Page 22

A FEW DAYS LATER

T his is what I was worried about the moment she left those castle gates.

Worried about the state she would return to me in, and I cursed myself for not going against the king, for not stepping in sooner.

This could have all been avoided if I had just killed him.

Kyson had given me the week off to help her adjust, yet she hardly spoke.

She hardly left the room at all. Almost as if it was her little bubble of safety.

I knew it wasn’t healthy, and her silence was deafening, disturbing almost as if she was no longer here.

She even refused to shift and go for a run.

Even though I would catch her constantly looking out the window at the forest.

Deciding I needed to do something about it, I go to see Kyson, wanting to take Abbie away for a while and get her out of this castle. Her depressive state was only getting worse.

I wasn’t even sure if it was because of her lost bond or if she was just haunted by the memories. The king was leaving today. He had business to take care of, and I wanted to see him before he left in case he got held up and didn’t return for a few days.

Though I highly doubted he would be gone long, The queen wouldn’t handle his absence long, and I knew he hated leaving her.

The fear in his voice when Liam and I got the call that she took off after Abbie floods me.

Never had I felt so much fear. Fear for the queen, fear for Abbie.

Because I knew the only reason Azalea would defy the king was for Abbie. That night has haunted me since.

Yet now, as I walk through the castle to the cars, I worry she is already dead inside. She is a shell of who she was before, and I just hope my plans to take her away from here, even if only for a little while, will bring her back to me. Walking outside, I find guards getting ready to leave.

I am standing beside the king’s car when he walks out. “I thought you had the week off?” Kyson asks me, and I quickly open his door. The king ducks his head, stepping inside.

“I do, but I wanted to speak to you before you left,” I tell him while peering in the car at him, when I notice Trey.

Suspicions had been raised about him. Azalea snuck past him the night she went after Abbie, but not just that, so many other things like her being poisoned, his dislike for her that the king was blind to, though he had changed his tune since he learned she was a Landeena.

Liam didn’t trust him, and that was enough for me; I usually agreed once he sensed something was off about someone because he had a knack for reading people. Liam, I swear, has an inbuilt radar for bullshit and something did not add up with Trey.

Trey clears his throat behind the king, and I step aside and nod to the king, wanting to speak with him privately. The king climbs back out of his car.

“What do you need?” Kyson asks me as he steps out of the car.

“I want to take Abbie away for a few days but wanted to clear it with you first,” I tell him.

“Of course. Where are you taking her?”

“Don’t know yet, somewhere, but I will be back before my week off is over,” I tell him.

“Take your time, Gannon. I can manage without you. Besides, when was the last time you had time off, anyway?” he asks. I think for a second, and not even I can remember the last time I took time off.

“Thank you,” I tell him.

“Just make sure Azalea sees Abbie before she goes,” he tells me, and I nod just as Damian climbs in the car as well. The king turns away from me, about to climb in the car, when he opens the mind-link as I go to shut the door.

“ Have Doc come to take blood from Azalea for me before you leave ,” he tells me, and I nod.

“ Still no luck with the tests?” I ask, and he shakes his head. “ Will do. Anything else?” I ask.

“ Yes, enjoy your time off,” The king tells me, and I smirk, shutting the door before going to find Abbie, who I know won’t have left the room.

I make my way back through the castle, my steps quick and purposeful.

The sooner I get her out of here, the better.

I know she’s struggling; I can see it in the way she moves around like a ghost of herself, never speaking unless I ask something directly.

She hasn’t been eating much, and her sleep is restless at best. I’m terrified that if something doesn’t change soon, I’ll lose her—not to Kade, not to anyone else—but to the darkness she’s fighting every day.

When I reach our room, the heavy silence greets me like a familiar, unwelcome guest. The curtains are still drawn, the dim light filtering through casting long shadows across the walls. Abbie is sitting on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at the floor, her hands clenched tightly in her lap.

She doesn’t even look over when I step inside.

“Abbie,” I say softly, moving toward her. “I spoke to the king. We’re leaving for a few days.”

Her head jerks, her eyes narrowing as if she didn’t hear me right. “What do you mean, we’re leaving?” she asks, her voice tense.

“I mean we’re getting out of here,” I tell her, keeping my tone calm. “Just for a little while. I thought some time away might help—give you a break from being stuck in this room all the time.”

Her expression hardens, and she shakes her head almost immediately. “No. I’m not going anywhere.”

I clench my jaw, already sensing where this is headed. “Abbie, you need this. You haven’t left this room in days. You barely eat, you hardly sleep?—”

“I don’t need a break, Gannon,” she snaps, cutting me off. “What I need is to stay here where it’s safe. I don’t want to go anywhere.”

“It’s not safe to stay locked in here, either,” I argue, stepping closer. “You’re not healing, Abbie. You’re barely holding on.”

She stands abruptly, the sudden movement startling me.

Her hands are trembling, but she clenches them tightly at her sides, her voice rising in frustration.

“You don’t get it! You don’t know what it’s like to feel like your mind is a prison you can’t escape from.

You don’t know what it’s like to live with this—this constant fear that any moment, it’ll all come crashing down again. ”

Her words hit me like a punch to the gut, but I refuse to back down. I can’t. “You’re right. I don’t know what it’s like,” I say firmly. “I’m not going to stand here and watch you waste away in this room because you’re too afraid to take one step forward.”

She glares at me, her breathing heavy. “I didn’t ask you to fix me, Gannon. I didn’t ask for any of this.”

“I’m not trying to fix you,” I say quietly, stepping closer until we’re only a breath apart. “I’m trying to help you. Because I love you, and I can’t stand watching you suffer like this.”

For a moment, something flickers in her eyes—something raw and vulnerable. But just as quickly, it’s gone, replaced by anger.

“I don’t need your help,” she mutters, turning on her heel and storming toward the bathroom. “I don’t need anyone.”

“Abbie—” I start, but she slams the door shut behind her before I can finish.

I stand there for a moment, my heart pounding in my chest. The frustration, the helplessness, it all claws at me, but I force myself to take a deep breath.

She’s scared. That’s all this is. She’s scared, and she doesn’t know how to let anyone in.

Frustrated, I leave hoping maybe Clarice or maybe Azalea if she isn’t busy can talk some sense into her.