I am not even sure at this point how much time has passed. A week? Two? The days blur together in the suffocating darkness, swallowed by the damp walls surrounding me. There is no sun to mark the passing hours, no sound beyond the slow drip of water somewhere in the distance. Just silence. Just isolation.
Except for the comforting hum of the mating bond.
It is the only thing keeping me grounded, the only thread of hope I have left. The bond. Our bond. Faint but steady, a constant pulse reminding me that she is still out there. Still breathing. Still mine.
Everly.
But she is still new to this world, still learning, still finding her place among those who have only just accepted her. I know Raiden and the others will help her, that they will fight for her if it comes to that. But is that enough? Will Alivar return her? Or have I lost her before I even had the chance to truly keep her?
The fear I feel? It isn’t for me. It never was.
It is for her.
Because if I were to lose her, if the bond faded into nothing—then the darkness around me wouldn’t matter. I would already be gone.
I shift uncomfortably on the stone ground, my breeches stiff with dried blood. I close my eyes, letting my mind conjure up images of her. The look of wonder in her eyes when she felt her magic in the garden that morning before we left for the fourteen-hour horse ride to the Evergreens. My breathing deepens as I let another memory flood in, this one sharper, more visceral. The feel of her body beneath mine as we laid under the enchanted willows, hidden away from the world. Her breathy moans echoing softly through the trees, her back arching into me as I sank my cock inside her. Every sigh, every tremor burned into my mind, a perfect blend of pleasure and need. The way her hands clutched at my shoulders, and her legs wrapped around my waist, the world around us just disappeared.
“Fuck,” I mutter under my breath, the raw need surging up inside me. I wish I was there with her now, far from this bleak stone prison. To feel her again, to touch the softness of her skin, to breathe her in.
My ears pick up a slight disturbance in the air, and I know I’m being watched. Keeping my eyes closed, I wait.
“Your queen has emerged from hiding,” Yumekui’s voice sings from the archway.
Slowly, I open my eyes, my lips peeling back against my fangs. “How would you know?”
If we were in the Outlands, we would be at least a four or five day ride from Vesner through rough terrain. Unless she is using the ravens.
“The Shadoweaver can see through the eyes of those whom it controls.”
Unease twists in my stomach, and I stiffen. “What does that mean?”
Yumekui practically vibrates with energy as she smirks at me. “It means that your precious mate decided to leave the safety of the castle unescorted and venture into the darkest parts of the forest to search for a friend. I, of course, had left a few deadlings and imps behind to be our eyes and ears.”
My chest aches as I wait for her next words.
“Don’t worry, she is fine. That young soldier, the one who guards the veil, saved her.”
I lean forward as far as the wyvern bones around my neck would allow, anger and relief bidding for first place. “Stay the fuck away from Everly!” I snarl.
Yumekui walks over to the empty bucket that was holding my water and kicks it. “He is quite handsome, that one.”
I freeze at her words, my eyes narrowing. “I won’t fall for your games, demon.”
“The new moon approaches.” The glee in her voice has my hackles raising. “You will both be craving each other’s blood. Tell me, what happens if you don’t feed?”
A snarl rumbles from my chest, and I can feel my muscles vibrating with rage. If it weren’t for these chains, I’d rip out her throat and watch her choke on her blood.
“My, my, look at you. So, savage.” Yumekui clicks her fingers, and an older woman shuffles into my cell, snatching up the bucket, and hurries out.
“Now.” She gives the air a sniff, her nose scrunching up. “You stink. Like death and rot.”
My eyes shift to the dead creature mere feet away. “I would apologize, but . . . ”
“You don’t care,” she finishes.
I stare at her.
The shuffling of feet grabs my attention, and as the woman comes back with a bucket, my mouth instantly longs for a drink. Despite that, I keep my expression blank.
