Chapter 32

Neil & Raven

Neil

My horse’s hooves pounded against the ground beneath us as I pushed him harder, faster, the wind stinging my face and tearing at my cloak. My muscles burned and my bones ached from riding nonstop for hours, but I did not slow down.

As the first light of dawn filtered through the trees, the remnants of Serena’s caravan came into view. The first thing I saw was smoke rising from an overturned carriage. After that came the scent of burnt flesh and death.

I pulled back on the reins, bringing my horse to a halt, and dismounted. My boots sank into the blood-soaked earth with a sickening squelch.

I had seen death before plenty of times, but not like this. The bodies were strewn across the ground like discarded toys, limbs twisted unnaturally, skin burnt off the bones. Whatever valuables they had had were long gone, likely pilfered by the rogues. But I did not care about the items.

With each female body that I turned over, I was relieved to find that none of the faces were that of my betrothed. I had only seen her likeness once in a sketch she had sent me when I had asked for it, but I knew her appearance well enough to know that she was not amongst the bodies.

Cursing under my breath, I rose and looked around, scanning the mud for footprints. The ground was a mess, making it difficult to make much out.

There were footprints and some paw prints heading off in all directions, likely the rogues leaving after their massacre. If they took her, then they must have carried her away.

But then, something glinted in the mud a few yards from the main site.

I strode toward it, my wolf sharpening my vision in the dim morning light. Kneeling, I brushed away the wet earth to reveal a small silver brooch, its sapphires gleaming amongst the mud.

My throat tightened painfully. I had sent this to Serena months ago, a small, inconsequential gift. She had written back almost immediately, thanking me, saying she loved it—that she wore it every day, right over her heart.

She kept it concealed underneath her clothes, claiming that she wanted to keep it all for herself. It was not kept in plain view where a rogue could easily take it, and furthermore, it was too valuable for a rogue to leave it behind.

If she had left it like this...

I turned the brooch over in my hand, inspecting it. The clasp was still intact, a tiny shred of dark blue fabric attached to it.

The realization hit me. Whether Serena had escaped or been taken, I wasn’t sure. But either way, she had left me this brooch—a breadcrumb. She wanted to be found.

…

Raven

The knife felt clumsy in my hand. Sweat trickled down my spine, my hand stinging from my injury. Of course I had to go and get my dominant hand stabbed clean through with a rogue’s blade.

“You’re holding it wrong again,” Eric growled, more irritated than usual today. He adjusted my grip for what felt like the hundredth time. “Wrist loose, fingers firm. Stop overthinking it.”

“My hand hurts,” I whined.

“My hand hurts,” Eric mocked, rolling his eyes. “I don’t care. Try again.”

Biting my tongue, I lunged forward, practicing the maneuver that Eric had taught me. But I was just as clumsy as ever.

Pain seared across my forearm as the blade slipped from my hand, slicing my skin as it fell. I bit back a curse, watching blood bead along the fresh cut, joining the myriad of others already spanning across my arms and hands.

“Again,” Eric commanded, completely unfazed by the growing tally of wounds I was collecting. He was pissed that Neil had taken off without guards and still had yet to return, and he was taking it out on me.

I groaned and picked the knife up again.

By midday, my skin was covered in nicks, bruises, and shallow cuts. My arms ached from the strain, my injured hand trembling every time I tried to grip the knife.

Back home, marks like these would’ve been unacceptable—models weren’t supposed to have scars, or any imperfections, really, except for the exciting ones like vitiligo or heterochromia.

The thought of permanent scarring twisted my stomach. With my wolf so weak, I was still healing too slowly. And healing slowly meant that the skin was more likely to develop marks.

“I need a break,” I called out, lowering the knife.

Eric’s frown deepened, but his gaze dropped to my trembling hand. “Fine. We’ll call it a day,” he huffed, already turning to leave. “I’m not in much of a mood to keep listening to your whining.”

I resisted the urge to stick my tongue out at him and made my way toward the forest instead. I’d need to make some extra salve to put on my wounds if I was going to keep them from scarring.

The forest was quiet, save for the rustling leaves overhead. I crouched down next to a patch of wild herbs I spotted near a large oak tree and began plucking them carefully. I had just finished gathering a handful when a twig snapped behind me.

I froze, my heart leaping into my throat. Slowly, I turned to see Caleb standing just a few feet away.

“Gathering herbs?” he asked, his voice casual, but his tone anything but. He stepped closer, his gaze flicking to the plants in my hands. “You seem to know a lot about local flora for someone who has only been here a few weeks.”

My grip tightened around the herbs. “I... studied herbology when I was younger.”

“So I have heard. My mother is quite taken with your little balms and tinctures.” Caleb’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. He walked up to me, plucking a mint leaf out of my hand, and popped it into his mouth.

As he chewed, his gaze dropped to the fresh cuts on my arms, followed by my bandaged hand.

“Clumsy with a blade?” he asked.

“I’ll admit I’ve spent more time focusing on plants than fighting,” I managed to laugh despite my pulse thundering in my ears.

“And yet you alone survived the attack on your caravan.” Caleb’s tone was deceptively light. “How fortunate.”

I swallowed, forcing my voice to stay steady. “I was riding ahead, eager to reach the castle. To see Neil.”

“Of course,” he murmured, his lips curving into a smile that didn’t come close to his eyes.

Before I could pull away, he suddenly reached out, tracing a finger along one of my cuts. The contact sent a jolt through me, but I kept my chin lifted.

“Although I must say, your riding skills seem... lacking for someone who managed to outpace a rogue attack,” he added, pulling his finger away to inspect the blood.

I flinched at those words. He was right, of course; I couldn’t ride horses for shit. The only time I’d ridden a horse before was for a photoshoot.

“I had a good horse,” I said simply.

Caleb stared at me for a moment, still chewing that mint leaf. Slowly, too slowly, he turned his head and spat the green paste out onto the ground. I clenched my jaw, keeping my eyes on him.

Finally, he stepped back, and I felt like I could breathe again.

“A good horse makes a world of difference, doesn’t it?” he said, cocking his head with a tiny smile. “Well, I’m sure you have your herbs to attend to. Good day... Serena.”

I watched him disappear into the trees, my heart still hammering against the inside of my ribcage. He knew. Maybe not everything, but he knew enough. I could feel it in the way his eyes lingered, the way his words twisted. Just like Hannah, it was no different from the cloying intensity of the people in my sphere back home.

He was probing for cracks in my facade. If I kept my cool, then he would find none.

By the time I made it back to the castle, the sun was already setting. I’d spent more time in the woods than I meant to, but the fresh air had soothed my nerves.

As I walked into my room, I nearly collided with a solid wall of muscle. I looked up, startled, to find Neil standing in front of me, his clothes covered in mud and dried blood. His face was pale and drawn, and his eyes were hollow with exhaustion.

But most notably…

“You reek,” I blurted out, wrinkling my nose.

“Hello to you too,” Neil scoffed. “I’ll wash in the morning.”

“You can’t go to sleep like that. It’s disgusting.”

Neil shrugged, and even that motion seemed to pain him. He seemed exhausted, too exhausted to even bathe himself, apparently.

Suddenly, before I could stop myself, I set down my herbs and grabbed a bucket to heat up some water.

“Wait here,” I said. “I’ll run a bath for you.”