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I spun around so fast I nearly slipped in the mud, my heart slamming against my ribs like a prisoner desperate for escape.

Anderic stood there—immaculate despite the downpour, his golden curls darkened by rain, his expression unreadable in the darkness.

The occasional lightning flash illuminated the sharp angles of his face, highlighting the dangerous curve of his mouth.

I’m dead. I’m so completely, utterly dead.

My gaze darted between Anderic and Gareth’s lifeless body sprawled in the mud like some grotesque garden ornament. The damn jeweled dagger handle gleamed in another flash of lightning, accusing me with every sparkle.

“I can explain,” I blurted, rainwater streaming down my face, mixing with whatever was left of my cosmetics. Gods, I must have looked like some deranged swamp creature.

Anderic’s eyebrow arched elegantly as he gestured with one hand. “By all means, Princess. I’m fascinated to hear what explanation you have for murdering a prisoner with the dagger I gave you in the middle of a thunderstorm.”

“It’s not—” I faltered, my gaze dropping to Gareth’s staring eyes. “I mean, this isn’t—” What wasn’t it? Not murder? The man had a dagger in his chest, and I’d put it there. Not what it looked like? It looked exactly like what it was.

What a brilliant defense, Ilyana. Perhaps next you’ll claim he fell on the knife repeatedly.

I licked my lips, tasting rain and the faint metallic tang of blood.

With a sigh, I straightened my spine despite the sodden weight of my ruined gown.

“Fine. I was helping him escape, yes. But I swear I didn’t mean to kill him.

He attacked Laurel with a piece of glass and then tried to strangle me.

” I gestured helplessly at the corpse. “It was self-defense.”

“I know,” Anderic said, his voice softer than I expected.

“You… know?” I blinked rainwater from my lashes. “How?” A thought hit me like a bucket of ice water, and I glanced around the darkened lakeshore. “Did you follow me the entire time?”

Anderic moved toward me, each step measured and deliberate, like a predator that didn’t need to rush because its prey was already cornered. Rain slid down the planes of his face, catching in his lashes, trailing down his throat to disappear beneath his collar.

“I deliberately reduced the guards tonight,” he said, his voice pitched low beneath the patter of raindrops on lake water.

Ah, that’s why it was too easy. “A little trap to see if Red or his gang would try to free their comrade.” His mouth quirked into that half-smile that made my stomach flutter.

“Imagine my surprise when instead of Red’s thugs, I found you, Princess—a vision in midnight blue, prancing through my dungeon. ”

He reached me now, close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from his body despite the cold rain. His fingers lifted to my chin, tilting my face up to his. Lightning flashed, illuminating the hunger in his eyes.

“Soaked to the skin,” he murmured, his thumb tracing my lower lip, “dress clinging to every curve, hair wild, eyes blazing with defiance even now…” His gaze dropped to my lips. “Do you have any idea what you do to me?”

“Are you mad at me?” I asked, suddenly feeling like a child caught stealing sweets rather than a noblewoman who’d just stabbed a man to death. The rain continued its relentless assault, plastering my ruined gown to my skin.

Anderic’s eyes trailed down my face, lingering on my lips before returning to meet my gaze. “No, Princess. I’m sure you had your reasons.”

Well, that was unexpectedly reasonable. Where’s the lecture? The royal disappointment?

“And I also know you won’t tell me those reasons,” he continued, his voice a low rumble against the storm. “But I can wait until you’re ready.”

We both turned to look at Gareth’s body, a dark shape against the muddy shore. Lightning flashed again, illuminating his sightless eyes still staring accusingly at the heavens.

“As for him,” Anderic said, nudging Gareth’s leg with the toe of his boot, “he was already useless to me. I don’t care if he lived or died.”

I swallowed hard, blinking rainwater from my lashes. “So I’m really not in trouble?”

“No.” His voice had softened, almost tender beneath the pattering rain. “In fact, you don’t have to worry about the body. I’ll take care of it.”

I must have looked unconvinced because Anderic’s expression shifted, his eyes darkening with something that made my pulse quicken.

“It seems you still don’t believe me,” he murmured, closing the distance between us.

Before I could respond, his mouth claimed mine.

His lips were shockingly warm against the chill of the rain, insistent and hungry.

My hands found their way to his chest, fumbling with the buttons of his coat.

I managed to unfasten the top few, my fingers sliding against the smooth, hot skin beneath.

Gods, I’m kissing a prince beside a corpse in a thunderstorm. This man would be my ruination.

His hands tangled in my rain-soaked hair, angling my head to deepen the kiss. Our soaked clothes clung to our bodies, leaving little to the imagination as he pressed me against him. Thunder rumbled overhead, echoing the pounding of my heart.

When we broke apart, we were both breathing hard, our breaths mingling in the cool night air.

“Do you believe me now?” he asked, his voice husky.

I raised an eyebrow, trying to appear composed despite my racing heart. “How does kissing have anything to do with believing you?”

“I don’t have a habit of kissing criminals, Princess.”

“Well, Highness,” I said, smoothing my hands over his partially opened shirt, feeling the rapid beat of his heart beneath my palm, “I do like your method of convincing me. But I think I might need a bit more… convincing.”

Anderic laughed, the sound rich and warm against the backdrop of rain. He leaned in, his lips hovering just above mine. “Your wish is my command.”

Just as his mouth was about to meet mine again, lightning struck a tree mere meters away from us. The crack was deafening, the flash of light blinding. I jumped, my heart hammering against my ribs.

Was this the gods’ way of telling me to stop making out next to dead bodies, or just really bad timing?

Lightning tore through the sky, shattering the moment and sending my heart racing for entirely different reasons. I stumbled back from Anderic, suddenly remembering the dead body at our feet and the storm that was rapidly becoming more than just an inconvenience.

“We need to leave,” I said, rainwater streaming into my mouth as I spoke. “The tunnels flood when it rains this hard.”

Anderic’s mouth twisted into a grimace. “Too late, Princess. That path is already underwater. The lake rises fast during storms like this.”

Wonderful. I’ve gone from noblewoman to prisoner to murderer to drowned rat in less than a day.

“Laurel!” I gasped, panic seizing me as I wheeled around toward the tunnel entrance. “She might be trapped in there!”

I lunged forward, but Anderic’s hand closed around my wrist, his grip firm but not painful.

“Don’t worry about Laurel,” he said, pulling me back. His golden hair was plastered to his forehead, making him look younger somehow. “She left quite some time ago. She’s safe on the other side.”

I sagged with relief, the adrenaline that had been keeping me upright beginning to fade. “Thank the gods.” Then reality set in again as another bolt of lightning illuminated our surroundings. “But we’re trapped on this side now. We can’t go anywhere in this rain.”

The night had settled fully around us now, the darkness only broken by the occasional flash of lightning. In those brief moments of illumination, I could see the lake’s waters rising steadily, the hungry tide already lapping at Gareth’s boots.

“Did you come here alone?” I asked, suddenly wondering who else might stumble upon us—and the body.

“Yes.” Anderic stepped closer, his hand still around my wrist. “I left Lennox behind when I realized it was you orchestrating this prison break. I didn’t want to risk anyone else finding out. Though it doesn’t matter, I’ll have to tell him anyway.”

Another crack of thunder, so close it seemed to shake the ground beneath us. Anderic’s eyes scanned our surroundings, his brow furrowing.

“Don’t worry about that now,” he said, tugging me forward. “We need to find shelter for now. You’re shivering.”

As if his words were a spell, I suddenly became aware of the violent tremors wracking my body. My teeth chattered as the chill seeped through my sodden gown and into my bones.

Anderic looked around, squinting through the rain. “If I remember correctly, there’s a cave nearby. We can spend the night there.”

“How do you know that?” I asked, my curiosity momentarily overriding my discomfort.

His lips curved into a small smile. “I used to come here with Noah and Seb when we were boys. We’d swim in the lake during summer. The cave was our secret hideout.”

I followed his gaze toward where the edge of the lake met the tree line, suddenly remembering something crucial.

“Wait,” I said, grabbing his arm as he turned to lead us away.

Anderic looked back at me, rainwater streaming down his perfect face. “What is it?”

“I forgot something.” I splashed back toward Gareth’s body, which was now partially submerged as the lake continued to rise. Kneeling in the mud, I wrapped my fingers around the jeweled hilt of the dagger and yanked it free with a sickening squelch.

I wiped the blade against the sodden hem of my ruined gown before slipping it into the hidden pocket sewn into my skirts.

“Now I’m ready,” I declared, trying to ignore how the warm blood on my hands quickly cooled in the rain.

Anderic’s shoulders shook with quiet laughter as he shook his head. “You are truly something else, Lya.” He extended his hand to me. “Most women would be screaming or fainting by now.”

“Most women haven’t died before,” I replied without thinking, taking his warm hand.