Page 49 of Vow of Darkness
“Then you’ll be one step further away from finding him. So just kill me. You won’t find out anything.”
“You want to die, Mark? Then fine. Die!”
Something in my body compels me to run down the stairs. I need to know more of what Mark knows. “Wait!” I shout, running into the dungeon.
A man is strapped to a table – Mark – while Gabriel holds a knife in his hands, raised high. Mark is covered in blood and bruises. How long was Gabriel at this for?
Gabriel’s eyes widen when he sees me. “Aurora? You shouldn’t be here.”
“And you shouldn’t kill another person just because you like it. Who is this man? What is going on?”
“Help me,” Mark gasps, making eye contact with me but I look away for some reason. “Help me.”
“She’s not going to help you. Aurora, you shouldn’t be here. Go back to your room.”
“Who is Giovanni? What happened to your family?”
Gabriel takes a step back, looking stunned. “What did you hear?”
“That’s it. So tell me. What is going on? Why are you torturing this man? What are you hiding from me?”
“You don’t need to know anything. Go back to bed.”
“No.” I take a step further into the room. This is me deciding my fate again. “I have the right to know. I willingly came back to you when I had the chance to escape and you know it.”
“You came back to protect your father. Not for me.”
“Does the reason matter?”
Gabriel looks me straight in the eye. “Yes. It does.”
“Yes, I came back for my father. I don’t want you to hurt him. But…”
“But?”
But I also came back for you, I admit to myself. Though I’m not sure why. I can’t get the words out.
Gabriel lets out a huff and shakes his head. “Leave, Aurora.”
“No. Not until you tell me why you’re torturing this man. Stop pushing me away. I’m your wife. Let me in.”
“She’s your wife?” Mark asks. “Oh, Giovanni is going to love that. He’ll cut her like he cut your mother.”
“Shut the fuck up,” Gabriel snarls. He jams the knife into the table right beside Mark’s head. The tiny little whimper that leaves Mark’s mouth speaks to how scared he truly is.
“What is he talking about?” I ask. “Gabriel. What is he talking about?”
Gabriel stands up straight, running his hand down his face. “Why do you want to get to know me? Why do you care? You’re my prisoner.”
“Am I? You made me your wife. I saw the look on your face when you thought I was hurt. You care. Deep down you feel emotion. I can tell. So why make me your wife just to push me away? It doesn’t make any sense. You either want me or you don’t.”
“Just go.” There’s a desperation in his voice. I’m getting close to the answer and he doesn’t like it. I can tell.
“No.” I don’t move an inch. “I will not go. Just tell me. Let me in.”
For a moment, I see a light in Gabriel’s eyes. An emotion there like he wants to tell me but he can’t get himself to. And before I can truly study that emotion, it disappears and is replace by an ugly, cold expression that tells me Gabriel is pushing me away again.
“You don’t want to leave? Fine. Then kill this man for me.” He holds out the knife. His command startles me so much, it takes me a moment to understand it.
