#Chapter 49 - Thinking Things Over

Eloise’s POV

“It’s either that or I turn you over to the guards where you can rot in the cells until Lord Xavier comes back from Caspian. And trust me—he’s not forgiving like I am.”

Dylan fidgeted with his hands before letting out a sigh. “I was just following orders, okay? I don’t know what Ben told you but I needed money. I needed it for my family.”

I rolled my eyes. “Look, if you’re just going to give me a sob story instead of the truth then—”

“It’s not a sob story.” Dylan's eyes were filled with hurt. “My family lives in Balmet, a small town that borders the Royal City. You would think that being right next to one of the richest places in the world would mean that our town would thrive…”

He continued. “No. All of the citizens of Balmet are poor. King Douglas had no wish to help us because he was too busy expanding his borders and allying himself with the vampires…”

My mouth fell open. “You know about the vampires colluding with Douglas?”

“It’s hard not to when they use the poor folks in my town as their blood bags…”

My heart began to sting. “I’m so sorry, Dylan… I had no idea.”

He shook his head. “When King Douglas offered my family safety and money for the mission to kidnap Mrs. Leonard, I took it right away. I didn’t want to but… what else would you have done in my shoes?”

I thought about how I married the enemy of my family just to get close enough to murder him so I could save them. In a way, I guess I was doing exactly what he was doing.

“I just don’t understand. Had you told Lord Xavier about what was happening, I’m sure he would’ve sent a group of his men to at least extract your family. He took the city of Gray already. He could’ve done the same for Balmet.”

“I’m inclined to disagree. Balmet territory doesn’t just belong to any rogue vampires…”

My eyes widened when I realized what he meant. “Prince Ad—”

Dylan covered my mouth with his hand swiftly. After looking around to make sure was here he released his hold on me.

“He has too many eyes everywhere and I’ve already said too much. I have to go.”

“Wait, Dylan—”

Before I could say anything, Dylan pulled me into his arms. Emotions swirled through me—regret, sorrow, anger. Most of all, I could tell that he was trying to apologize for all that he had done.

“Please, take care of yourself, Lady Eloise. Prince Ad—I mean, something’s going to happen. And soon. Be sure to tell your family that you love them, okay?”

Without another word, he shifted into red-coated wolf form and ran away.

I returned to my room and was lost in thought. After thinking about everything that happened within the past few days and what Dylan said to me, it was like I was being reminded about how fragile my life really was.

Even if I was a witch, I was still a weak one. It made my heart ache and now more than ever did I feel the desire to return home to my family.

As I was packing a small bag to leave, a knock came at my door. When I opened it, I was surprised to see Belinda on the other side.

“Mrs. Leonard? Oh, please come in!”