A Slave to Love

Chapter 72: Promise

They shoved Blade down to the floor on his knees, and one guard stood behind him, hands on his cheeks. Blade stared at me with wide, frightened eyes. In a split second my mind was already coming up with a picture of Jill doing the same to Blade in my nightmares.

"No!" I screamed, lunging forward but a burly guard caught me like I was a toy. I pulled and wiggled, trying to get out of his hold. "Aros please no! I'll do what ever you want just let him go!"

Aros raised a hand and the guards froze in place. Everyone seemed to be holding their breath; everything fell so eerily quiet, and I finally realized that I was the only human in the room. All you could hear was my breathing.

Ace, Aros, Blade, and even the girl were staring at me, with mixtures of shock, fear, and awe. Aros, on the other hand, looked mostly annoyed.

"And why should I believe you? You tried to escape," he replied, eyes narrowed suspiciously, as if trying to figure out my motive, my plan. But I didn't have a plan. I just didn't want to see Blade die in front of me. I didn't want him to die at all or ever.

"Don't look now Aros, but you also said you wouldn't harm him," I swallowed my fear, forcing myself to think clearly. Acting rash would just put us all in bad shape. I had to be rational.

"If he didn't come back to the castle, which he did," he said quickly, "If that's your only—"

"No! Wait it's not!" I nearly shrieked.

"Kiana what are you—?" Ace started but Aros cut him off.

"Let her speak," Aros hissed.

I took a breath and thought quickly. "I...I promise Aros. If you let him go and never bother him again, and you promise to never harm him or have any of your men do anything to him then I'll do everything you want me to do." I blinked away tears, realizing just exactly what I was promising. "I'll let you turn me, make me into whatever you want me to be."

I was giving up my family, my friends, my life, my freedom. Everything. Just because I couldn't bear to see them kill Blade. And a few months ago, the thought of giving up everything for one person, a boy no less, had never even crossed my mind. But here I was, doing exactly that.

Aros was still watching me, as if waiting for something to seal the deal. I couldn't think of anything that might prove to him that I was completely serious.

"Your word isn't enough," he said quietly. "Your promises mean nothing. Promises can be broken."

"Grandfather please, you don't have to—" Ace started forward, hands extended to Aros, but two guards rushed forward and pushed him back.

"I'll do as I see fit. If I let him go, she has incentive to leave. If I kill him, she has nothing to go back to. No reason to leave."

"She has family! Friends! People who care about her, people she cares about her. She has plenty to live for!" Ace shouted, furious now, betrayal clear on his face.

Fear struck me. My mom. What if he went after my mom? Peter? All of my friends? What if they were killed because of me? Horror bubbled up inside of me like a violent volcano, and before I knew it, I exploded.

"I can promise Blade!" I shrieked, the idea spewing forth without me even having thought of it.

"Promise Blade? What does that have to do with me?" Aros asked, suddenly looking intrigued, if a little annoyed at my constant outbursts.

"If I promise Blade not to go after him, then I'll never be able too! No matter what I try, if I promise him that I'll never escape, never try to find him again...I won't be able to leave. It'll be set in stone." The more I spoke, the more I realized how true it was. But I suddenly felt claustrophobic at the thought of never having the opportunity to escape in the future. Of being a prisoner to Aros for eternity. But I didn't have a choice. One life was nothing compared to the dozen of people who were in danger.