The Devil's Vow のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 11 - チャプター 20

{Thea}I groaned softly as I squirmed from an actual good night’s sleep on the dinky ass mattress. The morning light shone through the blinds covering the small window, and although I had just woken up, I could already smell the scent of bleach and a lemon-scented disinfectant.My hair stuck to the back of my neck, my cheek stung where it rested against a pillow that I was sure they had dug out of the trash, and the bed creaked loudly as I stretched fully on the mattress.I looked around the small motel room, slowly taking in the sad and pathetic decor for the first time. I was too dazed last night to bother looking around when I came in.A cheap framed print of a seascape hung on the dim gray wall of the room. Underneath it was a thin desk with one chair that had a seam splitting along its hip and a sagging lamp with a frayed shade that made everything just a little too distasteful. The bed was crusty like stale bread, and after moving around a bit, I could still feel the indent wher

{Thea}I stared at the tiny black hole pointed straight at my chest. The gun’s barrel glinted under the dim dock lights, and I felt my body tense against my trembling little brother, who was still in my arms. He gripped my arm so tightly it hurt, and while that gun was trained on us, neither of us dared breathe.The man jerked his head toward the far end of the dock. “Move.” he said in a low, gruff voice.I swallowed hard and started forward, keeping one hand on Liam’s arm. While we walked, the wood beneath our shoes creaked with every step, and somewhere out in the black water, a buoy clanged lazily in the distance. There was nobody around for miles.We had only made it a few paces when Liam suddenly stopped. I turned, confused, only to watch in horror as he lunged backward toward the man.“Liam, no!” The words came out a second too late.Liam hit the man with everything he had, but the guard barely flinched. They struggled for a short while before the man shoved Liam off like he was

{Noah}“Do you need any help with that?”“Huh?”“The box” I said, pointing to the cardboard box in her hands.“Oh no, thanks. I've got it.” She said softly, her fingers tightened around the cardboard box until her knuckles whitened. “Gerald had helped me do most of the heavy lifting.” She jutted her chin to the manager.I wanted to keep talking to her, but for the first time, I, the great Noah Blackwood felt… tongue tied. I did my best to shake the ridiculous thought out of my head and then I heard her voice again.“W-What are you doing here?”It was a simple question, really. Unfortunately, it was one I had no sane answer to. I cleared my throat, shifting my weight as I spoke.“I was… in the area,” I lied, right to her face. Her stare said she didn’t believe a word of it, but she didn’t call me out. Or rather, she knew better. She only stepped aside so the box didn’t slip from her hands. “I just didn’t expect to see you,” “I understand.” My gaze swept over her, and I prayed she di

{Thea}I woke to the sound of Liam's snoring and the faint smell of mildew that had become as familiar as breathing. My phone buzzed on the nightstand—6:47 AM. The car would be here in less than two hours.I sat up slowly, careful not to wake him, and looked around the dingy motel room one last time. Three boxes sat stacked by the door, containing everything I had left in this world. It was pathetic, really. A whole life reduced to cardboard and tape.Liam stirred, mumbling something incoherent before his eyes cracked open. "Is it time?""Soon," I said softly. "Go back to sleep."But he was already sitting up, rubbing his face. "I can't. I'm too wired." He looked at me, his expression serious. "You sure about this?"'Was I really?'I'd spent the entire night second-guessing my decision, replaying that phone call with Noah over and over until the words lost all meaning."No," I admitted. "But what choice do I have?"Liam didn't answer. And a part of me was glad he didn't.The car arriv

{Thea}I'd been staring at the invitation on the kitchen counter for the past ten minutes, my coffee growing cold in my hands. The paper was cream-colored cardstock with gold embossing that probably cost more than my weekly grocery budget used to.You are cordially invited to celebrate the engagement of Curtis Blackwood and Jennifer Hart."You're going to burn a hole through it if you keep glaring like that," Liam said, appearing beside me with a bowl of cereal.I tore my eyes away from the invitation. "I'm not going.""Uhhmm… Yes, you are." He argued almost immediately."Ughh, Liam—""No, listen to me." He set his bowl down and turned to face me fully. "You need to go to that party."I laughed bitterly. "Why would I willingly walk back into that snake pit?""Because hiding makes you look weak," he said simply. "And no sister of mine is weak-willed. You managed to survive everything they threw at you. Now it's time to show them that."His words somehow hit harder than I expected. I pi