Their shadows vanished.
And my body turned to soup on the grass as I gave in to the shaky relief that I’d somehow survived another day.
Chapter Twelve
I STUCK TO THE SHADOWS AS night fell, and my stubborn headache finally subsided.
After three days of rest, an unwanted visit by the ruler of this place, and a cupboard of wine, I felt strong enough, irritable enough, to go for a walk.
Perhaps, while everyone else was sleeping, I would find a way out of this nightmare.
I already knew the perimeter wall didn’t hold much hope, but perhaps there was a back entry? Some sort of service area with lax security where I could hide in the back of a truck or disguise myself to sneak out.
Once again, the grounds of Cinderkeep completely bewitched me.
By day, they were visually stunning with charming flowers and pretty courtyards, but by night, they transformed into the infernal flames of hell. Torches lined the paths like sentinels, their flames licking at the dark. Bonfires smouldered in copper braziers, and lanterns bobbed in the trees as if the stars had descended to spy.
With my skin spangled by orange fire, I stuck to one of the white gravel paths, pulling the thick long coat I’d found in thewardrobe around me. I’d traded my worn flip-flops for lavender-coloured sneakers and did my best to be stealthy.
Overhead, a few drones flitted past like mechanical birds, hovering over areas of the garden before continuing with their patrol. My heart quickened as a girl appeared, her steps equally light and sneaky. Her blonde hair gleamed metallic, her movements elegant as well as menacing.
I paused, hugging myself as she cut across the path.
Where was she going?
What was she looking at?
I followed her stare and—
Him.
I gasped as my eyes landed on Lucien where he sat at one of the many tables and stools throughout his estate. A bottle of liquor rested in his hands, his elbows wedged onto the marble tabletop, and his head hanging low.
The panther wasn’t with him, and the aura of depression and rejection seemed to ripple, seeping out of him like a disease.
The girl sneered as she kept inching closer, careful not to make a sound. Dressed all in black, she became one with the night, gilded by flaming torches.
I inched forward, drawn against my will to get a better view as she pulled something sharp and shiny from her jacket pocket. Firelight glittered off the metal.
My heart stopped as she slipped behind the willow tree drizzling its fronds around the table where Lucien sat.
He didn’t look up or show any signs of hearing her as she ducked around the tree and tiptoed closer.
The urge to cry out and warn him came strong.
The reminder that we were all trapped in here because of him kept me silent.
I fought two polarising feelings.
Half of me wanted to stop him being murdered, the other wanted to run far away so I wouldn’t have to watch.
Her arm rose, her fingers wrapped tight around the dagger.
He raised the bottle and drank, his head tipped back, his throat perfectly exposed for a slice from behind.
She noticed the opportunity.
And took it.
