"Just looking at her makes me sick. If you insist on making me marry her, I won't even make it to thirty." His eyes were wild, reckless. "I'll die right here. Right now."
A knife appeared in his hand. He pressed the blade against his own throat.
Nadia dropped to her knees in front of Violet with a strangled sob.
"Mrs. Delgado, please—just this once, believe in science. I've had monitoring equipment on Ian for months. His vitals are perfect. He's in peak health!"
"His thirtieth birthday is three days away. We will prove it to you ourselves—the marriage pact, the curse, all of it is a lie." Tears streamed down her cheeks. "I earned my PhD for this. For him. Everything I've done has been leading to this moment. Please, give me a chance. Give Ian a chance."
"Mom, if you don't agree—"
Ian pressed harder. A line of crimson slid down his neck, soaking into the groom's suit I had chosen for him myself.
"I agree!"
Violet's voice cracked as she lunged forward and wrenched the knife from his hand. Then she turned to me, guilt flickering behind her eyes.
"Clara, I'm sorry..."
"It's fine."
I cut her off, the faintest smile pulling at the corner of my mouth.
"Honestly, I hope Miss Henson can break this damn curse. It would set every woman in my clan free."
I turned and walked away.
Behind me, Ian's voice chased after me, dripping with disgust.
"Lying, scheming parasite! I can't even stand the sight of you. Get out!"
I quickened my pace to a half-run and made it out of the banquet hall. The moment I stepped through the doors—
Blood—thick and black—surged up her throat and spilled from her lips.
She should have stayed on the mountain, training for a few more years before descending. But three years ago, Ian Delgado had taken her hand the very first time they met, his eyes brimming with sincerity as he poured out his heart to her.
She'd been a girl tasting love for the first time. Every word he said, she believed.
Back then, she'd read his pulse and seen the frailty eating away at his body. The worry consumed her. She knelt before Mentor Alaric for seven days and seven nights, begging for permission to leave the mountain.