Chapter 52

MILA

The ground was cold and unwelcoming, and a frost had set in overnight. My eyes felt heavy, and my limbs felt weighed down by sandbags. I imagined this was what getting hit by a truck felt like.

Every time I became alert enough to open my eyes and start moving, trying to find a way out of my bonds, one of my kidnappers would run forward and cover my mouth with the drugged handkerchief. My right arm had gone numb from the cold and from me laying on it awkwardly, and the chains around my ankles had rubbed my skin raw.

As my eyelids fluttered open once again. This time I kept my head as still as possible, knowing that any movement would give away my alertness and lead to another drugging.

I wanted my wits about me. If I was ever going to get out of here, I needed to be as alert and focused as possible.

I had no idea that dating a prince would be this dangerous, but maybe I had Derek to blame for this specific situation. I was woefully unprepared to survive in the wild for another night, and horrified at the thought of freezing to death in some remote forest without even being able to say goodbye to Felix.

Felix. My heart ached at the thought of him. My love, my prince, now so far away.

He had always come to my rescue, but I was afraid that there was no rescuing me this time.

There was a shout from behind me. The noise cut through my self-pity. I had the courage to twist my head slightly, and my jaw dropped at the sight.

Felix.

In the back of my head, I was aware that I was now crying at seeing him, not even caring if any of the gang members saw that I was awake. He was here. Felix was here.

Felix was running through the trees, easily taking out each of the gang with well-timed punches and kicks. His speed and strength looked almost superhuman from here, although that could have been the haziness from the drugs. He easily overpowered the men standing guard, drawing a sword as more gang members approached. I was horrified at the sight of him in danger, but he could clearly take care of himself.

He fought like flowing water, his movements fluid yet sharp. It was utterly mesmerizing to watch. My prince had come to save me. I never should have doubted him. He would always be there for me.

The gang members did not stand a chance against him. He took them down, one by one. They fell to the ground in his wake, some not moving after impact.

“Mila,” someone hissed from behind me. I turned to see Joseph, Felix’s assistant, carrying a sharp knife. I let out a sob of relief. “Here. Let me help you.”

He quickly sawed me out of my ropes and chains, and I shook my hands and feet free in gratitude.

“We’ve got to get you out of here,” Joseph whispered, pulling me to my feet. I collapsed as the blood rushed back into my legs. “They’re dangerous men, Mila.”

“Derek’s gang,” I moaned.

“We know, we know,” Joseph said, in an attempt to be soothing.

“Felix…” I stammered. Joseph looked over my shoulder and swore under his breath.

“They’re surrounding him,” he said. “Here, stay here. Try to stay hidden.”

He rushed over to help Felix, drawing his knife as he ran. Joseph managed to get a few solid hits in on his way, and I wondered how many of Felix’s close friends and advisors had needed to be trained in the art of combat.

Despite the prince’s speed and strength, he was outnumbered. He was throwing punches and fighting with the best of them, but it wasn’t enough to ward off the men. There were simply too many of them.

Even with Joseph joining the fray, things had gotten out of hand. I watched a gang member slice across Felix’s arm, drawing blood.

Even from my hiding spot, behind the tree stump, I could hear his cry of pain. My heart ached.

The gang members started to close in on Felix and Joseph. Fear tugged at my heart.

I watched in horror as one of the gang members–the biggest and burliest of them all, the leader–came charging at Felix from the treeline, pulling a knife from a hidden pocket in his jacket. He had clearly been hiding out, waiting to join the fight until the last minute.

“Felix!” I screamed. But there was no way he could hear me above the clash and clang of swords.

The gang leader aimed it high, going for Felix’s back. If no one intervened, Felix would be dead in seconds. It was just me or Joseph, amd Joseph was currently wrestling a gang member to the ground.

Strength rushed into my legs. I ran towards Felix, ducking under blades and fists as I went. I reached him in seconds, adrenaline couring through my body as I shoved him out of the way just in time. I saw the horror in his face as he realized what I had done, and the glinting reflection of the blade in his eyes.

I was dimly aware of the knife coming down, plunging into my abdomen. Felix’s mouth shaped my name, letting out a yell, as the leader withdrew the knife. I was dimly aware of blood spilling on the ground as I twisted away.

Pain like nothing I had ever felt before seized my body. I gasped, placing my hands over the wound, aware of the warm blood dripping through my fingertips. It was a deep cut, and in the back of my mind, I knew that I would be very lucky to survive.

If no one came to our aid soon, we would all be doomed.

From behind me, there was a cry of pain. Felix was doubled over, his hands covering the same spot on his stomach where the knife had pierced me. Even through my pain, I felt confused.

“No, Mila,” he heaved, clutching his side. “The magic… you don’t understand…”

I watched his blood fall, a mirror of my own, splattering on the grass. There was so much pain in his eyes, and I knew it wasn’t from being struck. No, this was because of me.

Because of me.

The truth hit me almost as hard as the knife had. There was some sort of magical connection between us, something that caused him to suffer my injuries. The bleeding knife wound on my stomach had triggered the exact same injury on Felix.

Magic. He had been keeping secrets from me, evading the truth each time he had come to my rescue or sported one of my injuries. He had been lying to me. For how long? The whole time?

The fighting continued around me, but all I could do was stare at Felix. I was aching with betrayal, not to mention the knife wound. My legs were slowly starting to give.

From the tree line, someone who looked an awful lot like Charles emerged to fight Joseph. My vision was getting blurry as the pain took over me.

But Felix’s words stuck in my head.

“Magic…” I whispered. I fell to my knees. The edges of my vision turned dark.

“Felix!” Joseph yelled above the fray. “Call Ignatius!”

A roar split the skies above.