Page 24

The witch’s eyes darkened, her voice lowering to a whisper. “Blood binds. Blood frees.”

Before I could ask what it meant, the witch began to fade, her form dissolving into shadows.

“Wait!” I reached out, but my fingers grasped only air.

The clearing vanished, the moonlight snuffed out, and the darkness came rushing back.

I woke with a sharp gasp, the rough stone of the cell cold against my skin. Sweat dampened my forehead, and my pulse thudded like a war drum in my ears.

The dream clung to me, too vivid to ignore, too heavy to push away.

And though I was alone in the cell, the witch’s voice lingered in my mind.

“Blood binds. Blood frees.”

I sat with my back against the cold stone wall, my knees drawn to my chest. The dream still lingered, its weight pressing against my ribs, leaving my breath shallow and uneven.

The rattle of keys snapped me out of it.

I stiffened as the door creaked open, light spilling into the dark cell. My first instinct was to shrink back, but then I saw the hooded figure step inside, shoulders hunched as if carrying more than just the weight of the cloak. I waited a moment, then I saw him.

“Kael,” I whispered.

He closed the door quickly, turning the lock behind him before pulling the hood down. His eyes darted to me, sharp and searching.

“How did you get the keys?” I asked, shocked.

“The shifter who was supposed to bring you food agreed to let me do it, but he’s waiting in front,” he explained quickly. “I said I wanted to see the witch whose blood will bring back the demon vampire.”

I frowned. “He bought that?”

He shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. We only have a minute, then I have to go back.”

I didn’t want him to see me on the verge of crumbling. I didn’t want him to see how much I needed to see a friendly face, even if it was the face of a stranger I still wasn’t sure we could believe or not. But I was still grateful to have him here.

“And you… are you alright?” I heard him ask in a whisper.

I nodded, but the truth lodged in my throat. No, I wasn’t alright. I was drained, aching and haunted by a dream I couldn’t make sense of. But none of that mattered.

“Did you find him?” I asked with a cracked voice, and I swallowed hard, but it didn’t help much. In fact, it didn’t help any. “Lucas?”

He knelt beside me, setting down a bundle wrapped in cloth. He opened it, revealing a hunk of bread and a flask of water. “I met with him last night.”

Relief hit me like a flood, but it soon twisted into fear, as a million questions started to swarm inside my mind.

“Is he safe? Does he know where I am?”

Kael’s expression softened with understanding. “He’s safe. They are all safe, for now. We’re preparing to get you out of here.”

My breath hitched, hope surging through me even as doubt followed closely behind. “But… how? There are guards everywhere. I saw them.”

“I know,” he nodded, glancing at the door, lowering his voice. We both knew that we could be interrupted at any moment. If we were, it would be all over for both of us. “But they don’t know me. Not really. I’ve earned enough trust to move freely around here. And Lucas… he’s ready. He just needs to gather allies. He’ll be waiting when we make our move.”

I clutched the flask, my hands trembling. “When?”

“Soon.”

“That’s not an answer,” I said more angrily than I meant to. I didn’t want to stay here a moment longer. I wanted to go home, to Lucas.