I pace the room, too restless to sit. Adrenaline is still coursing through me, and my body hasn’t forgotten what we were doing when the bells rang out. There’s still an ache between my thighs, and a frustrated heat that won’t fade.
I splash water on my face from the basin, comb my tangled hair, and try to make myself look like I haven’t spent all night and early morning being ravaged by a fae warrior. The marks on my throat make that difficult. Bruises and bite marks that show exactly what I’ve been doing. I touch them gently, thinking about his mouth, his hands, and the way he laughed.
I want to hear him laugh like that again.
I need to find something to do. I can’t stay cooped up inmy room all morning. Maybe I should go down to the common room and find something for breakfast.
I’m lacing up my boots when there’s a knock on my door.
“Yes?”
“It’s me.”
I don’t expect it to be Nella, and hurry across to open the door. She’s standing in the hallway, hands clasped at her waist.
“Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. But … I spent the night thinking, and I wanted to say that I’m sorry. I haven’t been myself since coming here. It’s been … hard.” Her fingers twist together. “Seeing you with these … people. It was a shock, especially after what happened back at … Well, you know?”
I catch her hands in mine, relief at hearing her words making my legs weak. “No. I’m the one who should be sorry. Things have changed so much since I left the camp, and I shouldn’t have expected you to accept it so quickly.”
“Sharla said it’s safe to leave the inn now, and I was wondering …” She hesitates. “We haven’t really spent any time together properly. I thought that maybe, if you’d like that is, we could take a walk? Just you and me.”
Hope fills me. Maybe this is a turning point. I can explain everything to her, and she’ll come to understand why my beliefs have changed.
“Of course!” I link my arm through hers, and we walk downstairs together. A few people glance up as we pass but no one stops us.
Outside, the village is coming back to life. We wander through the streets, and before I know it we’re at the edge of the village, near the clearing where I train.
“It’s so peaceful here.” Nella stops, and turns to me. “It took me a while to understand what happened to you.”
I frown. “What do you mean?”
“And then I realized, it wasn’t you. It wasthem. They took you, and they changed you, and you don’t even see it.”
“What? No. Nella?—”
“You defend them. You eat with them. You let themtrainyou to fight. You’re a princess, not a savage warrior! You’re not yourself anymore.”
“I’m still me.” I reach for her hand, but she pulls away. “I’ve learned things,seenthings?—”
“No.” She shakes her head, tears welling in her eyes. “You’re not. But it’s all right. I know how to fix it.”
Fix it?
“What do you mean? There’s nothing to fix.”
“Yes. There is.” The certainty in her voice turns my blood cold.
“Nella.” My voice comes out thin. “What did you do?”
Her eyes shift past me, staring at something over my shoulder. I turn, slowly.
Brennan steps out of the shadows between the trees. For a second, joy at seeing him rushes through me, followed by terror. If he’s here, then?—
“Nella.” Her name is a whisper now. “Please tell me you didn’t?—”
“I’m sorry.” She’s crying now, tears streaming down her face. “I’m so sorry. But this is for your own good. You’ll see.”
