Chosen : Assassin Book 1

Chosen - chapter thirty-six

Chapter Thirty-Six

I lost sight of anyone as we rounded a corner in the gardens. Large hedges blocked my view of most of the palace. A crazed look came over Jonathan's face. A determination I had not seen in him before. His hand felt clammy and his erratic behavior frightened me.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"A bit further."

"Why do we have to go so far from the castle? I don't understand what's going on."

"I don't want prying eyes."

I tried to yank my arm free of his iron grip; he simply tightened his grasp on my arm. I could feel his fingers digging deeper into my flesh. The muscle beneath his hand ached; I knew there would be bruises later.

"Jonathan, stop! You're hurting me."

Once we were beneath a weeping willow whose branches dipped into a babbling brook. Jonathan spun me around and pinned me against the tree trunk. His face was inches from mine. I could hear his raspy breathing and smell the spicy whiskey on his breath.

"You've been drinking."

"You're lying about the king," he spat at me. His sticky spit hitting me in the face.

"What are you talking about?" My heart slammed against my chest.

Someone give me a way out of this before he kills me!

"I know there is something going on between the two of you. Confess! You're making this more difficult on yourself."

"You're drunk, Jonathan." I tried to maneuver around him, but he grabbed hold of my wrists and held them down, pushing me back into the tree with his body.

"I don't want to have to hurt you, Joselyn. Don't make me."

"You don't have too."

"If you are having an illicit relationship with King Cassius I will. I love you too much to have to do anything to destroy that beautiful face of yours. Or worse. I don't know how kind the Guild will be to another offender."

"You're a bunch of monsters. Doing such horrible things to someone simply because they fall in love? How can you bear to live with yourself?"

He pursed his lips and let his head drop. "You are involved with him."

"Whether I am or not is none of anyone's concerns but my own."

"You took a fucking oath, Joselyn!"

"A person cannot help who their heart falls in love with. Not to mention, I was six. How can you expect a six-year-old to know how they want their life to go?"

"I thought you loved me!" Tears welled in his beautiful eyes. "I loved you. You were everything to me!"

"You were having relations with Anastasia! You didn't and you don't love me." I shook my head, turning away from his desperate gaze. "I'm not allowing you to hurt me."

A flash of blue caught my attention.

Angeline!

"Joselyn! There you are, love. Come on we have to head back to the castle now."

"Leave us, Angeline!" Jonathan barked at her.

"I'm sorry; sir, but I really need the Lady. There is a masque at the palace tonight and I must be sure she is dressed appropriately for a lady of her station."

He snapped his head toward her and let out a holler. I flinched as he slammed his fist into the tree again and stormed off, dripping blood behind him.