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My pulse quickened the deeper into the castle we got. I tried to memorize the twists and turns and staircases we ascended, but it was hard to keep track because we were moving so quickly.

Was it left, right, left and then up the winding staircase? Or did we climb up the spiral staircase and then turn left and right? I had to remember the way out, just in case a Mage attacked and I needed an escape route.

Before I could get my bearings, Alaric was moving again—through another hall and down another set of stairs. The paintings on the walls ranged from beautiful landscapes of mountains and forests to paintings of past monarchs that I didn’t recognize. It was hard to believe there was this entire civilization hidden here with kings and rulers that I had never come across in my history books.

We made our way up another set of stairs and down a corridor with a golden rug and matching gold sconces along the walls. Mahogany doors lined the hall, each with a brass knocker in the shape of a wolf.

Alaric stopped at the third door on the left and gestured to it with a bored look on his face. “Your room. Someone will have food brought to you. You will be summoned at Forenoon.”

The knots in my stomach cinched tighter. “How do I know someone won’t sneak into my rooms and kill me?”

“You can rest assured that anyone who tries anything will be arrested for interfering with an investigation.”

“Wow, that is deeply reassuring,” I deadpanned.

He shook his head and started to walk back down the hall.

“Alaric!” I called.

He stopped but didn’t turn around. “What?” he ground out.

I lifted my wrists where the shadows still coiled around my skin like serpents. “My cuffs? I’m not a criminal, right?”

He hesitated, and for one horrifying moment, I thought he would just leave me here, defenseless. Then, he strode back toward me and brushed his fingers along the insides of each wrist. Though his touch was feather-light, the press of his skin against mine sent fire racing through my blood.

I looked up at him in alarm, wondering if he had felt it, too. But his gaze was fixed on my wrists. A muscle feathered in his jaw, and his brows pulled together.

In an instant, the shadow cuffs vanished. A rush of power coursed through me so intensely it made me gasp. I staggered back, a flare of fire burning in my chest. I coughed, then cleared my throat, overwhelmed by the potent sensations firing through my body.

“Satisfied?” Alaric asked.

“Yes, thank you.” I gazed up at him, trying to convey my gratitude. But once more, he would not look me in the eye.

He offered a stiff nod. “Good. I will see you at Forenoon.”

Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked away, his steps smooth as he made his way down the hall. I watched him disappear around the corner, leaving me utterly and completely alone in a castle full of Mages who would love to see me dead.

Fifteen

THE WITCH

The guest room Alaric escorted me to was extravagant. For a moment, I stood in the threshold, drinking it all in. Easily as big as the cabin that was once my home, it had a massive four-poster bed on one end with elegant white drapes cocooned around it. On the other end was a cream-colored chaise with a mahogany table before it. A fireplace rested on the far side of the room. I had to crane my neck to fully take in the floor-to-ceiling windows, which were so different from the tiny, square windows of my cottage. Even before I lit any lanterns, the moon and stars illuminated the vast space, allowing me to see well enough. Toward the back of the room was a massive brass bathing tub already full of steaming water.

For several long, panicked moments, I stood there, wringing my hands together, unsure of what to do with myself. I had already bolted the door, but I wasn’t sure that was enough of a barrier between me and hundreds of bloodthirsty wolves who could shift on command.

And not just wolves… but dragons, too. I wasn’t necessarily concerned about the ravens or foxes, although I was certain they could still do considerable damage if they wanted to.

My chest cinched tighter and tighter with each breath I took, the knots in my stomach coiling inward. My breathing turned ragged.

When a servant knocked on the door to deliver a tray of hot meat and sliced cheese, I nearly jumped out of my skin. I accepted the food with a smile, but the brown-haired female only gave me a disgusted look before wordlessly leaving the room. With a sigh, I sat down on the chaise with the food and wasted no time eating. The sauce coating the meat was the most delicious thing I’d ever tasted.

When I finished, my gaze strayed toward the locked door, and a frown pulled at my lips.

Alaric had claimed I would be safe here. But I didn’t trust for one moment his soldiers wouldn’t come after me, consequences be damned.

A shudder of fear rippled over me, and I had to remind myself I chose to be here. But perhaps that had been a foolish decision. I couldn’t find answers about Gran’s murder if I was dead.

I would just have to protect myself somehow.