Conceding defeat, my shoulders drop, and I step towards Rosie. She immediately lets out the breath she must have been holding, a look of relief replacing her anxious one.
Is she relieved I didn’t escape? Or relieved I didn’t die? Either of those options would make it more challenging to use me in some kind of trade with Leon.
Rosie seems oblivious to my paranoia as she spins gracefully in the air, turning to walk with me. Her steps are hurried. It’s as if she can’t wait to get as far away from the forest as possible.
Same girl, same.
I keep pace with her, the feeling of dread growing fainter the further we get from the forest. There are definitely some creepy vibes going on there. My money is still on killer clowns.
“I’ve been so excited for you to wake up! Things get rather dull around here.”
I grind my teeth but don’t respond. If kidnapping people is her idea of a good time, then we have nothing left to talk about. We walk in silence, heading back for the castle, until Rosie tries to draw me into conversation again.
“I know Sin is really intimidating, but once you realize none of us will hurt you –”
I cut her off with a glare. “I’m not going to be anyone’s bargaining chip.”
Rosie’s eyebrows shoot skyward. “You aren’t a bargaining chip! Why would you think that?”
Her voice has an undertone of laughter – as if I’m the crazy one. Does she not know how I got here? Or is kidnapping people just a daily occurrence in the Shadow Realm?
“Well, the whole getting kidnapped by the enemy kind of gave me that impression,” I reply dryly.
“Ohhh! Oh, not at all! You can probably go home soon if that’s what you want. Morgana wouldn’t force you into being a bargaining chip,” Rosie answers matter-of-factly.
My glare falters. “What do you mean by – if I want?”
“Oh! Well…” Rosie starts, her cheeks reddening to match her pink eyes, “it’s just that, given the state you came to us in, I thought maybe you wouldn’t be keen on going back any time soon.”
My heart stops. My feet do, too. “I – I could stay here?”
Rosie’s expression softens like she has an idea of what I’ve just been through. I guess the hand-shaped bruises on my skin didn’t make it difficult to connect the dots.
“You’ll have to ask Morgana, of course. It is her castle. But she would never force you to go somewhere you didn’t want to. Other than this time, of course.” She smiles sheepishly at me before waving me on to continue following her.
I don’t respond, and we keep walking. Rosie doesn’t try to draw me into conversation again.
I could stay here, or I could go home.
A pang hits my stomach. I went into this magical bond thinking the mission would only take a few days, and I could just return my key and return to my normal life afterwards. Not that I have a particular career in mind after college, but my friends will be worried sick. They’ll check on my ransacked apartment. That will only make them worry more.
I hate leaving them like that. But I can’t risk going back. Leon would absolutely come back for me and try to exploit our bond to get what he wants.
The grief of losing my friends stabs at me, and I shove it down. Leon was ready to risk my realm, to put my friends in danger. The safest thing I can do for them is to stay far away.
If that means living my life in exile, then so be it. Their safety is worth it.
I’m not particularly keen on staying with Morgana and Sin, either. While I don’t think they’re on the verge of plunging the realms into permanent darkness – because clearly if they wanted to, they would have – who knows what other nefarious deeds they might be plotting?
I don’t know why they want me here, but hopefully, I can bide my time until a better option appears.
We’re almost at the castle now, and my gaze fixes on someone standing at the base of my window, where I took my little tumble.
It’s Sin, and he looks livid.
Chapter 4
Rule four:When surrounded by predators, don’t act like prey.
