Page 26 of Wings of Lies (Daughter of the Seven Circles #1)

Hana gave me an amused smile, dabbing a little honey on her blisters. “It’s okay. I have children in here who don’t know how to control their powers either. Here”—she rummaged through her bag—“take a sip of this,” then held a vial near my lips. “It’ll suppress your flames for a few minutes.”

I took a sip. The clear liquid tasted sweet against my tongue; a lot better than what she gave me last night. Immediately, warmth pooled in my chest, silencing my flames. The tension in my shoulders eased, and I sighed, at peace. It was easy, like my amulet was.

“Thanks.”

She smiled. “Your injuries are stable. It’ll take two to six days for them to fully heal. Check them each day to see how they’re fairing. As for your broken bones, your pinky suffered a tiny fracture, but it’s healed now. Your wrist may need one more day.”

“That fast?”

The kindness never left her eyes, but a hint of worry made her smile vanish.

“You’re at least part angel, and I suspect a high-level one, or you wouldn’t have made it through the first night.

The Hellhound’s saliva is designed to invade your bloodstream and stop coagulation so they can drink you dry.

If you were human, you would’ve gone into multiple organ failure the moment Prince Aspen reached my door.

It was only through your accelerated healing you survived.

So yes, once the serum removes the rest of those toxins, it’ll be that fast. As for your bones, they usually take longer, but Aspen told me you received them a few days ago.

Still, last night put you back, but as long as you don’t use your flames for a day or two, you should be fine. ”

I nodded in understanding. But that was a big ask.

“Can’t I just take some of that serum?” I pointed at the small vial on the bedside table. The calming liquid filled half the bottle. I’d probably need more than that.

She gave me an odd look. “It suppresses your power. You’ll take weeks to heal instead of days.”

“That’s okay.” It could help me hide my powers if they got out of hand while I attempted to practice with them.

Her eyes narrowed. “Sorry, Lucille. This is the last vial I have until I go to buy more from Magda, and since she lives a couple of days away, I can’t give you it.”

I jolted. “Did you say, Magda?”

Hana nodded.

This was it. This was the help I needed. I latched onto Hana’s arm. “I was told to find her. That she can answer my questions. Can she? Where is she?”

Hana looked at me warily.

“Please, tell me. I have to find her.” I didn’t know if it was the eagerness in my voice or the desperation in my eyes, but with a glance back at the closed door, Hana bowed her head and sighed, coming to some conclusion.

“Lucille, her answers come at a steep price and are not always clear. Plus, you won’t be traveling that way. As the human walks, it’s two days North of here, and you’re traveling Southeast.”

“Then help me escape. Tell them I ran away,” I pleaded.

Hana bowed her head, dropping her gaze from my begging eyes. “I can’t.”

Sagging back, I stared at the ceiling as tears leaked from the corner of my eyes. Of course, she couldn’t. Why would it ever be that simple for me?

“But in the Drune Forest, which you will go through on the way, there are creatures there called Drunes. No one knows what they are, but they’ve been here longer than most. They’ve seen a lot and know even more.” Pity and kindness wove around her resigned words.

“Do they have a price?”

“Yes. It usually comes in the form of blood.”

I fiddled with the hem of my shirt. “How much blood?”

Hana stepped closer, gripping my bicep. “Don’t be so eager. Blood is a dangerous currency to give away. In the wrong hands, it can do a lot of damage. Make sure the answers you want are worth it before seeking them out.”

She shifted her ear toward the door like she heard something and released me.

“There are some extra clothes in the closet I found for you. Get dressed. Aspen is ready to leave as soon as you are.” She handed me a ball of gauze and a small pouch filled with something.

“Your rib stitches should be fine with the gauze pads, but if you’d like them covered more securely, you can wrap more around your body.

That”—she pointed at the pouch—“is if, for some reason, you don’t heed my warnings on using your power and end up bleeding again.

It’ll clot your blood long enough to allow your fast healing to kick in.

I gave Aspen an extra sterile needle and thread, too.

” Hana shook her head. “I may have taught that male how to stitch, but trust me, it’s better if you heal without his grumpy ass. ”

“Thank you.” I held the gauze and pouch, studying her face.

It was odd hearing anyone talk about Aspen so fondly.

Especially when I could see the guilt in her frown lines.

Hana may not approve of Aspen holding me against my will, but she’d do nothing to stop it.

She cared for him, and by what he said about her, he cared for her, too. Or at least respected her.

After last night, I couldn’t think my princely jailor was heartless anymore. But he wasn’t far off.

Hana put the calming liquid in her bag, unfortunately, and walked to the door, hand on the knob. “Aspen is loyal to his queen and is the commander of her armies. He has ninety years’ worth of swordplay and magic.”

I jolted, forgetting angel blood made you immortal. Aspen looked young, like twenties young, not somewhere near or over ninety.

“Brock has the power to sense more than you know. And now Aspen can too,” she muttered the last part to herself.

What did that mean?

“Why are you telling me all this? You don’t want to help me escape, but you’ll give me information?”

Concern lined her pinched brows. “I want you to escape. I just can’t be the one to do it.

Even if I wanted to betray Aspen, they’d know.

It’s nearly impossible to escape them. Females before you have tried.

Either the forest creatures kill them, or Brock beats them to submission.

But I despise his queen and everything she stands for.

Aspen,” her voice cracked. “Has been through hell and survived it, both because of her. It’s changed him.

Yet his loyalty remains sound, and I don’t know why.

He is good. He is. I swear.” She urged as if trying to convince me, then gathered herself.

“Aspen told me you have a lot of power, Lucille. His queen wants it. She’s been searching for the key to her cage for centuries.

She thinks you’re it. Protect yourself and find a way out before you cross into the Tenebrous Kingdom.

” That was the last thing she said before walking out.

Holding back tears, I unwrapped myself from the blankets.

My body throbbed, but the soreness would be my new constant companion until I healed.

I walked gingerly to the closet and opened a mirrored door.

Inside hung a white t-shirt similar to the one Hana wore, a black jacket made of the same heavy material as Aspen’s cloak, and a pair of black pants with red accents.

Once dressed, I stared at myself and the hollow despair leaking into the purple bags under my eyes. They stood out against my fair skin. “What did you get yourself into?” I whispered to my reflection.

Gingerly, I sat down on the bed, scanning the uncomfortable shirt.

My pancake chest shoved at the tight material more than I wanted.

The jacket was at least semi-comfortable.

But now I looked like Aspen. Why couldn’t I stop thinking about his name?

Was I so starved for attention that the thought of the crinkles creasing his eyes as he saw me bleeding out moved me?

But it was difficult not to sympathize with him for what he witnessed. Someone murdered the girl he cared for.

A knock sounded at my door.

Since when did anyone knock? “Yes?”

“I have your food,” Aspen said .

I stared out the window. “I’m not hungry.”

Aspen opened the door, standing with an unyielding expression, a hand behind his back, and an egg and cheese sandwich in his other.

Dark, wet strands of hair clung to his forehead and curled near his chiseled cheekbones.

His skin gleamed flawless against the crisp, black uniform that showed no trace of dirt or Hellhound gunk.

Why did he have to look like that? Why couldn’t my captor be ugly?

“You will eat, Lucille.”

At least the ominous red glow under his chin, coupled with his glare, served as a reminder that appearances meant nothing.

“How do you know my name?” He shouldn’t be allowed to use it.

For a moment, he stayed quiet, and then he walked to where I sat. The red glow lessened the closer he came. He set the plate and sandwich on my lap. “You told me.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Eat. You need nutrients to heal.”

I glared up at him.

“Why do you care when your queen will either use me or lose me?” Yeah, I remembered that little phrase.

However, the word lose confused me. I understood use all too well.

If he cared for my well-being, it wasn’t because, in the last week, I somehow got under his cold exterior; it was because I needed to be whole and ready to be used by his queen.

His jaw muscle pulsed, and a faint blue glow hovered in his eyes. I raised a brow in challenge. When he said nothing, I scoffed and gazed at the rising sun behind the dark forest.

I hated him. I hated this. I hated that I had no one .

Small vibrations tickled my chin as Aspen jerked me to face him.

His mouth opened, ready to spew his next demand, then stopped.

At first, I thought the unnatural tingles from his touch surprised him.

But that wasn’t it. Not as his gaze roved over me, taking in my sponge-bathed face, my peculiar eyes, and the tight white shirt under a black jacket. His pupils dilated. My cheeks heated.

“Like what you see?” I snapped.