That was the dream.
Get away from this place and never look back. Was it really worth risking all of that for a woman he didn’t even know?
The way she’d looked at him during dinner stayed with him, though. Never had a woman said so much with a single glance. So much so that he was willing to give up his dream for the slim chance of her looking at him like that once more.
Maybe it wasn’t about the woman, though. Maybe it was more about pissing his father off.
Was that worth the risk of his dream?
Matthias pondered for a moment, a mischievous smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
He turned to Bones and grinned, “Yes, it is, and I know exactly what I’ll do . . . even if there are consequences.”
Throwing his cupboard door open, Matthias spied his Oscuro leathers, a uniform for soldiers. His father demanded he keep at least one uniform and at first Matthias wanted to refuse, but overthe years, it had come in handy. He looked like an ordinary Thorn when he wore it. A perfect disguise. The prince threw a black cape around his shoulders, pulling the hood up over his head.
“Stay here,” he said, flicking a glance at Bones. Then he disappeared from the room.
The dungeon stairwell was empty when he appeared again, so he moved silently down to the bottom. Matthias pulled a brown glass bottle from beneath his cape and poured its contents on the stoney ground right next to a small wooden chair.
Reaching into his front jacket pocket, he retrieved a small cardboard box that housed little matchsticks. Matthias smirked as he scraped one against the side of the box, and a small orange glow appeared. He could have easily just winnowed into the Lightner woman’s cell, but where would the fun be in that? Chaos was infinitely more entertaining.
“I’ll show you disappointment,” he murmured as he dropped the match aglow with flame to the floor. Matthias didn’t wait around to watch the scene unfold. Winnowing into Adalia’s cell, he stood in the shadows until he heard the guards cry out.
A fire was the perfect distraction. No one would guess that it was him.
Silently, he moved across the floor and crouched down to her side.
Adalia. . . her name brought a wave of emotion he couldn’t quite label.
She was asleep, huddled in a ball. Matthias gently scooped her into his arms. He quickly glanced towards the door, ensuring the guards were still preoccupied with the fire in the hall, before winnowing out of the room. The sounds of people yelling echoed through the night.
They both appeared just shy of one of the Gates at the Oscuro Veil and Matthias hoped it was the right one—considering there were seven.
Adalia was light in his arms, her lilac wings encasing her like they knew she needed protecting. Groaning, she shifted, her head falling back over his arm as he cradled her neck. Chestnut waves tumbled beneath her and before she could register what was happening, Matthias gently laid her on the ground and started untying her wings.
His fingers grazed the soft lilac feathers, and it sent a shiver up his arm. Their brief touch pulled her from sleep and Adalia eyed Mattias warily through tired eyes.
Matthias spoke low. “The Grey is on the other side of the Veil. You can crawl through for your freedom or I can walk you over the threshold. The choice is yours.”
Adalia groaned in response. “Please . . .”
“Please, what little dove?” Matthias crouched beside her.
Adalia coughed in pain. “Please walk me through . . . the guards . . .”
Of course. If she crawled through the Gate, the guards there would simply march her right back to the king.
Standing, he carefully pulled her to her feet, her soft cries heartbreaking against the night air. With Matthias supporting her around her waist, they took slow steps towards her freedom.
Stepping through the Veil, the guards on the other side were wide eyed when they saw the duo appear.
Matthias flashed them a look that said if-you-want-to-live-don’t-ask-questions, as he dropped the hood of his cape–revealing his identity. “Touch one hair on her body and you will lose your ability to speak. Also, if I find out that you’ve run straight to the king, then I will hunt you down and make this hell even more personal for you both.”
The guards nodded furiously in response.
Matthias glared at them as he passed, supporting a barely conscious Adalia as he took to the skies.
Beneath the twinkling canopy of the night sky, the prince flew Adalia through District Seven. Once they’d reached an area Lightners were likely to find her, he dropped effortlessly to the ground and gently sat her against the trunk of a whispering aspen.
