Chapter 4 FEASTING ON MY EMOTIONS

The metal band encircling my ankle was not the sole element designed to hold me captive. The castle itself entrapped me like a tomb, its stones obedient to Pricina's whims. Walls of brick obstructed my path, confining me within four rooms. Should I wish to depart, I had to maneuver the stones en masse to create doorways, emulating Pricina's actions.

Pricina's abilities surpassed my own. I could manipulate the cells within my body, yet such power had its limits. Like Christian, I couldn't alter my hair or eye color, although I could marginally reshape my body. Unlike me, Pricina could manipulate her own form and extend her dominion over the surrounding matter. Brandon showcased her prowess to me as an objective to strive for (though he hadn't attained such mastery himself). He presented it as a means to escape the castle.

Gazing out of the window at the winter landscape deep within the mountains, I realized that the fortress was not the sole impediment. Nature's fortress encircled me in every direction. Even miles away, I could discern the boundaries of my captivity. Even if I survived a fall from a window, endured the cold and the elements, I had no inkling of my location or where to go. Pricina didn't need to keep an eye on me; I couldn't venture anywhere until I broke down the mental barriers dictating my abilities.

That was when I started contemplating the stones on Christian's chest. If consuming one of those stones granted me the power to rearrange bone, what might ingesting the others achieve?

I rubbed my temples. Such deliberation made me uneasy. She claimed Christian would provide everything. When I swallowed the stone within the sanctuary of his heart, I appropriated something that wasn't mine and absorbed it into myself. Did that mean I had taken it away from Christian, or did we both now possess that ability? I doubted Christian could manipulate bones. If he could, he might have adjusted his height according to his wishes, yet he hadn't.

I felt queasy. The uncertainty weighed heavily on me.

I didn't want to make an irreversible mistake. I didn't wish to commit something wrong within Christian's heart, taking something from him that I couldn't return.

The only solace during this period of contemplation was that the stone I consumed bore instructions for me to ingest it. That was beyond Brandon's or Pricina's influence. The stone dictated that I was meant to eat it, and that remained the sole communication I received from Christian within his heart.

Numerous stones adorned his body... enigmas like tidbits of a puzzle, and now I was familiar with their taste.

If I had his consent, was there any purpose in resisting?

***

I alternated between the various chambers of Christian's heart. I rearranged the carpets in the first room, testing whether it would irk his crowned figure enough to rouse him. I attempted to decipher the words inked on his neck in the third chamber. The letters etched on his skin eluded my comprehension. I endeavored to undo the knot on his gag in the fourth room, yet the knot was so tightly tied that my efforts proved futile.

Each room presented its unique enigma, and I was hesitant to complete the first one I'd embarked upon.

Eventually, I returned to the second room and pressed my hands against the altar, which was turning more familiar than sacred by the minute.

"Christian," I murmured into his ear. "Could you please awaken? I need to converse with you. I miss you, and it feels like I've waited for you for a century. Open your eyes."

Communicating with him was challenging. Stones rested over each of his eyes, perhaps thwarting his awakening. Without thought, I reached out and removed one stone.

His eyelashes fluttered.

He stirred!

That was the confirmation I required-that I was meant to extract the stones and consume them.

Upon reaching that conclusion, I had never felt so ravenous in my life. I turned the stone in my hand, finding the word "motion" inscribed on its underside. This time, I didn't attempt to resist. I placed it in my mouth, and it tasted like a tart. Not just any tart, but the most exquisite strawberry tart I had ever savored.

Though I gleaned something from the second bite, I couldn't quite articulate what it was. All I knew was that I felt invigorated, prompting me to exit the heart and mend the fractured bone in my forehead by piecing together the fragments. The realization dawned that Brandon and Pricina were unlikely to return, so there was no need to reattach the ring to my ankle. Besides, I surmised that Pricina might already have discerned my entry into Christian's heart and my progress.

Repairing the fracture in my skull consumed hours. Bone fragments, akin to puzzle pieces, floated through the air before settling into the ground.

When I finished, I reentered the heart shrine and commenced tallying the remaining stones on Christian's body. One hundred and twenty-three remained. Initially, there had been a total of one hundred and twenty-five.

My hand brushed the bare spot on his face where the stone I had consumed had nestled upon his eye. His skin exuded warmth, and the arch of his eyebrow was so captivating that I almost shed a tear.

I picked up a stone resting on his wrist, turning it over to read the word "hardness" on the underside. I consumed it. I perused the inscription on the reverse side of all the stones before ingesting them. They bore words like "flexibility," "density," "malleability," and "weight." Never before had I been so insatiable.

Soon, only one stone remained. The final one covered Christian's mouth. I saved it for last, hoping that Christian might awaken upon its removal. However, he remained asleep. The last stone bore the word "bonded" on its underside. I slid it between my teeth. It tasted of salt... the most exquisite flavor of all. I swallowed it and looked at Christian, yearning for him to open his eyes.

Leaning forward, I rested my hands on the edge of the altar before me. Nothing occurred. Christian remained dormant. An overwhelming sense of sickness washed over me. I wished everything had been less tantalizing. It ensnared me on every level. Removing and consuming the stones unveiled more of his perfectly sculpted body. When the stone touched my tongue, it metamorphosed into whatever I craved, be it buttery popcorn, chocolate, or crispy bacon. Each morsel felt like the most sublime taste I had ever experienced. The stones settled within my stomach, akin to a warm beverage on a chilly day.

My head drooped. Was there something further I needed to do? Or was it irrelevant, as my efforts were incapable of awakening him?

Unexpectedly, the Christian on the altar opened his eyes. "Hello," he greeted.