Chapter 219: The Biggest Fool

Beatrice held out her good hand, waiting for Della to come closer. The thought of getting out of Blackwater Keep had given her something to hold on to.

Hope.

Della almost felt sorry for her.

Almost.

“Your left hand,” Beatrice demanded.

Della raised an eyebrow. “What about it?”

“I told you I would choose where to cut you. Give me your left hand.”

“Ah.” Della smiled and extended her left hand. “Of course. Whatever you want, sister.”

Beatrice flinched at the last word, but she quickly pushed the reaction aside. She wasn’t interested in whatever games Della wanted to play with her emotions. She wanted out. She wanted to get away from this fortress, away from the Moonfire, and away from the monster who had been haunting her for months.

Most importantly, she wanted to live.

She extended her claws, and the sight of them made Jaime struggle against his restraints, “Beatrice, don’t you dare!” he shouted.

She ignored him.

“Mother, say something!” Jaime turned toward Evangeline, but the woman could only stare at her daughter in disbelief. She had never imagined that Beatrice would be capable of abandoning them like this, not even after everything that had happened. But then again, perhaps she had simply never bothered to look closely enough at the daughter she had raised.

“Beatrice,” Evangeline called, her voice breaking. “Please, don’t do this.”

“Don’t do what? Save myself?” Beatrice snapped. “You should be grateful I’m even considering this. At least one of us might get out of here alive!”

Della held out her hand, her palm facing Beatrice. But Beatrice twisted the hand over, and dug her claws into Della’s wrist instead, dragging it up her arm.

Blood immediately welled up, sliding down Della’s wrist and dripping onto the floor.

Della didn’t flinch.

Not even a little.

Beatrice frowned at her reaction, but she quickly dismissed it.

“My turn,” Della said and before Beatrice could react, Della had pressed her wound against Beatrice’s torn side, effectively mixing it with the one oozing from her arm.

They said the words, swore it out loud, and that was it. The pact was made.

Beatrice pulled away and stared at their joined blood for a few seconds, as though expecting something terrible to happen. When nothing did, she slowly released a breath, “Now,” she said, looking up at Della, “you have to keep your promise.”

“Of course.”

“You will let me leave this place alive.”

“Yes.”

“And you won’t come after me.”

Della smiled. “You didn’t ask for that.”

Beatrice’s eyes narrowed. “Then I am asking now.”

“That’s not how a blood pact works, Beatrice. You should know that by now.”

“Fine!” she snapped. “Just let me go, and I will never come near you again.”

Della looked at her for a long moment before nodding, “Alright.”

The answer came so easily that Beatrice almost didn’t believe it. She had expected another threat, another cruel remark, perhaps even a sudden attack. Instead, Della was standing there with blood dripping from arm, looking almost bored.

Perhaps she really was going to let her go.

Perhaps she had finally gotten what she wanted.

Beatrice finally turned toward Leopold again. He was still struggling to breathe, still vomitting blood. His eyes kept drifting toward Beatrice, as though he couldn’t understand why she hadn’t come to help him.

Even now, the fool was looking at her like she was the only person who could save him.

It was pathetic.

“Beatrice…” He whispered.

Della undid a bit of Beatrice’s restraint, just enough for the woman to be able to move around. To go close to Leopold.

His eyes brightened when he saw her limping towards him. Despite everything, despite the fact that she had already agreed to kill him, he seemed to believe that she had finally come to help.

“My love,” He said, his voice barely audible. “Please.”

She stopped in front of him, and it was silent again as they stared at each other.

Leopold stared at the woman he had once called his wife. The woman he had loved enough to ruin himself for, the woman he had defended even when he knew she and her family was lying and using him, the woman whose approval he had spent months chasing like a starving man chasing the scent of food.

He had betrayed people for her. He had hurt people for her. He had convinced himself that if he only did enough, if he only proved himself useful enough, she would eventually look at him with the same love he had given her.

And now, here she was.

Standing in front of him with the dagger in her hand.

“Beatrice…” His voice cracked. “You wouldn’t.”

She tightened her grip on the handle, and she stared at him with an expression that was difficult to read.

Then she laughed, and that cruel laughter shattered whatever hope he had carried for the past few months for them.

Despite the hatred, and the words she’d said to him when Malachi had thrown them in the cell, some stupid, very stupid part of him had always believed there had been something real between them. Even if it had only been a little, even if it had only existed in the beginning.

He had needed that little bit to be real.

He was the biggest fool there was.

“You once said you would die for me,” Beatrice stated, and lifted the dagger, “Now is this time,”

Then, she brought it down to his chest and plunged it deep into it.

Leopold’s body jerked against the restraints. His mouth opened, but the sound that came out was barely more than a wet gasp. He stared at her in disbelief, in pain, in a way that could make anyone else watching break their hearts.

Beatrice saw the look and almost rolled her eyes, then she pulled out the dagger and stabbed him again.

And again.

She kept going long after he had stopped fighting the restraints, long after his hands had fallen limp and his eyes had lost their focus. By the time she finally stopped, Leopold was slumped against the chair, his head hanging to one side.

Blood dripped from the dagger, and from her fingers.

Then she turned toward Della and said, “It’s done.”

Della looked at Leopold, then back at her, “Is it?”

Beatrice frowned. “I killed him. I did what you asked.”

“Yes, you did.”

“Then let me go.”

Della blinked, and then…she laughed.