The rain pelted us, relentless, unforgiving.
Roman dismounted, his brow furrowed. “What happened?”
Malik didn’t answer right away.
His jaw was clenched so tightly I thought his teeth might crack.
When Malik finally spoke, his voice was ice.
“I don’t yet know.” His knuckles whitened around the reins. “But whoever did this will pay. Dearly.”
A shudder rippled down my spine as I took in the devastation.
What had once been a proud estate, home, and sanctuary now lay in blackened ruin, reduced to smoldering wreckage.
Count Montego exhaled heavily, shaking his head.
“This is certainly an unfortunate occurrence.”
Before I could snap at him for the understatement of the century, lightning splintered across the sky, illuminating the ruins in an eerie flash.
A rumble of thunder followed.
The storm was worsening.
Montego turned to us, his expression unreadable. “We need to get to safety. Come, you can stay at my estate.”
Roman’s posture stiffened. I could feel the resistance radiating from him before he opened his mouth.
As he began to argue, Montego cut him off with a casual flick of his reins.
“I have a palace, Roman. There’s plenty of room for all of you. Plus,” he added smoothly, “we’ll pass right by the caves you seek. We can take a moment to investigate.”
Then, without waiting for a response, he spurred his horse forward, heading toward the next rise.
Roman’s jaw ticked.
I knew he hated feeling backed into a corner.
But at this point, what choice did we have?
We pressed onward, climbing higher and higher, the wagons struggling to keep pace behind us.
The higher we climbed, the deeper the snow.
The cold sank into my bones, my fingers numb despite my fur-lined gloves.
I clenched my jaw to keep my teeth from chattering, but the exhaustion was wearing me down.
Soaked to the bone, I couldn’t get warm.
“Hang on, Olivia.” Count Montego’s voice cut through the wind. “We’re almost there.”
His horse strained against the climb, its nostrils flaring, thick clouds of breath visible in the frozen air.
My mount struggled, hooves sinking into the deep snow with every step.
Then—
