Somehow, two days pass. They are the longest two days of my life, every second spent in fear of hearing shuffling feet on the forest floor, glancing at Elle, or checking the bond to make sure it’s still there. I’m not sure if I’m wishing for its presence or its absence.
My stomach growls, curling inside of me as it contracts and screams at me to eat. I ignore it. Asmo and I spent nearly two weeks without food once when we were twelve. But it is a reminder of the fact that Elle mostlikely wasn’t raised with cutthroat parents who tortured their children. I sigh and tiptoe from the room, although I’m wondering if I should start stomping around to wake her up.
The wind curls around me as I step from the dilapidated house, carrying dead leaves and the scent of pine. The porch stairs creak under my weight as I descend. I survey the forest slowly, but everything looks as it should—no sign of Cora or her witches.
I understand the way Elle broke down the moment our feet touched the forest floor. The moment she saw the house, when she realized the castle had been left behind. Relief rolls me through like a physical thing, but then I remember the reason why we’re here, and the relief shifts to self-hatred. I shut it off. That is a conversation I cannot afford to have with myself right now.
I ensnare a tawny rabbit, trapping it in quicksand and piercing it with my fangs before cooking it over my flames. The smell of smoked meat wafts toward me and I salivate, but I shove the hunger down.
The musty smell of the house hits me like a wall as I enter. I turn into the living room and nearly drop the rabbit. Elle is sitting on the couch, rubbing sleep from her eyes.
“Good morning,” I say, but it comes out hoarse.
She glances out the window pointedly. “It looks like afternoon.” Her voice comes out worse than mine—raspy from lack of use. And probably screaming.
I hold up the rabbit. “Dinner?”
She frowns but grabs her stomach, an audible growl filling the silence and answering the question. “I guess.”
I hand her the rabbit. She bites into it, wrenching a piece off with her teeth. Her wild hair, drool-crusted cheeks, and gaunt face make her look feral. I could look away, could push this feeling down and lock it away, but I don’t. I watch her as she eats, as her eyes close with the first bite, at the way her long lashes land like butterflies against her too-pale skin. My heart beats traitorously in my chest.
“Where are we?” she asks around a mouthful of steaming-hot rabbit.
I clear my throat. “No clue. Likely your court, based on the trees and climate.”
Her freckles dance as she chews. I want to count every single one. She swallows, and I stop myself from staring at the delicate curve of her neck. “You don’t know where we are?”
“No,” I admit. “I saw that female running toward you. I panicked, and we ended up here. But it seems safe enough.”
She grabs another chunk of the rabbit. Her eyes meet mine, her affect now somber. “That female was your brother. He was trying to get me out, too. And you fucked it up.”
If she had taken a knife to me, it would have hurt less. I would have welcomed that instead of those words. I turn from her, unwilling to break, unwilling to show her how fucking miserable I am, how disappointed I am in myself. How much those words make me want to collapse onto the floor. She would have been better off with him. She would have been happier with him. She was reaching for him and I?—
“How long have I been asleep?” she asks, interrupting my thoughts. Saving me from myself.
I run a hand through my hair and gather myself, then turn to face her. She holds the rabbit to me. I wave it away. “Two days.”
“Great, well, I’ll be out of your hair shortly.” She tries to rise from the couch, but her legs give out and she sinks back into it.
“You’re not ready yet. You need to eat.”
She rolls her eyes but doesn’t attempt to get back up. “Fine. One more day, then you’ll never see me again.”
I nod curtly, then turn away from her, exhaustion slamming into me all at once. “Wake me up if you hear anything.”
I collapse into the makeshift bed. The scent of Elle wraps around me, and I tumble into nothing.
Chapter 43
MAE
“What do you mean,Marik took her?” If Etta was from House Serpent, powerless or not, the question would have spewed venom.
“I said exactly what I mean. Marik took her before Asmo could get her.” I unbuckle the shortsword sheath from my hip and let it drop to the ground.
Etta takes a measured step toward me. “You’re telling me we traded her jailor for another? And now we have no clue where she is and no clue what he’s doing to her?”
A groan works its way from the very depths of my soul. “Yep,” I say tersely.
