The queen gave me a reassuring smile as her hand gently covered mine. “Kieran is doing what is required of him to find the way.”
My eyes snapped to her, hope blooming in my chest. “You mean there’s truly a way to break it?”
Cassia’s smile faded, her eyes becoming cloudy. “I can’t give you a clear answer on that. There are too many possibilities—too many ways for the future to change.”
“And what about my death?” I whispered low, pushing back the ache that was forming in my chest.
“That too. The only answer I can give is to keep following the path your heart guides you along. It will lead you to where you need to go.”
My heart dropped, and my shoulders sagged. “Is there anything else that you can give me? Anything at all?”
Queen Cassia walked back to her chaise, her eyes lost in thought. “Pay attention to what seems strange and curious. An anomaly happened during the creation of your bargain. A flaw that shows in the incomplete marking on your wrists. Have you wondered why the marks remained unfinished? Why you can fight against his commands?”
I rubbed at the marking on my wrist, though they were hidden by my jacket sleeves, my brows furrowing. I have wondered—Samian and Kieran have too. Kieran said he had his people researching what could have caused the mark to be incomplete, though we have heard nothing since.
“Have you noticed anything different since the bargain was created?” Queen Cassia’s brow arched, her eyes full of secrets.
I thought back to the days after, to all the times I spent with Ambrose. The only thing I could think of was how he was becoming more violent, more deranged.
“Ambrose, his?—”
“My what?” A deep voice murmured behind me.
Queen Cassia’s face grew pale, her eyes widening on the male behind me. The hair along my neck stood, and I gripped the iron bars tighter, my body freezing from the glare piercing my back. Slowly, I turned, coming face to face with Ambrose.
“Now, imagine my surprise coming here only to find you in the middle of a discussion with Cassia.” Ambrose’s cold eyes shifted, moving to glare at the queen. “Didn’t I tell you I would kill you if I found you were keeping secrets from me?”
The temperature of the air dropped as ice formed along the walls. I shivered, goosebumps pebbling my skin. Releasing my breath, moisture wrapped around my face in a thick fog. Ambrose’s gaze cut back to mine, and I pushed myself further into the iron bars. He watched me, monitoring my every move, his body unnaturally still. His hair was tousled and unkempt, dark circles underlining his wild eyes. He looked as if he had been slowly losing himself.
A shadow moved behind Ambrose, and Salem stood near his feet, looking up at Queen Cassia with a tilted head. Warmth spread through my head, my mind filling with a presence I’d never felt before. I silently begged it to stop Salem from attacking Ambrose. Salem’s head turned toward me, but I didn’t dare look at him, keeping my eyes solely on Ambrose, watching how his eyes grew distant.
It’s not time yet.
I jerked at the sound in my head, my heart racing at the haunting voice. I looked around me, searching the dark halls tofind where it could have come from, but found nothing. Even Salem was gone, fading into the darkness like he never even existed. My breath caught in my throat. I was alone—truly alone now.
My body locked up, my breathing coming in fast pants. Relief flooded my veins at whatever told me to come alone, to keep Samian from joining me. But that reprieve quickly changed to dread. If Ambrose saw us together, I couldn’t even begin to think about what he would have done to Samian—what he would have mademedo to him.
Ambrose’s eyes gradually stirred, coming out of wherever his mind had gone. His face pinched, his nose curling in a snarl. Queen Cassia sucked in a sharp breath, lunging to the metal bars, her soft hand pushing me into the shadows.
“Run!”
My body came alive then, my mind whirling as I ran through the twists and turns of the dark dungeon. A vicious snarl ripped through the air behind me. Ice climbed the walls and bars following me, the sound of stones cracking from the cold, loud and sharp. I heard Ambrose’s steps closing in on me. I heard him bark my name, the harsh sound freezing my blood.
Turning around the next corner, I found an open cell and slung my body into the shadows. I slapped a hand over my mouth and nose, blocking the sound of my harsh breathing. My body shook as I prayed he wouldn’t find me, that he couldn’t feel the claws of terror sinking deep inside my soul.
Ambrose ran by the cell, his curses filling the air. I counted my breaths, waiting and listening for any sign of Ambrose coming back. Minutes passed with no sound other than my pounding heart. Letting my hand fall, I walked on shaky legs to the entrance, peering out to look down the halls. Finding them empty, I stepped out, careful of the ice coating the slick stones.
“You really thought you could hide from me?”
I sucked in a sharp breath and rushed forward, not daring to look back at the male behind me. But he was too close. He was an apex hunter, and I was nothing but his timid prey. Turning the corner, my foot slipped on the ice below my feet, and I crashed into a wall with a pained groan. I tried to stand, to continue running when ice climbed up my body, freezing me in place.
A sob strangled out of me when Ambrose rounded the corner, his lips raising in a vicious smirk. Running a hand through his hair, Ambrose tipped his head back and laughed. The unsettling sound chilled me to my very core.
Crouching down, Ambrose grazed his fingers along my cheek, his caress soft and so contrary to the malice in his eyes. “Where do you think you’re running off to?” He taunted, his fingers pinching my chin.
I whimpered against his hold, my hand struggling against the ice. “Let me go,” I choked out, my eyes watering from the frigid air.
Ambrose leaned down close, his hand moving to the nape of my neck, his breath hot against my face. “I’ll let you go, but only because wethreeneed to have a little talk.”
