Page 12

Seething with anger, I sit next to Archie, and he hands me a plate of food.

Ledger douses the fire with a bucket of water, sending a plume of smoke into the air. “No more fire, I don’t want anyone being able to track us.”

I tug at the vine around my ankle uselessly.

Everyone gets up to set up camp as I pick at the fish. They nestle the tents in a group of trees that is somewhat hidden and far enough away from the body of water I hope the Maladras will be deterred from paying us another visit.

The sun begins to set, and I chew thoughtfully as everything around me blazes. It all feels so serene as a hush falls upon the woods, upon my thoughts themselves.

The pastels dance upon my milky skin, and I soak them in, enjoying the lasts of the sun’s warmth. I surrender to the moment, giving myself permission to accept the events of the past day. I watch the calm surface of the water and close my eyes letting the roar of the falls quiet my mind.

It feels nice to be away from the confines of the castle. I remember a time when I longed for the freedom to see what lies beyond the borders of Bellehaven. I wonder if the longing had ever really stopped or if I had suffocated any thoughts beyond healing and mastering my powers.

When I open my eyes again, Ledger is standing a few feet away, studying me. He’s holding some flowers in his hands that he is absently braiding together. “What are you thinking about?” His eyes skim my face, looking for a hint.

I debate ignoring him but decide against it.

“When I was little, I would sit on my windowsill and imagine myself in places like this. Swimming in waters like that.” I nod over to the spring.

“Lounging under an open sky without a care in the world.” I pick a pink lily growing out of the ground next to me and twirl the stem between my fingers.

“I used to resent the power that simmers in my veins, resist it, pray for the Gods to take it back. I knew that with it, I would never truly be free. Whether that meant answering to a King or the Gods, or to someone like you.” I give him a withering look.

“What about now? Would you rather be powerless?” He tilts his head as he asks the question .

“Some days. Though now it’s such a part of me I’m not sure who I’d be without it. Maybe I’d be a baker, or a seamstress or possibly a blacksmith.” Ledger huffs a laugh.

“Is something funny?”

“A blacksmith, huh?” He eyes my scrawny arms with a raised brow. “Do you think you’d be able to pick up a hammer?”

“Yes, a blacksmith.” My palm skims my bicep self-consciously. “I can always get stronger; you however, are stuck with your big muscles and small brain. What would you be if you weren’t an entitled little prince?” I hurtle the question back at him.

“First, blondie, there is nothing little about me.” His eyes meet mine with an unwavering confidence that forces me to drop my eyes. “And secondly, I’ve never had the time or privilege of daydreaming.” His face gives away nothing, just a mask of cold indifference.

“Right, of course, how silly of me.” I roll my eyes, looking away from him. “Well, since you won’t take me home, I’d like to rest.” Darkness spreads, smothering all the warm hues until only black remains.

“ Home? You mean where the King exploits you and his people for your powers and then locks you safely back away each night?” He spits the words as if they disgust him.

Anger radiates somewhere inside of me but I push it away.

“Home isn’t always a place. Bellehaven isn’t my home.

Maddox is my home, my mother is my home , the people of Bellehaven are my home.

” His face shifts at my words and he looks almost shocked by my response. “I wouldn’t expect you to understand.”

The lily drops from my fingers as I stand to brush myself off. I’d still not fully recovered from the events of yesterday. My power pulses weakly inside of me, and my injuries nag. I long for blissful, deep, reviving sleep.

Ledger stills as he looks at me; I can’t make out his face in the dark. I go to walk away when I’m yanked back by my bound ankle. A frustrated noise claws up my throat.

Ledger turns, hanging the braided circle of flowers from a tree branch before recalling his vines. They recede back into the ground, freeing me. He turns, walking away without acknowledging me.

I stumble and trip after him, my eyes straining in the blackness. He slows as we near the camp. “After you.” He motions inside one of the dimly lit tents.

“What do you mean?” The side of his face glows in the lantern light.

“I mean you may go in first.”

“First? Meaning you are following me in?” I look at him, bewildered.

“That is exactly what I mean, you can’t truly believe I would leave you alone after you tried to steal my horse earlier?

Not to mention your little run-in with the Maladra.

Seems to me like you need supervising.” I eye the dagger sheathed at his hip, and his large hand wraps around it. “Don’t even think about it.”

“Give me the dagger, and I’ll have all the protection I need.”

“Not a chance. Something tells me you can’t be trusted with a dagger. Now get inside the tent, you’ve tested my patience enough today.”

“I haven’t even begun testing your patience.” I grumble ducking into the tent.

It’s small, with a cot and some furs on the ground, a wash basin, and a dim lantern. It smells earthy and musty. Looking around, I stand awkwardly as Ledger enters. He pays no mind to me as he discards his shirt and starts washing his hands in the basin.

I sit on one of the furs and glance over at him, trying not to get caught this time. His skin is bronzed, his back broad and littered with scars. As he moves, the muscles in his abdomen flex. He has a body earned from training ruthlessly and being disciplined.

My eyes roam over his lean abs and the long scar marring his ribs. They amble over his strong arms and down his veined forearms.

He is intimidating, his presence imposing.

“What did I say about looking at me like that?”

I snap my eyes away. “You think very highly of yourself,” I huff. I brace myself as he brushes past me and lays down, covering himself with the furs .

I sit with my back to him, scooting a few inches away, pulling the other fur up over my shoulders.

I can practically feel the warmth of Ledger’s body heat as my skin prickles with the awareness of him. I could do this, I could sleep in a tent with this harsh male. It’s only temporary.

Despite my exhaustion, it takes me a long time to fall asleep. Every snap of a branch, every whisper of wind, has me flinching and my heart racing.

I am not used to the sounds or the fact that only a thin piece of fabric separates me from the creatures that stalk in the night.

Ledger slumbers peacefully next to me, and I inch closer to him, taking whatever refuge I can.

Eventually, hours later, I must finally drift off, because I’m awoken by Ledger’s palm pressed against my lips.

His large body is crammed tightly against mine, and I instinctively begin to struggle beneath him. My brain is heavy with sleep, but the second I hear commotion from outside the tent, I freeze.

There is rustling and footsteps, and my heart hammers wildly in my chest. Ledger hauls me up from the ground, plastering my back to his front tightly and releasing his hold on my mouth.

“Do not make a noise,” he warns in my ear and my mouth snaps shut .

I’m too scared to struggle, thinking the worst. Is it the Maladra or another creature I know nothing of?

The cool night air nips at my skin as Ledger pulls me out of the tent. He navigates impressively through the woods with no sound until we run into Cam and Mia, who are crouched together. Their eyes are laser-focused on where the noise is coming from.

I nearly jump out of my skin when Archie stumbles over to us, making such a racket I feel the death look Ledger shoots him.

“What was that?” Maddox’s voice filters through the night and everyone freezes.

My body reacts almost immediately, kicking out and wriggling in Ledger’s tightening grasp. I go to call out to him, but Ledger is ready. He claps his hand tightly over my mouth, and his arm flexes firmly against my small frame.

A group of men about forty feet away appear in the clearing. The moonlight is dim, but I can make out about six of them. Hecktor is in front with Maddox, a flame in his hand lighting the way.

My muffled screams are drowned out by the quiet roar of the waterfall. This is my chance to escape. We are outnumbered, and I recognize some of the King’s most powerful men among the group.

Maddox makes some hand movements, and the men spread out. He and Hecktor begin quietly searching, moving towards us .

I elbow and kick Ledger, my body silently thrashing against him, but he doesn’t even flinch. His hold does not waver, his arms iron bands around me.

If Maddox finds us, I could be safe and sound back at the castle by nightfall tomorrow. Back to exploiting the people of Bellehaven for money they don’t have in exchange for a taste of my power. The thought gives me pause.

“I think it came from over here.” Maddox heads in our direction; he stops just fifteen feet from us. We are hidden in the trees, away from the light of the moon, cloaked in the night.

I track his gaze as he searches the woods. Ledger’s hold is so tight around my body and mouth that it’s difficult to breathe. His eyes skim over where we lay crouched, cloaked in shadows.

The side of Maddox’s handsome face lights up for a moment as Hecktor signals him with his flame. My heart pinches. I can tell by the distance that Hecktor had found our camp.

Maddox gives us one last unseeing look and turns to go to Hecktor. I half-heartedly fight Ledger as he pulls me in the opposite direction through the woods. Despair and confusion flood my emotions.

Did I truly want to return to my life at Bellehaven?

Smoke plumes into the air from where I crane my neck. Hecktor must have scorched the campsite .

Shouting fills the air. “Layla!” I barely recognize Maddox’s voice; it is desperate and scared as he screams my name.

We reach the horses, and Ledger throws me in the saddle. “Maddox!” I scream his name as Ledger envelops me with his body. I elbow and scratch at him until he ties the reins around my wrists to subdue me.

“We must make it to Grimwood. They aren’t as familiar with the terrain and we can lose them. It’s our best bet.” Mia jumps onto her horse and nudges it into action.

Apollo doesn’t hesitate; his hooves pound on the ground as we race through the dim woods. I’m unprepared for the speed at which he moves, and my bound hands clutch at the saddle.

I can hardly drag air into my lungs around Ledger’s grip on me but fear if he lets go, I’ll be sucked into the oblivion of this night. The wallop of hooves comes from behind us as Maddox and the soldiers catch up.

A ball of fire whizzes past us, singeing the skin of my legs. I turn my head to get a view of what is going on and can make out the silhouette of the pursuing men. The night flashes brightly as another fireball flies at us.

I’m sure it is going to knock us from the horse when Apollo veers to the left. Ledger pulls me further into him, but fire makes brief contact with my shoulder and Ledger’s arm.

I hiss at the pain. Ledger doesn’t falter; instead, he urges Apollo faster. His power pulses around me so intense it nearly steals my breath. He commands it, and I can feel the moment it projects behind us.

The air vibrates and a loud creaking sound pierces the night. Ledger’s hand is raised, and as we pass a towering tree, it falls crashing with a loud boom.

A gust of air blows my hair and shock courses through me. I crane my neck, praying Maddox is okay, and am briefly relieved to see him still in close pursuit behind us. He has a bow drawn. I remember the times I’d seen him use one expertly and with precision.

“Focus your efforts on him; if we get him, we get her,” Maddox’s voice commands. There are still four men pursuing us. The tree must have taken out the other two.

Maddox releases the arrow, and I gasp as it makes contact with Ledger’s shoulder. He releases a pained grunt but otherwise doesn’t react.

A large object comes whizzing past us, a boulder, I surmise. It crashes into one of the soldiers, knocking him swiftly off his horse. Archie lets out a victorious noise.

Another boulder comes careening past us, the wind from it brushing my cheek. This time, instead of making contact, it rebounds, flying straight back at Archie.

“Arch, watch out!” Cam yells and he barely has time to plaster himself to his horse before the boulder sails over his head. They must have a deflector among them, able to redirect someone’s power back at them .

Another grunt comes from Ledger, and even though I can’t see where the arrow went, I know it met its mark somewhere in his body. My power somersaults in my stomach.

They are gaining on us, and for a heart-stopping moment, I think they might actually catch us. Ledger’s grip on the reins and my body is loosening, an iron tinge stinging my nose.

What would King Sandor do to them if they caught us? A strange sense of dread fills me when I think of returning to my life at Bellehaven.

“Almost there,” Mia calls from somewhere in front of us, snapping me out of my thoughts.

Ledger’s body shudders as another arrow burrows into him. He lets out a rattled wet noise. Maddox gains on us, his horse running so fast they nearly pass us.

My breath stalls as we make eye contact.

I wish it was light enough to make out the warm browns of his irises.

I slam my head back, my body lurches sideways towards him.

I pull at the reins trying to slow Apollo.

Maddox reaches out his hand towards me and I extend my tied hands out. Our fingertips brush.

My eyes widen in horror as I catch the movement of vines. They bound out of the dirt, securing over his horse’s legs. The animal falters before it comes to an abrupt halt, sending Maddox careening off.

I shriek as his body soars through the air before slamming into the ground. We sail past his unmoving body. I rage against Ledger, and the binds digging into my wrists. I scream for Maddox until my voice is raw.