Page 68

forty-five

I woke up with a pounding headache. My heavy lids reluctantly cracked open to find that the curtains were drawn. I couldn’t tell what time of day it was… how much time had passed.

Assessing my condition, I first noted that I was naked. My neck was throbbing in pain—his bites had never hurt like this before. My throat was dry, my tongue swollen.

Humiliation washed over me as flashes of last night replayed in my head. I could barely remember what had transpired after Galen bit me, but I knew that what had started out gentle had ended roughly. I’d blacked out at some point.

I couldn’t believe that I’d let him trick me into thinking he cared about me.

It was a cycle that would end in my death.

Had any of it been real? I let out a sob as I realized I was chained to his bed, with an amber-colored shackle around my wrist. It held firm as I pulled at it.

This was lower than anything I could’ve imagined from him.

What was he planning to do with me? Was this because he’d found out what I was? Panic gripped me around the throat, suffocating me. I sucked in the smoke-tinged air that lingered in his room, gasping as I tried not to let fear shut down my mind.

Slow down your breathing, Marigold. You must figure out how to escape, my mother’s voice rang out clearly. I was hallucinating from lack of blood.

I could get myself out of this situation. I peeked around the room to make sure Galen wasn’t lurking somewhere in the darkness. The room was empty. Rafael would find me. He’d help me. I didn’t deserve him or his help. Galen was who I deserved.

No. I did not deserve this.

There was no excuse that could justify this level of cruelty. Galen had chained me to his bed. He’d… He’d violated me physically and emotionally. I tried to bury the memories of him holding me down—biting me when I’d told him no . I had to focus. I needed to move. Now .

I tried to shift into my animal form and break the strange stone around my wrist, but the cuff seemed to be impeding my magic.

There was a wrongness to it that made my skin crawl.

My magic had fallen into a deep slumber and refused to wake.

I tried freezing the stone, but my magic didn’t respond.

He’d somehow completely cut off my power with this devise.

Think, Marigold. Think. I was foggy from blood loss, but I was stronger than I’d once been.

I studied how the chain was connected to the bed post. The beam was made of wood…

maybe I could break it. I stood on the bed and kicked with all my might.

It barely budged. I pulled down on the top of the post, trying to snap it with my body weight.

No luck. I looked around Galen’s room and saw a knife sticking out of a pair of discarded pants on the floor.

I leapt at it and was hauled back by the chain.

But my feet, my legs—they were just long enough.

I stretched out my toes and dragged it towards me.

I went to work on the bed post, trying to use the pocketknife as a saw.

It was tedious work and my heart hammered, waiting for Galen to appear any minute.

When the wood had a deep cut in it, I kicked the post again and this time it splintered. A few more kicks and I was free.

The heavy chain still dangled from my wrist. I didn’t have time to look for a key. My body was screaming at me to hurry . I threw on my nightgown, one of Galen’s jackets off the floor, and grabbed the two books sitting on his desk. I checked his door. Locked . Of course.

I ran to the balcony and saw that the sun was touching the lake.

It was dawn. I peered over the edge, to the gardens below.

The room was on the third story and was a long climb down.

I could’ve used one of Raf’s vines right now.

Instead, I grabbed the silk sheets off Galen’s bed and frantically shredded them with the knife, braiding them together to make a long, makeshift rope .

With one last glance at the door, I ran to the balcony and tied the rope to the stone railing.

I climbed over and descended as fast as I could.

If someone would’ve seen me, they would’ve questioned my sanity; half-dressed in a man’s jacket, golden waves of hair flowing wildly around me, and a chain hanging from my wrist. Luckily, it was early enough that most were still sleeping.

The rope wasn’t long enough and I had to drop the last ten feet, hitting hard and rolling an ankle.

What I would’ve given to shift into a unicorn and run into the woods, but alas, I was to do this without magic. I had to get to Hibiscus. I’d be caught if I tried to walk to the village on foot, so I stayed close to the castle walls, limping, and thanking the gods that I didn’t run into any guards.

I made it to the stables undetected and saw a young groom saddling up a horse.

I ducked into the tack room before he saw me, grabbing a saddle to cover the chains, before confidently sauntering towards my horse’s stall.

The groom glanced up at me and was about to speak before his eyes grew large and he thought better of it.

I must’ve looked in a state. I scurried to Hibiscus and threw the saddle on, synching it.

As we exited the stable, I whispered, “Run like the wind, sweet girl. I’m depending on you.

” She galloped faster than a hailstorm as we raced towards the shelter of the tree-lined trail.

I dared a glance back and noticed one guard looking alert as he watched my flaxen curls sail behind me.

Galen had forgotten to take me seriously and it would be his decision to regret.

We flew to the brothel and I dove off Hibiscus. “Go get yourself some water and return to the stables. Thank you. For everything .” I spoke to her as if she could understand me. I didn’t know if I’d see her again. She blinked and then turned around to head towards the water troughs.

I hobbled into the Siren Inn and was greeted by several bewildered women in gauzy scraps of fabric. It appeared that they were still up from the night before. A few men sat nearly unconscious while women straddled them.

“Rafael?” I asked to no one in particular. One of them pointed up the stairs. “Room Six.”

I sprinted like a mad woman and knocked on his door. He appeared a moment later, shirtless with pants hanging low, revealing muscles that traveled down in a straight arrow towards his…

My eyes grew round and I looked up. I’d never noticed his tattoos.

He had writing scrawled on his tanned arms and chest. I didn't recognize the language.

I noticed a set of pegasus wings inked on his shoulder blades as he closed the door behind me.

I gawked for a minute before pulling myself together.

“Are you okay? What happened?” He rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he studied me. I watched his face contort from concern to outrage.

I hugged him, burying my face into his hard chest. He saw the chain and shackle and lost his composure. “ What happened ? He chained you? I’ll kill him .” He made to move towards the door, apparently planning to leave right then.

“Raf, stop. I escaped…” I released a sob as I let the words sink in. I’d made it out of the castle. I was safe. “Please don’t leave me.” I lifted my wrist to him. “Can you help me get this off?” I asked, letting the adrenaline roll off me in waves. Raf took my wrist and looked at the cuff.

“ Jasper . It’s a blend of iron and quartz.” He let out a slew of curse words. “Simply touching it is enough to block one from their magic.”

“I noticed,” I said bitterly.

“Humans used it against faeries in Erador. It’s rarely seen here; it goes against everything faeries stand for—to take away another’s magic.” He snarled. “It’s a coward’s weapon. It also hasn’t been needed since the curse. It’s easier to just deny a prisoner access to blood.”

He snapped to attention. “You escaped without magic? Where was he keeping you? How did you get away?”

He sat me on his bed and then pulled a lock pick from a drawer and came to sit beside me, working at the cuff as I told him everything.

As my story ended, the shackle opened with a click and fell to the floor.

My magic responded sluggishly, repairing the various wounds inflicted by Galen and my escape.

I’d lost a lot of blood, I realized, feeling suddenly woozy as my body tried to knit back together.

Raf kissed the palm of my hand, tracing a finger lightly around the marks from the cuff. It was too intimate and I yanked my hand away. “I’m so sorry I didn’t get there sooner,” he whispered. “I’m so sorry for all of it.”

He was the last person that should’ve felt sorry. And I didn’t have time to feel sorry for myself. I’d escaped one monster, but it was time to prepare for the next. We were supposed to leave for the Oracle shortly.

Seeming to read my mind, Raf said, “We’ll go to her tomorrow. Rest and eat today—you’ll need your strength to face her. ”

I wanted to fight him on it, but I was too tired. “Can I stay with you… if it’s not too much of an imposition. I’m afraid he’ll find me. And I-I don’t want to be alone.” Recent events had eviscerated my pride and I wasn’t above begging.

Raf’s strong arms engulfed me in a tight hug, temporarily shutting the rest of the world out. “There’s nowhere safer than right here and you aren’t going anywhere. My room is thoroughly warded; no one has ever been able to break in. And if you want to leave for Erador, after the Oracle, we can.”

He was offering me a chance to escape before Louis returned, even though it would doom his people if I did. “I won’t leave the others behind. I just need to sleep first, then I’ll be alright.” I yawned, crawling out of his arms and into his bed.

He left for a moment, coming back with a clean towel and a small bowl of water.

He hesitated before sitting beside me. His voice grew thick as he said, “You have quite a lot of blood caked on you. Let me help.” He dabbed at my neck and the white rag quickly turned red.

I hadn’t looked in a mirror. Galen had left me bleeding and unable to heal.

I shrank into myself, trying to shield the little girl that had never felt worthy of love after being abandoned.

I wanted to protect her from the pain that was lashing at me like a whip.

Rafael didn’t say a word as he continued to clean me, twisting bloody water from the rag, and dipping it back into the bowl.

Once he was done, he brushed my hair with his fingers until I was fast asleep.