With panic, I look behind him, searching for Caleb. It’s only a small relief when I realize he’s not there.Tristan hands me the sack he’s holding. I’m confused until I unfold it and realize it’s a kind of crude tunic. It’s itchy to the touch, undoubtedly uncomfortable, but, without knowing where I’
I don’t believe my ears. I had to have misheard. So I take a moment to catch my breath. It shakes as I inhale. Then I repeat the most shocking of the things he said to me, “’Brother-in-law?’”“My wedding to Leah is already set,” Samuel says. His voice is clear and crisp, but totally monotone, withou
Fury striking through him like a lightning bolt, Caleb stands so abruptly, that his chair pushes back and falls flat against the stone tiles of his office.“How the hell was she able to make a call?” he demands.Tristan looks straight at him. “I let her use my phone.”Enraged, Caleb rounds the desk.
“Come,” the Pitmaster says. “I’ll show you where you can rest for the night.”She turns and starts walking away from me. I hurry to follow her, eager for sleep. Fear and adrenaline have kept me going since before my escape attempt. While I still feel those things, my body physically cannot handle mu
Not seeing any choice in the matter, I follow Tristan toward the stairwell that had led me down into this dark place to start with. Yet before we reached the stairs, and potential freedom, Tristan abruptly turns and heads into an office carved into the stone beneath the stairs.Inside, Caleb sits at
“I don’t know anything,” I say weakly, body still trembling as it slowly, painfully, comes back from the edge.Caleb’s good humor immediately vanishes. His smirk drops into a glare of disapproval. “Cover yourself, whore.” In a flourish, he turns away from me and walks to the door.He’s not giving me
Both of our gazes shoot to the open doorway, where the Pitmaster stands, her face twisted in disbelief.“You would dare disobey your king?”“The King who condemned me?” Kidd snaps. “What loyalty do I have to him? Besides, we both know if he really cared about this slut, he wouldn’t have sent her dow
Under the tutelage of the Pitmaster, I begin to train more fully. The smaller blade is easier to manage and I can make several quick strikes against the training dummy without tiring.“Not good enough,” the Pitmaster says. “You are still too slow. And your need for breaks is too frequent. With how l
“You are a fragile human,” Caleb says, as he continues to inspect me. “There could be internal bleeding. We need to take you to the medical ward and have you checked out by a doctor.” “But Caleb…” I say, still glancing back at Annabelle, who in turn, is watching us closely. “Forget her,” Caleb s
Bethany rushes from my room and returns with an axe. I pull back as far as I can, giving her the room she knees to slash away at the baseboard of the bed where the chains are connected. It must take some exertion. Blood begins to seep through her bandages. “Bethany…” “Almost there!” He brings
Caleb stays with Harper for a time. Curled up against him, she sleeps soundly, her body damp with sweat but relaxed. He is pleased that she enjoyed her punishment. Blissful torture is often the best kind. She will undoubtedly be furious when she wakes up and continues to find herself chained to th
When Caleb finally reappears in the hallway, my nerves prickle, while the guard forced to watch me seems relived. Caleb glances me over, seeing that I am unharmed and dutifully in the same spot he left me in. Then he grabs me again. This time, blessedly, he pulls me into a bridal carry and not jus
I force the annoyed thoughts from my mind. This is fine. If this leads to Bethany being saved, I can survive this. When we finally reach the palace, Caleb barks at some of the nearby guards, “Grab a medic and head down to the alley in town.” He gives a more specific address. “There is a wounded ha
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” I say. He narrows his eyes at me, as a growl escapes his lips. “Do not test me, Harper. I have little reason not to kill you as a traitor would deserve right at this very moment.” “Fine,” I say, then close my eyes. I was planning on bringing this to him a
“Sorry, Harper,” Ted says. “It’s not personal.” He hasn’t pulled the trigger yet, which is a good sign. But that he’s holding the gun at all is very, very bad. “Harper trusted you. Who turned you?” Bethany asks. “King Caleb did,” Ted replies. “The way he treated me and the others. I had to com
It was terribly romantic, and my heart ached for them. How I wished things could have been different. “On the day Evan was to announce his bride, just before his coronation, when his father was to hand over the crown, Caleb killed him,” Mrs. Robins says. She sighs heavily, like the breath is pun
Mrs. Robins takes a deep breath, and then begins to tell me the story of her daughter. “Summer was a servant in the palace. They had her assigned to cleaning up after the women of the palace. She wasn’t important enough to actually interact with them, but she would do their laundry and tend to the