The Crying Wind: Book One

Twenty First

Arabella was calm on the outside, but on the inside, her swirling storm began its reign. The crying wind coursed through her small body, and she was just beginning to realize it.

"John?" Athena said as soon as she saw them. "What did you do?" Her eyes zeroed in on him as she walked over to the open terrace. "Don't." He muttered.

"Excuse me?"

"You're covered in blood, Athena. Change before she sees you." They were quietly together on the terrace, with Arabella leaned over the outdoor couch, looking out over the vibrant city in the night. Jack was next to her, sitting quietly. She wouldn't let him leave her, and he didn't want to.

"Jack?" She spoke up once Athena left them again. "Yes?" He sat straighter, nearly delighted that she was finally speaking to him. "How much have you lied to me?"

He thought about it for a moment. "A lot."

"Like what?"

"Well, you know all of my truths now, don't you?"

She shook her head. "No, I don't." Her gaze was fixed on the illuminated skyline. "What do you want to know?"

"Why do you love her?"

"I never loved her." He answered quickly, certainty set in his voice like stone. "Never have. Never will."

"Then why did you marry her?"

"Her family was powerful." His answer was kept short. He wouldn't lie to her, but she didn't need the details. She would like it better that way. "You married her for money?"

"No." He shook his head. "We had money, Arabella. I married her for resources." She knew she wouldn't get too many answers. "Is it a boy or a girl?"

"It wasn't mine."

"What?" She finally looked at him. "What do you mean-,"

"I made sure I wouldn't have another one of you running around as soon as I turned eighteen. One was all I wanted, and if I couldn't have you, then I would have nothing." He leaned forward. "And if that bitch really was pregnant when I killed her, then it sure as hell wasn't mine."

Arabella shivered, her words stick in her throat and making her nauseous. "You're lying." She shook her head. "You needed her. You didn't kill her."

"I needed her father's power, darling. I needed her family. The moment I said 'I do' was the moment I no longer needed her." He held two fingers under her chin. "And believe me, it was the best time I had ever had with my wife."

"How?" She needed to know. "How what?" He leaned back again. "How did you kill her?"

"I don't think you want to know, love."

"No." She shook her head. "I don't want to know, but I need to. Please?" She desperately wanted the closure. Of course, when his daughter said please, it was all he needed to hear.

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FOUR MONTHS AGO

John had been in a drunker haze since the wedding. It had been a few weeks of heavy drinking, and Juliette couldn't figure out why. "John?" She sat down next to him. He was slumped over, hungover and ready to begin his usual nightly cycle of thirst.

His face had slimmed quite a bit. His eyes were dark, and there was a sort of blankness behind them. He looked like he couldn't been a corpse, with the little sleep he was getting. He did nothing but hum in acknowledgment. "What's wrong, darling?"

Anger ticked beneath his skin. Why would she ask him something like that? Why couldn't she know already? He looked up, and stared her down, the glasses not having been worn since they married. "I miss her."

She furrowed her pretty eyes. "Who?"

The aggravation increased yet again. "My Arabella."

"You miss her?" She stood up. This was an unbelievable revelation. "Why on earth would you miss that-,"

"Be careful, Juliette." He cut her off. His fists clenched. "You wouldn't want to say something you'd regret."

"God. Ever since she left, you've been acting like an idiot! You didn't even want her!" He couldn't take it anymore. Within moments, he was off of the couch, and in front of his wife. Maliciousness didn't have the power to describe him in this moment. Finally, finally, he could get rid of this woman.

"She was the only thing I wanted." There was a wild look in his eyes. One she hadn't seen, and wouldn't never see again. "I didn't want you." He backed her into the corner of the room. The corner that would be stained red in a minute. "I didn't want you at all." He grinned.

"John-,"

"What?" His voice was low. Her back collided with the corner. "Darling, you're scaring me." She looked everywhere but his eyes. She would spend her last moments afraid. "You're scared?" He said quietly, placing his hands on the wall, leaning down. "So you know how she felt when you nearly slit her throat?"

"I-I told you that it wasn't what you thought-,"

"You tried to kill her."

"John, darling, please-," his fingers curled themselves around her flawless, scarless jaw. "You tried to kill her." He repeated. He began to squeeze. He wanted his grip to be nice and tight for this moment.

"You tried to fucking kill her!"

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"Well, she don't look too mad to me." Athena muttered once she had come back from scrubbing the blood off of her. Arabella's head rested in his lap, and she was sound asleep, soothed by his hand running through her hair. Finally, he felt alive again. "How did you manage that?"

"I ripped Juliette's neck open. It was only fair- you know, since she scarred hers."