JASMINEThe coachman didn’t speak. His jaw clenched for the briefest of moments but then he rolled his eyes dismissively. Before they glazed over as Elsa’s had not long before, I extended my already long, sharp claws, and then dug them deep into his belly.The coachman shrieked as blood splattered out and my voice hardened.“Don’t play tricks or attempt anything stupid,” I warned him. “Next time, it’ll be your neck. I don’t want to repeat myself again. Answer my question. Who is your Master?”A whimper escaped him. “I don’t know. I’ve never seen the Master’s face. He’s always wearing a mask. We receive orders and then we obey, no questions asked.”“That seems convenient,” I remarked annoyedly, and just as I started to raise my claws, he continued to speak.“I m-m-met the Master when I was begging for f-food on the street,” he stammered. “I was kicked aside by a group of well-dressed wolves… they hurt me and then laughed as they walked away. It was humiliating. The Master saved and tr
EVELYNWhat the hell was Cole talking about?Elsa, an attacker?“That’s impossible,” I blurted out, shaking my head firmly as I stared back at him. I didn’t believe a word of what he was saying. There was no way. My kind, caring friend was not capable of such a thing and she would never hurt me. She was too young, too innocent.“Impossible?” Cole repeated back, and then he scoffed. “How can you be so sure? You say you trust her but where does your trust come from? You’ve known her for barely a month, haven’t you? I was informed that she only arrived at the palace recently. Doesn’t seem like enough time to really get to know someone.”I fought the urge to glare at him and instead opted to narrow my eyes.“Have you found any evidence?” I questioned him, ignoring his comments about our friendship. “How could Elsa do such a thing? What would her motive be to attack Lady Anna? To attack me?”But Cole ignored my questions as well and pressed on. “Answer this for me, Evelyn. Where does your
EVELYNWe arrived at the House of Fox the next day.The journey should have been short since Fox’s land was the closest to the royals, but Skyla made it unbearable. What should have been a one-day trip dragged on because she constantly stopped the carriages, seizing every opportunity to talk to Cole about some issue or problem she’d dreamt up.Once, she claimed a wheel was loose on the carriage and she was fearful about continuing on until it was fixed.Another time, she stopped because she said she was feeling sick from being cooped up and needed a while to stop and stretch. She asked Cole to accompany her on a short walk, which he obliged, though he seemed less than thrilled about it.Every time he gave in to her whims, Skyla’s aqua eyes would reach mine and get a strange flint. Sometimes, a small smile would accompany this look, as if she were saying “he’s mine.”It was mildly annoying but turned quite laughable whenever I noticed Cole’s expression. He wasn’t unkind to her outright
EVELYNI wrapped my arms around myself and lowered my head as I tried to calm down.Everyone loved to bring up my family and I was no stranger to overhearing tales told about them, but something about Marcel’s tone made me nervous. Had something happened on Windsburn to illicit such a response? Were my parents and sister alright?Were they in danger?My heart raced in my chest and Max eyed me with a look of worry. I dropped my hands and then held a finger to my mouth to make sure he stayed quiet. I needed to hear Marcel Fox’s next words and couldn’t be interrupted by anything more than a slight breeze if I wanted to stay focused.“Don’t beat around the bush, Lord Marcel. ” Cole said, clearly aware of what Marcel was referring to. “Be frank with me.”“The Caddels, Your Majesty,” Marcel confirmed a beat later. “I apologize for bringing up their extremely unpleasant name. I hate speaking of them but I see no other choice. You see, people are still holding grudges against their punishment
EVELYNI tried to ask Max what his incredulous stare was for but the guard couldn’t give me an answer. His eyes darted to and fro and his mouth tensed, like he was afraid of being heard.Regardless of his strange behavior, I decided I wasn’t in the mood for a walk anymore. Sure, the weather was beautiful and the sun was warm and shining, but given all I’d just heard, I was ready to return to my room and get some privacy to unpack my feelings.Max accompanied me back silently, but before I closed the door to my guest room, the young guard stepped up boldly. His eyes trailed over me and I watched him summon the courage to speak.“My lady, are you Evelyn Caddel?” he blurted out.Normally, a question like that would have me shaking and fearful. But today… today I wasn’t feeling so spineless and scared.“Yes,” I confirmed without missing a beat.There was no point in lying. Anyone who wasn’t deaf could easily connect the girl in Marcel Fox’s story to me. Why deny my identity and pretend ot
AIDENOakley was dubious, but much to my dismay, I had no choice but to listen to him.I wanted nothing more than to abandon him and continue on this mission alone, but unfortunately, he knew more about this place than I did, and I genuinely needed his help if I was going to help the Caddels and the miners.The guard provided useful information, and led me through the castle, detailing its weak points, the number of guards at each post, which ones were the most challenging to deal with, and so on. His intel was insightful, but I couldn’t yet relax around him. I still didn’t quite understand his role in the matter or why he would help the miners when he himself was a guard.Still, he had brought me to see the Caddels, which was more than I’d expected from him. I couldn’t fault him completely when he’d been the one to escort me personally.So, I listened carefully and made personal mental notes of the exits, hiding places, layouts of the rooms, and any other information I could gather f
AIDENIt was a sleepless night.The vault smelled damp and filthy, and as whiffs of mold and other unpleasant odors invaded my nose and twisted my stomach, a grim feeling seized me.Sleeping here reminded me of my past—of the times I had slept in the sewer to escape the biting winter winds. It had been cruel on the streets. Finding shelter, finding a place where none could hurt or bother me was difficult, so often, I had to hide in unpleasant places that others wouldn’t dare to come to. But that was before I met Steven Caddel.Steven and his family had given me a home, a place to live and sleep that didn’t require me to keep one eye open. When they’d taken me in, I’d been a small, scrawny thing. I had dreams of one day being a fighter and protector but I could see all of my ribs through my shirt. My cheeks and eyes had been so hollow then.Charlotte had fed me and nursed me back to health and from there, Steven helped me with my mental and physical strength. Had it not been for their
AIDENI glanced between Oakley and Frederick’s lifeless body in shock. I was temporarily frozen as I beheld the ruddy man’s corpse but my paralysis gave way to anger as I glared at the guard.“You killed Frederick,” I snarled. “That wasn’t a part of the plan.”There was no love lost between me and the man who presided over this island in Marcel Fox’s name, but he should not have died, especially not at Oakley’s clawed hands. Frederick could have provided key information about House Fox’s crimes, evidence that would have helped the Alpha King’s mission.I had planned to silence him and bind him to a chair while the rebellion took place. Killing had never been a part of this plan.Unfazed by my growl, Oakley wiped the blood from his hands using Frederick’s clothes.“I don’t follow plans, Sir,” he remarked casually. The scarred guard squatted down, studying Frederick’s face as if enjoying the sight of his horrified expression. “Frederick had to die, I’m afraid.”Oakley then stood and loo