He cantered back to us and nodded when he saw the clearing. “Good work. We’ll camp here tonight.”
None of us wanted to risk being without a fire after nightfall.
Flynn and Haven joined us at the entrance to the clearing.
Haven took in the break in the trees and shivered.
“Problem, Princess?” Flynn smirked at her.
“This place gives me the creeps.” Her face was unreadable, but her hands trembled. When she noticed me looking, she clamped them together.
“Ravenswood affects everyone,” I explained.
She hung the horse’s reins on the saddle horn and shook her head. “There’s something wrong about this place … it’s evil.” She could feel it too.
Flynn laughed at her. “It’s just a clearing, Princess. Safer than being on horseback at night.”
“Why?” She scanned the trees closing in on us.
Flynn lifted his arms above his head and waggled his fingers at her, imitating a not-so-scary predator. “There are monsters in these woods.”
She looked him dead in the eye. “There are monsters everywhere.”
She definitely hated us.
“Monsters that will rip the skin from your bones and bathe in your blood.”
Haven tilted her head. “So they’re guards?”
Flynn’s cheeks flushed, and he ducked his head. “Very funny, Princess.”
“If the monsters are so dangerous, I want a weapon.”
“No.” Grayson’s curt answer was harsher than necessary. Pierce and I exchanged a look—the same look we’d been sharing more often lately. When it came to Haven, Grayson was off his game.
Her narrowed gaze traveled between us, lingering a few extra seconds on Grayson. “I forgot. Protecting myself is forbidden.”
Pierce dismounted, glancing at Haven’s trembling hands. “The camp needs to be secured,” he said abruptly, turning away before anyone could respond. “This time, we will protect you.”
She snorted derisively. The woman didn’t just hate us; she loathed us.
Chapter
Nineteen
HAVEN
They let me sleep close to the fire—an unexpected kindness. Not that I could sleep. There was something in the air, the anticipation of violent death or brutal suffering. In the woods, a monster licked its chops, waiting for the right moment to attack. I felt its presence in my marrow.
I pictured the dagger from the gymnasium wall—the one with the flowered handle—and sighed softly when I felt its comforting weight in my hand. The simple teleportation sent a wave of exhaustion through me. My body was still recovering from the poison, still healing from the whip. I couldn’t waste energy, but I couldn’t be defenseless either. The dagger was worth the energy expended.
I turned my back to the fire, allowing my eyes to adjust to the darkness.
A few feet to my left, Flynn snored.
A few feet to my right, Teal leaned against a log and stared at the flames.
I didn’t know where Grayson or Pierce were. Butlifting my head to look for them would let Teal know I was awake, and he’d try to talk to me as if we were friends. As if he weren’t partially responsible for the wounds on my back. No, I didn’t want to talk to him. I remained still and listened to the sounds in the forest.
