Page 11

She shouldn’t be wandering in the gardens.

Not alone.

Avril’s motions were stilted as she moved through the carefully cultivated paths.

I wondered if there was a guard nearby, but the garden’s shadows hid far too much.

Lucian’s burly, silent bodyguards had always given me pause.

Bastian was sure they weren’t even alive.

He seemed convinced that Lucian had created animated golems or something worse.

It made the most sense.

Why wouldn’t Lucian flout the Sage’s rules about the use of forbidden magic?

He didn’t give a shit about their rules.

I waited, but the hulking shape of the guard I’d expected to be following Avril never materialized…

Take the chance.

I moved quickly through the topiaries and ornamental hedges, but lingered just beyond her peripheral. I didn’t want to frighten her—not now. Not after everything we’d been through.

Not with everything that awaited us.

The cut she’d made on my arm during our blood bond throbbed slightly—she must have known I was there.

She turned, but not sharply—and the smile on her lips was sensual and knowing.

She’d changed.

The frightened little bird my brothers and I had sought to break was different—there was a fire within her now. A dark blaze that might burn us all if we weren’t.

But I’d never been one to run from a challenge.

“Valen,” she said. Her voice was low and warm. “You’re alone?”

I closed the space between us and caught the scent of something sweet—honeysuckle or jasmine—on her skin. “Would you prefer it if I brought Bastian with me?”

She laughed lightly, and the sound sent a shiver down my spine. “Jealous?”

Why would she say that?

Jealousy had never entered my thoughts—she was mine in her own way. Just like she belonged to Bastian and Titus.

She was ours.

“Never,” I said, pulling her close. Her body was soft against mine, and I felt a wicked thrill as she leaned into me without hesitation.

“You shouldn’t be out here alone,” I said, my voice a low growl. “Lucian—”

“Doesn’t own me.” Her hazel eyes locked onto mine.

“No,” I agreed, “but he might if we’re not careful.”

Her laugh was soft. “Then we’d better be careful.”

I crushed my lips to hers again, and the world tilted as everything else slipped away—the danger, the secrets, even Lucian’s looming shadow seemed to fade in the heat of that moment. I was lost in her—the taste of her, the heat of her mouth, the way she tangled her fingers in my hair as if daring me to let go first. For one stolen moment, all thoughts of escape plans and Lucian’s machinations faded away until it was only Avril and me and the ragged beating of our hearts.

When we finally pulled apart, breathless and flushed, I saw a flicker in her eyes that hadn’t been there before—something daring and dangerous.

“There’s a guard at the edge of the garden,” she breathed as she glanced toward the shadows beyond us. “Maybe two…”

I followed her gaze but saw nothing except the shifting darkness. “Do they worry you?”

“Not as much as they worry you.” She caught my hand and met my gaze boldly.

“You’re right,” I said, my voice thick with desire. “I don’t like being watched.” I pulled her closer and marked the soft intake of her breath as I whispered against her ear. “Not by anyone but you.”

Her laugh was breathy and beautiful, and it ignited something ravenous within me.

The garden surrounded us, its once lush beauty now marred by creeping shadows, but with her close, the darkness faded, becoming a distant threat, overshadowed by the warmth of our shared breath. I could feel the way her body molded to mine, the gentle tension in her frame surrendering to my touch.

But reality came rushing back, cold as a winter’s gust. As I pulled away, I could see the flicker of uncertainty in her eyes.

“I told you I could get you out of here,” I said. “And I meant it.”

Her eyes widened. “You can’t be serious—”

“Beyond the main gate, there’s a narrow path through the forest,” I said, my voice a low murmur in the heavy air. “If you want this, I’ll hide a motorcycle in the trees for you.” My fingers trailed lightly along her arm, tracing the line of possibility along her soft skin and the slight bumps of the healing scars from where she’d sacrificed her blood to the grimoire.

Avril blinked slowly, absorbing my words, and I could sense the shift in her expression—was this what she wanted?

“I don’t know how to ride,” she admitted.

The small admission was like a chasm that threatened to swallow us both. Her vulnerability, unexpected after so much strength, stirred something deep within me—I wanted to protect her. Not just from what Lucian was planning, but from the whole world.

“You can learn,” I said, injecting as much confidence into my tone as I could muster. I gripped her wrist gently, anchoring her to me. “I’ll help you.”

A flicker of interest crossed her face, but doubt still weighed heavy in her gaze. She was frightened—but was it the bike or the prospect of escape that made her pause?

She wanted to trust me—but something was holding her back.

“What did my brothers promise you?”

She hesitated, but there was a shadow behind her eyes. “They didn’t promise me anything.”

Liar.

I traced my thumb along her wrist and counted the pulse of her heartbeat against my skin. Erratic. “You think they’ll do a better job getting you out of here?”

Her silence was heavy. And there it was again—that flicker of shadow behind her eyes.

I wondered what the grimoire was telling her.

“I’m not scared anymore,” she said, as if daring me to challenge her.

Breathe.

She doesn’t mean it.

“I’ll protect you,” I said.

Her eyes narrowed, and she pulled her wrist out of my grasp. “You said that before.”

“Avril— It’s different now.”

“Because if you betray me, the blood bond will kill you?” The bitterness in her tone echoed in my ears.

That was part of it.

Not all of it.

But part of it.

“That’s not true,” I said, my voice rough as I fought to keep my frustration at bay.

She didn’t answer. Her silence cut deeper than her words.

“I meant what I said—I’m not afraid.” Her voice was soft, but there was a raw edge to it. “And I’m not just sitting around waiting for you to save me.”

There was a hardness in her eyes. Something cold. She was an unfamiliar creature now—more dangerous, more alluring, and infinitely more complex.

“What are you waiting for, then?” I asked, daring her to tell me she trusted Bastian and Titus more than me.

Her expression darkened, but I caught the fleeting vulnerability beneath it. “An opportunity,” she said finally.

I pulled her close again, and this time she didn’t resist. “Then let me give you the opportunity you need,” I whispered against her neck. A shiver ran through her body, and I knew I hadn’t lost her yet.

She drew back slightly, enough to look into my eyes. “Why do you want to help me?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” I said and brushed my lips against hers with deliberate slowness until she responded with equal fervor.

When we broke apart again, I saw the beginnings of a smile on her lips—dangerous and knowing.

“You’re dangerous,” she murmured.

“Maybe.”

The moment the footsteps reached my ears, everything shifted. The world snapped back into focus with alarming clarity—the softness of the night air, an impending threat that bore down on us like a dark cloud overshadowed the scent of honeysuckle, and the quiet rustle of the leaves.

Avril’s bravado faded in an instant.

“Valen,” she whispered, her voice tight with fear, and my heart seized. Without waiting for a response, I took her hand, threading my fingers through hers, and pulled her further into the shadows, seeking refuge among the twisted briars and tall hedges.

We moved soundlessly, each step calculated to avoid the crunch of leaves and bracken underfoot. My mind raced as I tried to identify the source of the approaching footsteps. The guard—it had to be.

I could hear the distant clinking of metal and low murmurs that sent chills creeping along my spine.

“How many guards did you have?” I hissed.

The gardens were vast, an open expanse punctuated by clusters of thick foliage and hidden alcoves, but no matter how fast we moved, the footsteps followed.

Maybe Bastian was right about them.

It was a labyrinth I knew all too well, but Lucian’s creations would know it better than I did. If they were powered by the magic of the grimoire and the subtle magic that ran through the estate itself—

“Do we wait?” she asked, her voice trembling as we pressed ourselves against the cool bark of an ancient tree. “What if they see us?”

The sudden intensity of her fear struck me.

As we navigated the tangle of vines and overgrown paths, tension coiled around me and urged me to hurry. Each sound seemed amplified—the soft crunch of grass, the faint whispers of our breaths mixing with the sounds of nature moving around us.

But just as I believed we were evading danger, I heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps drawing nearer, the uneven beat of someone moving through the foliage, searching.

“We need to move faster,” I urged, clenching her hand tightly as we darted through the brush.

The shadows grew longer and thicker around us, and Avril’s fear seemed to seep into me.

The footsteps drew nearer, a relentless advance.

Fuck.

If these things had to chase us, it wasn’t going to end well.

I wasn’t ready to get her out of here—not yet.

Not with Lucian looking for traitors in every corner.

I didn’t want him to suspect anything… and Avril suddenly going missing would ruin all of that.

If Lucian didn’t do it himself, Titus would kill me for it.

“You have to go to them,” I hissed.

“What?” A choked sound escaped Avril’s lips. “But—”

I shook my head firmly. “You have to. It’ll be worse if they catch us.”

Her eyes widened with panic and disbelief, but before she could protest again, I was already moving.

They would find her and take her back to the house.

If she played along, no alarms would be raised.

“You’re a bastard,” she muttered as I pushed her through the branches toward the garden.

“Yeah. I know.”

Her expression twisted as she realized her mistake, but she didn’t apologize as she snatched her hand away from my grasp.

“I have a plan,” I said. “Trust me.”

Her gaze was icy. “I don’t know what I believe.”

With that, she straightened, pushed her hair back over her shoulders, and walked back toward the garden path.

I backed into the shadows and watched the guards emerge from the maze of the garden.

Two of them, with faces that looked as though they’d been etched from stone.

Avril didn’t speak to them. She marched past them with her chin held high and disappeared from sight around the corner of the hedgerow. The guards lingered, scanning the shadows.

I wondered if they could sense me.

If they knew I was there.

I held my breath, hoping that they’d move on without examining the shadows at the edge of the path.

Could Lucian see through their eyes?

Did he care what his bride was doing in the garden in the middle of the night?

He would if he knew what we were planning.

Better for him not to know.

His obsession with the Black Council should have kept him busy and distracted—but for how long?

Could I really hope to get Avril out of Withermarsh before something terrible happened? Something unfixable… something permanent.

The guards turned away and followed Avril, but I held my breath until they were out of sight.

What had my brothers offered her?

They hadn’t told me anything, but I knew them well enough to know that they wouldn't just stand aside.

Especially if they knew I was trying to help Avril escape this place.

That was what she wanted—what she’d always wanted—

Freedom.

But did she still? Or had the grimoire stolen that from her, too?