Chapter Forty-Eight

Lucianne sat by the window, her head resting against the glass. It was peaceful outside, like it had always been. There weren't many people who came to Ravenspire because Gabriel had forbidden them to and she had peace because of that.

As the days passed, she began to uncover more of the truth. There was no dark history in Crestfall. Genevieve was merely a story Gabriel came up with to keep the townspeople away from Ravenspire. There was no curse, no Hex Beast, and no murders. She had thought of it all in her period of insanity.

She pressed a finger to the glass, drawing shapes in the condensation that had formed on it. She wrote their initials and smiled. Life was simple again. She was at peace, and everything was still and happy. Peaceful.

A tear slid down her eyes. Peaceful. She was happy. Images of that night flashed across her mind. They were in bits and pieces and she knew that the entire picture would eventually come to her. She enjoyed forgetting everything, but that also meant that she had to experience the same hell over and over again for the first time.

She felt movement next to her. She turned around to look at what it was, and saw Gabriel sitting beside her on the seat beside the window. He placed a kiss on her temple.

"How are you doing?" he asked her.

"Well."

"Do you need anything?"

She closed her eyes. "No."

"I'll leave you," he said, getting up. She held onto his forearm, pulling him back down.

"No, stay with me."

He sat down. "I will."

She pressed her forehead to the glass again. "Everything looks so peaceful."

"It is."

"Right?"

"But there is no rest for you."

"Yes."

"You will break free one day, Lucie. I know it."

"You know, Gabriel. For a moment, I thought I was Genevieve herself."

"I know."

"Isn't it interesting how the mind works?"

"Interesting? It's more vanity to me."

"I thought I craved blood," she said. "Like some vampire."

"You'll never be like her. She was a monster I created to keep you safe."

"So was the Hex Beast."

"Yes."

"Thank god all those murders were not real."

"What do you mean?"

Lucianne looked at him blankly. "I imagined all those murders, of course."

"No, Lucie," Gabriel said. "Those murders were real."