Rachel Stanton and The Darkest Night

CHAPTER 21: AUGUSTUS' PUNISHMENT

21. AUGUSTUS’S PUNISHMENT

“YOU MUSTN’T HAVE TOLD ME THIS, JARED,” I said, tears kept falling down on my cheeks. “You should’ve kept it a secret instead!”

“I know, but—”

His voice faltered. I was staring at him in shock. “But?”

“But I can’t take it to see you being innocent. I knew this was all gonna happen, and I never expected that it would be like this, that our friends, your family’s gonna die in a horrid way.” He took a deep gulp of breath, shaking his head melancholy. His eyes were glinted with tears, and I managed to wipe them all before the others fell again. “I’m so sorry, Rachel.”

The rest of tears flowed down to my chin. I tasted the saltiness of it as it traveled through my lips. But I didn’t mind. “It’s okay for me to stay innocent than to lose you!”

“No,” he whispered to my face. “I can’t let you be. It’s hurting me every time.”

“So you told me everything?”

“Yes.”

I was supposed to sob in his chest. But I quickly flung my arms around his neck, sending his back onto the bed. “I love you . . . so much!” I murmured. “Don’t leave, please.”

“I have no choice, Rachel. Augustus will force me to. And if I don’t leave you as soon as possible, he might attempt to clear my memories of you. For me,”—he swallowed loudly—“it’s better to leave you than to forget you.”

“No, Jared. No, no, no. He can’t do this. I won’t allow him!” I sobbed. “I’ll kill myself if he does!”

“Don’t think like that. You have to save your family, you have to save yourself.”

“I can’t.”

“Do it for me,” he stated. I could feel his fingers trailing at the back of my neck, stroking my hair. His breath was sending chill on my skin, I smelt the fragrance of it too. “You would do it for me, for us.”

I raised my head to see his face. His expression was as though asking me the same question. I stared at him, thinking. It was hard to make my decision. But I knew already that he’d leave, that he wouldn’t be here anymore.

For a moment, I took a deep breath. “I’ll try,” I murmured. “I’ll try.”

It took me a moment or two before I could think for my next move. My stomach was lying flat on his chest, and our faces were inches apart. I studied his worried eyes, then I looked down at his lips.

I inched my head closer to his. I closed my eyes and felt something cold on my lips.

Yes. I was already kissing Jared.

Our lips moved at each other for a while. Then he sat up, but he did not let our chest broke the connection. I tasted his sweet breath after a moment, but I also tasted salt because of the tear that fell down his lips. Next second, he caressed his palms on my temples, while I stroke my fingers passionately on his hair.

After a split second, I felt the kiss was already ending. And the question was answered when I felt him breathing in front of my face. I could no longer feel the coldness of his lips. Just then, I opened my eyes and found Jared’s irises directed upon mine.

“Why did you do that?” he asked in a smug tone.

“I don’t know. But maybe, um, just in case,” I murmured.

I probably shouldn’t tell him the reason why I told that to him. Just in case. My own words bounced around the inside of my head, echoing like I was stuck inside a tunnel with no end.