“Hold this,” Riyan said. “I don’t want it to dragme down.”
His cape fell on my lap, filling the carriage with the stench of stale wine. I scoffed and shoved the cape offmy legs.
The coachman cracked the whip and the carriage lurched forward, sending me back into the seat cushion. Trees and bushes flew out of my vision through the window. My heart raced. I had never gone that fast before. I gripped the cushion with both hands to try tokeep steady.
Through the window, I spotted a sprinting Riyan. In mere seconds, he passed the carriage and caught up to the horses. I carefully scooted over to the window and stuck my head out to get a better look. Riyan kept up with the team of four horses at full gallop. Then, with a burst of energy, heoutpaced them.
I should have been intimidated and taken the show of power as a warning. Instead, my belly filled with mirth at the ridiculousness of the situation and I laughed. He made me laugh harder than I had in years—I was as weightlessas daylight.
Riyan turned around as he ran, his blonde hair glowing like a halo in the afternoon sun. He shot me a wide smile and then faced forward andkept running.
The horses snorted and the carriage slowed down. Riyan, however, did not. He kept running along the road until he was outof sight.
I kept laughing long after he disappeared. I never thought I would be so delighted to losea bet.
My teeth kept falling out.
Derrick was on the other side of an invisible wall, his palms pressed against the barrier as if it were just a window. His eyebrows were knitted, his mouth moving as he desperately tried to communicate with me, but no soundcame out.
I wanted so badly to press my body against the glass wall to see if it would give, but my legs were stuck to the floor. I wanted to cry out to him, but every time I moved my lips to speak, another toothfell out.
I just kneeled behind the wall, hands cupped under my chin to catch each of my crumbling teeth, and stared at his terrified blue eyes as myheart screamed.
My eyes popped open to a light tapping sound. I stared at the burgundy cushion in front of me. Dandelion yellow sunlight filtered in through the curtain. My fists gripped wool and were balled up in front of my mouth. Warmth surrounded me.
I was just in the carriage, not trapped behinda wall.
My memory came back in pieces as I blinked, but the scent of nectar and wheat mixed with wine filled my nose and made everything clear. I had cocooned myself in Riyan’s cape to keep warm and the rhythmic jostling of the carriage had put me to sleep.
My stomach growled like a bear cub. I had no idea how much timehad passed.
Tap tap tap.Someone knocked on thecarriage door.
I rubbed my eyes and sat up, keeping the cape wrapped tightly around me. I opened the carriage door and blinked in the blinding afternoon sunlight to see Riyan holding a juicy red apple inhis hand.
He smiled alittle. “Hungry?”
I groggily nodded and he handed me the apple. I took the apple in one hand and kept the cape closed at my throat with the other. My teeth pierced the skin of the apple and sweet juice exploded on my tongue.
My first taste of Bloodstone was sweeter than Ihad feared.
I took another bite, letting the juice from the apple drip down my chin. In almost a minute, I had devoured more than halfthe fruit.
Riyan’s eyes brightened as I ate. “Do you wantsome more?”
I nodded again. I took in a sharp breath as he picked me up in his left arm. My fingernails punctured the apple as my other hand grippedhis bicep.
Riyan put his free hand on my shoulder. “Don’t worry, I’vegot you.”
His word was no good since he had already dropped me, but his hold was so steady I unclenched. He carried me a short distance to a small grove of apple trees next to the carriage. Golden sunlight dappled through the dark green leaves of the trees. Riyan ducked to avoid a low-hanging branch with apples hanging off it like dropsof blood.
He gave me another soft smile before picking another apple high up in the treeabove us.
I looked around from my vantage point at Riyan’s side. The coachman and footman ate apples near the carriage. The horses were off their reins and munching on fallen apples in the grass. I spied a pile of apple cores tall enough to reach my knee near the base of the tree whereRiyan stood.
“Looks like you have been here a while,” I said as I eyedthe pile.
I tossed my own apple core into the pile and Riyan handed me a second apple. He reached up and plucked a third apple fromthe tree.
