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Instead, Amalia felt better in seeing it. It was like the sky was mirroring how she felt, angry and miserable.

She knew she wasn’t the cause of it. She didn’t hold such magic to change what had once been a beautiful, sunny day into this cold and miserable storm.

She didn’t know what she’d wanted Rurik to say to her afterwards. And even though she had hated the answer he’d given her, she was thankful for it.

He’d shown her how wonderful sex could be, but she didn’t think she would want it from him again.I am not some harlot.And no matter how good it had been, she wouldn’t allow it to happen again.

She wouldn’t allow him to use her body simply because she was a female who was conveniently in his lair.If he wants to have sex, he can go find some other random female he does not care about.

She wasn’t some weak-willed woman who would seek the pleasure of sex only to feel something as ugly as she did afterwards.

She hadn’t allowed herself to shed a single tear in regret, refusing to. She didn’t want to be some sniffling girl who had gotten herself hurt by a male who probably didn’t even know what he’d done wrong.

Instead, she focused on trying to forget it ever happened. She’d liked how they were before, and she would like to return to being that way.

Something in her peripheral caught her attention, a moving object. It was small, a creature shifting its weight on its little legs.

She took her eyes away from the raging outside world to see what it was.

There lay what she could only imagine was a ferret huddled against the wall and ground just inside the cave next to her. She wasn’t sure what it was because its body was coated in the red streaks of blood, and it had been rained on with mud covering it.

It is injured.

Times when she took care of the racoons, birds, and other manner of creatures she found, or Bala brought to her cottage, flashed in her mind. It was the first time since the Dragon had given her the room that she truly felt homesick.

It must have come here to seek shelter from the storm.It didn’t appear as though it would have the strength to find shelter.

The injured creature was staring down the tunnel, shaking in fear.

It must know it is not safe further inside.

Amalia slowly rose to her feet as not to startle it.

Here little thing, let me help you.Perhaps caring for something would make her feel better.

Before she could reach down to grab it, it looked up to her, turned, and then bolted out of the cave.

Without a second thought, she chased after it, knowing it wouldn’t be safe on its own.

She kept her eyes firmly on the animal as it darted around, and she was surprised by its speed with its injuries. Rain pelted her face and soaked her dress while she chased the stupid thing, until she slipped forward.

It seemed her falling had worked in her favour because it threw her forward, and she was able to grab it in time. It struggled in her hands as she made her way to her knees while holding it and then continued to her feet.

There, now I can take you ins-It bit her!

With a hiss through clenched teeth, she dropped it by mistake when it latched onto her hand. Already she knew it had bitten deep enough to cause blood to well.Another scar to add to the others.

“No! Wait a sec-” she started while taking a step forward.

She watched it bolt up a tree right before something yanked her back.

A clawed hand wrapped around her torso, and she beat at his fingers, wanting to get back to the injured creature. Rain stopped pelting her face and body when she was tossed inside his lair. He’d tossed her hard enough that she was thrown against the ground.

Amalia didn’t care that he was angry with her because she had slapped him. He’d deserved it!

She was just about to stand when he yelled, “You tried to escape!”

Her brows drew together, and she looked up to his face that had water sluicing from it. Her eyes widened when she realised she’d been outside in the storm.