Island in the Forest (Shrouded Thrones Book 1) by Jeanne Hardt

Author:Jeanne Hardt [Hardt, Jeanne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-03-15T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 22

The cold stone floor made her even more miserable, but Olivia could not force herself to stand. Her father had never been so unfeeling.

From the moment she had seen Sebastian on the far side of the gorge, hope had filled her heart. Her father had crushed it. She would remain captive, never to see the ocean or anything except the walls of Padrida.

“Olivia.” Sebastian laid a hand on her shoulder. “Let me help you.” The tenderness in his voice lifted her head, and he extended his hand.

She gladly took it. Once on her feet, she clung to him and let her tears fall. “How can he keep us here? All my life I have longed to be free, but now . . .”

“Shh . . .” He stroked her back in a comforting caress. “We shall find a way. So much has transpired, I feel he is not thinking clearly.” He tucked his fingers under her chin and lifted, then gazed into her eyes. “At least we can be pleased he gave us permission to wed.” He smiled warmly, but it did no good. Nothing could diminish her pain.

She sucked in staggered breaths. “It matters not. If I cannot leave here . . . I do not care about anything!”

His smile vanished. He released her and stepped back. “You do not care? Are your feelings for me so fleeting?”

She had hurt him, but she could not bring herself to offer him comfort. “Do you not understand? I must leave here.”

“Was I merely your means to escape?” His face lost all expression. “Had it been Jonah who crossed the bridge and promised your freedom, would you have given him your heart?”

She stared at the stranger facing her. Could she have misinterpreted her feelings as she had with Donovan? Perhaps she hadn’t felt love, but rather devotion to someone who promised rescue.

She swallowed hard. “I—I do not know.” Tears streamed down her cheeks, but she had no strength to wipe them away. Everything ached. She wanted nothing more than to run, yet she had nowhere to go.

Sebastian’s body folded into itself, and the sparkle faded from his eyes. “I thought you were different from the others, and I fell in love with you.” He breathed heavily. “I was horribly misled. You shall not see me again.”

His head hung low, and he walked away.

Her eyes followed him, but her feet stayed firm. A dull ache tugged at her heart. Even so, she made no attempt to stop him. She would not allow herself to make another wrong choice.

Her life had become utterly hopeless.

Strangely enough, all she wanted was to go to her mother.

* * *

Sebastian focused his eyes on the floor and kept putting one foot in front of the other until he reached his bedchamber.

He closed the door, then pressed his head against the wood.

The unbearable ache in his heart slowly returned to anger. How could he stay captive in a place where he would have to see Olivia every day? It would be nearly impossible to avoid her.

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