Have I been a fool this whole time to trust Asmo? To let him into the Herd? Should I have just cast him aside the moment I woke up from whatever hell I had been floating in?
“We can’t stay here any longer,” Luca says.
My stomach sinks. “But what if hecomes back?”
“Yeah, what if he comes backwith Marik?” Luca hisses. “Don’t be stupid. We can’t stay here.”
I glare at him and he straightens. He draws a breath and holds it before releasing it slowly. “Forgive me, Your Highness.”
I clench my teeth, then force myself to unclench them in a monumental effort. “It’s fine. You’re right. We can’t risk it.”
I stand slowly and head to my room to pack my belongings.
My body feels heavy. My heart feels heavy. My brain feels heavy.
Elle is gone.
Asmo is gone.
My entire life is gone.
I have no idea where Cally is, if she’s even safe. The male that feels like another part of me might have betrayed me.
I stuff my clothes into the duffel bag that now serves as my wardrobe. Three shirts, three pairs of pants, three pairs of underwear, three pairs of socks, three sleeping shirts. I’m lucky. The others have even less.
I cross the hall to Asmo’s room. The door pushes open, revealing the tidy primary bedroom. The full-sized bed is made, sheets tucked neatly under the mattress, pillows perfectly centered against the headboard.
An empty glass sits on the side table. I imagine Asmo setting it down quietly in the middle of the night. I could never hear him in here. He was always so careful to avoid disrupting us. He never said it, but I know he felt out of place amongst us.
The side table drawer is empty. I’m not sure what I’m hoping to find. Maybe some confession of his guilt or innocence, but there’s nothing.
The dresser drawers are filled with clothing, some of Asmo’s and some of the former owner’s. We kept the spare clothing just in case we needed them.
His sock drawer is meticulous, each one matched together in neat rolls. I can instantly tell his socks apart from the previous owner’s. Asmo’s are black and made of expensive wool, while the previous owner’s are worn and made of once-white cotton that has since faded to gray.
I hold a pair of Asmo’s socks in my hands, startling when I feelsomething hard lodged inside. I hastily unroll the pair. A wine cork comes tumbling out.
I let loose a giggle of relief. I can’t explain why, but I bundle the socks back up, tuck the wine cork back inside, and stuff them into my bag.
Holly, Luca, and Ivan are waiting in the living room, their bags slung over their shoulders. “Ready?” Holly asks.
I nod. “Where?—”
BANG. BANG. BANG.
Chapter 8
ELLE
After the tithe,I’m sent back to my—Mae’s—living quarters. Guards are stationed on the inside and the outside of the only door, preventing anyone from entering. Or me from exiting. It’s better than the bare room I was locked in before, but it’s still a cell.
“I’d like to go to the dungeons,” I tell the guard stationed at the door. Like every other time, he ignores me.
The only way that I can leave is if Marik summons me or gives me permission, which has only happened a handful of times.
Thankfully, I don’t have to wait too long before Marik decides to grace me with his presence. He’s dressed in his usual uniform of black, the crown of twisted metal branches perfectly placed atop his head. It’s supposed to be his version of the berry crown, but the black metal reminds me of his flames.
He looks devastatingly handsome.
