Page 28 of A Royal’s Soul (Soul Match #3)

Persephone Flores

Katrina stared at Rylan silently for a tense, moment, clearly weighing her options, before abruptly running past him. I was surprised that she chose to flee after appearing so adamant that I had to leave with her. The prospect of fighting Rylan must have been too much of a personal risk to take.

“Where is Selene?” I asked as soon as Rylan turned his attention away from watching a retreating Katrina and back to us.

“Why didn’t you kill that traitor?” Sasha asked, before Rylan could respond.

“I do not know. I suspect that she is assessing the level of threat. Her first command was your safety,” he answered. “My deepest apologies for taking quite so long to find you, Percy,” he continued, dropping the formality he had begun with. I saw his stressed expression. “I was not without disruption finding you. The mansion and estate grounds are overrun with True North rebels. It seems that there has been a significant infiltration of True North to positions within Ardens Estate. No servant or staff is to be trusted,” he told me.

“And yet you allowed the girl to live,” Sasha replied before I could, “As much of a traitor as any other.”

“Was I mistaken in assuming that if the girl was deserving of death—that you were capable of delivering the punishment?” Rylan asked.

“I would have, had you not intervened and allowed her to go,” Sasha argued.

“I don’t care!” I cried, angrily. “Katrina saved me. For whatever reason—it doesn’t matter. I don’t think she’s a bad person. All I care about is finding Selene and leaving here. I want to go home.”

I knew how childish I must have sounded, and looked, tears of frustration breaking and rolling down my cheeks—but it didn’t matter. I just wanted Selene. I just wanted to go home. I wanted to be back at Sanguis Academy with my friends and Healer classes and my rooftop garden.

“Percy, Ardens estate will not fall. You needn’t worry,” Sasha tried to reassure me.

“I don’t care if it does or doesn’t. I don’t care about this cold, horrible, ghostly place where everyone hates me! I want the sun and my friends and for Selene to smile again.”

I was crying more and it really wasn’t the time or place to be crying or bringing any of my upset up. But it was true. I hated Ardens Estate. There were no friends here. It was daylight for only a few hours a day, and even then barely any sunshine reached past the clouds. And Selene had not smiled since we arrived—not truly. Not in the way that made me feel like butterflies fluttered within me, not the kind of smile that reached her eyes and creased her face.

I knew Selene was trying. I knew she wanted to find a home for us. But Ardens Estate would never be my home, and it wasn’t Selene’s either.

I needed daylight and people—community to be part of. And Selene needed people to order around, and fawn over her, and to take care of—it’s just the way it was. Ardens Estate held nothing that either of us needed. All it had done was take Selene from me. I’d never been more lonely.

“Percy, this is not the time for self-pity,” Sasha told me, sharply. “Whatever you think of Ardens Estate—my home—is immaterial right now. All that matters is our safety.”

The shock of recognising how my words must have been so very insulting to Sasha stopped my tears—only to be replaced by new tears for a new reason.

“I’m so sorry, Sasha,” I stuttered. “I didn’t mean anything by it,” I tried to explain, but she held her hand up to stop me.

“It’s alright. You’re in a new place against your will and scared. Stop crying,” she commanded.

I took a few measured breaths to control myself.

The ground shook with another blast.

“Was I mistake, or is your gift suitable for offensive warfare?” Rylan asked Sasha as he stepped past me.

“It can be,” Sasha replied, stepping beside Rylan.

“Good. We are about to be attacked,” he stated.

It was only then that I noticed the tear to the shoulder of his uniform, the blood that dripped down his fingers, or that his gun was in his hands.

“Attacked?” I asked, not sure if my heart could handle more adrenaline.

“Percy, I need you to go to your chambers and barricade both doors,” Rylan told me.

Before he had even finished speaking, I heard the pop pop pop of an automatic weapon. The window beside us shattered outward. I instinctively ducked, and watched as Sasha waved her hands—pieces of rock from the window frame flew past me, turning to dust as they were hit by what I presumed were bullets.

Rylan wanted me to hide. There was no escape from our rooms. I would be hiding, unable to do anything to help anyone. Unable to go to Selene.

I needed to find Selene.

I felt desperate. Near hopeless.

What use was I in this fight? I wouldn’t be able to make it out of here to find Selene on my own. I needed to trust Rylan—trust that he would come for me and help me get back to Selene.

“Now!” Rylan roared.

I had never heard him raise his voice before. It made me hurriedly stumble to my feet. I saw four rebled with guns aimed in our direction before I turned and ran as fast as I could towards Selene and my rooms.

The door was far from easy to open, even with the counterweight, it took three attempts and all my weight behind me to push open the first door. It slammed shut behind me, and I looked—while catching my breath—at the barricade contraption that Selene had explained to me on our first day within Ardens Estate.

The counterweight was what made the door manageable—well manageable for those with more strength than me. I needed to unattached the weight. Without the pully and counterweight, the door would be near impossible to open. That’s what Selene had said. Impossible for all but pureblood vampires.

I only hoped that there were no pureblood vampires among the Rebels.

I smiled, recognising a clevis pin as the mechanism connecting the counterweight to the pully chain, like the shackle of an anchor chain. I knew how to remove the rue ring locking cotter pin—my only issue was reaching it. Even on my toes, I couldn’t reach the joint to remove the clevis pin.

The counterweight hung at my waist height, was at least double my width in circumference. I could reach the top of the counterweight but not the joint holding the large clevis pin.

The sound of chaos and fighting growing closer made me move without thought. I pulled myself up and on top of the counterweight. It swung ever so slightly side to side an indication of just how heavy the weight was.

Once crouched on top of the weight it was an easy task to remove the pin.

What I hadn’t anticipated the falling of the counterweight—and me falling with it too. I landed roughly on my side, bruising my elbow.

As I got to my feet, my heart pounding and the sound of running water in my ears, someone—or something—began slamming against the door. I backed away.

“I can’t budge it,” a voice called out on the other side.

“Are you sure you saw her go in?” another voice asked.

“Yes, I’m sure,” the first voice replied.

My breaths felt laboured—like my lungs didn’t have any space to expand.

“Stand back,” a third voice ordered.

Followed by a hard bang against the door.

I turned and ran up the spiral stairs. My lungs burned the entire way—like fire eating at me from the inside. My vision unfocused at the edges.

Sliding down against the closed bedroom door, as the sounds of assault on the barricade door below pounded louder than my heart, I wondered what would happen when—not if—they breached the door.

What would they do to me?

Would I be killed swiftly or would they keep me alive to parade around their prize?

Would I ever have the chance to see Selene again?