While I never thought Dianthus would stoop to such low measures, I should’ve guessed this necklace would come in more handy than I ever wanted it to. And it was needed. I would’ve gotten lost at least three different times if it weren’t for the tracer. Dianthus did an excellent job of making sure her house was difficult to find in the hollow. It probably doesn’t help that the only other time I’d been here was while I was cradling a lifeless Azalea to my chest. I prayed for a miracle and got scorned by the phantasm that is Dianthus. It’s clear to me now that she wanted me to find it. She was waiting for me to find her.
I aggressively twist the ring back and forth on my finger, making the small opal orbs flicker on and off in my vision. After I flick my ring around my finger one last time so that I can see the trail left for me, I drop my hands back to my side. Fidgeting isn’t going to help anything.
As the witch’s house comes closer into view, I crouch behind one of the trees nestled on the outskirts of it. After dropping Rhoden off in the infirmary, I didn’t hesitate to go after Azalea, even as the healer asked me 100 fucking questions. I know Rhoden is in good hands, and when I bring Azalea back to her, she will be on the mend.
The air around the house is still, giving off an equally eerie and unwelcoming feeling. My eyes scan the land stretched out before me, peering into each of the windows and finding no one inside. This might be my best chance to slip inside without being detected. Although I won’t be able to see any magical wards Dianthus might have in place, so my only hope is that she’s too smug to think she needs any. I turn to Luna.
“Stay here,” I command, before stepping out from around the tree. To my relief, Luna does as she’s told.
Taking a deep breath, I follow Azalea’s magical footprint. My hand gingerly grabs the handle of the door, finding it unlocked. Either I’m the luckiest man alive, or Dianthus is waiting for me. Knowing that it’s most likely the latter, I raise my guard as I step inside her home.
My mind is racing with a hundred crazed thoughts of all the things the old crone could have planned. Because she has a plan, of that I’m sure. It doesn’t help that after what happened with Gravesley, I had no choice but to come by myself. I still wasn’t sure who I could trust in that castle, and now wasn’t the time to be taking chances with allegiances.
As soon as I step into the house and look in the direction the tracer is leading me, my stomach drops. I know exactly where the witch is keeping her. Azalea is currently in Dianthus’s dungeon. I lose all sense of stealth as I race down to the dark and dank corner of the house. When I wrench the door leading to the dungeon cells open, I’m surprised to find that Dianthus is nowhere in sight.
It’s particularly frigid thanks to the cold stone walls and floor covering every inch of the room. Great Abyss, this woman is such a piece of shit that she doesn’t even give her prisoners the comfort of a dirt ground. I snatch the keys resting on the hook next to the door, and run around the corner until I find the cells.
When I see her, my chest squeezes. Azalea is in the very first cell, wearing nothing but a sheer slip. I assess her quickly and feel relief course through my veins at finding her seemingly uninjured. Her curls are a mess around her, but none look as if they are matted to her head due to any kind of bludgeoned wound. That gives me some semblance of peace. Maybe Dianthus hadn’t been torturing her in the way I feared she would.
Goosebumps line Azalea’s flesh, and I swear there is the slightest hue of blue on her lips. Her eyes are closed with her lashes fanning across her cheeks, and from this distance, I can’t tell if her chest is moving up and down. My mind spirals as I wonder if I’m too late.Did I just unknowingly cause her to die in the same place I brought her to to save her life?
She’s lying on her side with her hands both pulled above her head. I follow the shackles that start at her wrists and see they’re secured to the stone walls behind her. Even though she’s lying down, I can tell the rest of her body is slumped, and I’m hoping it’s because she’s asleep.
Dianthus had me drink one of her sleep potions before she transported me and Azalea back to the castle after I made the agreement with her. I remember how much of a pain that potion was. I didn’t feel like myself again from days. I was groggy, starving, and felt like I could never get enough sleep.
I shove the first key into the lock bolting the door and immediately hear the clack of a single heel behind me. My head dips in defeat. If I can hear her approaching, it’s because she wants me to. It’s because she knows I’m here. This was all too easy. I’m such a fool. Of course, the door was unlocked. Of course, I didn’t run into any magical wards. Of course, there was no one in the house to stop me from going into the dungeon. Of course, Azalea’s magical trace hadn’t been tampered with. This is where she wanted me. She wanted me to see this. She wanted me to find Azalea, and I was too scared of losing my Wildflower again to think clearly.
This was all a trap… for me, and in the mess of it all, just like with our curse, Azalea is the collateral damage for Dianthus’s vendetta and my stupidity.
Hastily opening Azalea’s dungeon door, I leap forward and cradle her to my chest. For at least a sliver of a moment I got tofeel her in my arms one last time before something solid strikes the back of my head and everything goes black.
60
Braxton
Well,myheadfuckinghurts. I can’t wait to make this bitch choke on her own blood. When I get Azalea back, if I find a single curl out of place, I’m going to break every bone in this witch’s body before I snap her neck, curse be damned.
I slowly open my heavy eyelids, trying to push back the unrelenting ache in the back of my skull. When I finally blink away some of the blurriness clouding my vision, I see Azalea sitting across from me. Her curls are mussed, and her makeup is smudged under her eyes as if she’s been crying.
My body instinctively moves to stand, but I feel a force push against me, holding me in place. Looking around, I realize we’re seated at a large mahogany dining table. I wriggle my wrists, trying to see if I can break free, but when I look down, I don’t see anything tying me to my chair, yet I’m still tethered to it. I sigh. Of course, Dianthus used magical bindings. It would be too easy if I were bound by something I could actually break free from.
“Don’t try to fight against it.” Azalea’s soft voice extinguishes the red haze taking over my instincts.
I look back up to see the sadness in her eyes that cracks my chest wide open. She looks so defeated, and I can’t help but feel like I did that to her. I quickly look her up and down, not seeing any restraints, but that doesn’t mean anything. She wouldn’t be able to see my restraints either.
“Are you okay?” My voice is strained from me trying to reel in the budding anger wishing to ignite inside me.
Azalea nods before dropping her gaze away from mine. She lifts her hand to wipe away a stray tear from her cheek, and I realize she must not be restrained after all.
“Azalea.” The sternness in my tone has picking her gaze up. “Are you restrained?”
She shakes her head.
“Leave.” My tone leaves no room for arguing. “Forget about me. Forget about the castle. Forget about this whole damned curse and leave. Now.” Every command I give her is laced with desperation.
“She won’t be doing any of that.” The sound of Dianthus’ voice grates against my ears.
“What did you do?” I hiss.
