the other spoke up. “To meet your fiancé.”
The word twisted something ugly in my chest. Aurora let go of my hands slowly, like she didn’t want to.
