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Garrett shoots forward to the castle without hesitation while I just barely hold on.
We make it past the outer walls and into a clearing, but I don’t have time to look around as Serena’s shadows continue to pour out of her faster by the second. Garrett barely hits the ground before I’m moving, pulling Serena into my arms and leaping off his back.
Garrett doesn’t waste any time shifting back, and it’s a good fucking thing he’s with me. In the blink of an eye, we’re surrounded. Guards come out of nowhere, closing in and blocking our path.
My beast presses to be released, wanting to rip them limb from limb for daring to get in our way while Serena could very well be dying in my arms. The moment they see Garrett, they drop to their knees, heads bowed low in respect.
I don’t understand.
The haze of my rage fogs over my ability to put the pieces together even when they are right in front of me. I watch as a guard approaches. He slams his fist to his chest plate before dropping to one knee like the others.
“It's an honor to see you again, Prince Garrett,” he shouts. The rest of the guards follow his motion, slamming their fists to their chests.
A fucking prince!
As much as I hate the idea of having a prince chasing after the woman I love, I can’t deny it’s useful right now.
“Garrett?” His name sounds more like a song than a word, and I turn toward it as if called. A woman in a flowing white dress rushes around the corner, followed by a large man with red hair a few shades darker than Garrett’s.
His parents.
The king and queen.
Shit, they even have crowns!
“Mother, it’s Serena. We need your help.” The pain in his voice is clear, and no matter what I feel about him, I can respect the fact that he cares about her. He’s done nothing but prove that since he showed up.
Garrett’s hand closes around my arm, pulling me toward his parents, and the guards scramble out of his way. The queen looks from her son to me before finally looking down at Serena, who lies in my arms, her shadows dancing around her like a cloud hanging in the air.
She gasps at the sight of her, her face scrunching up in worry as she presses a hand to her mouth.
I’m still not sure about Garrett, but I like his mother. I can see how deeply she cares for Serena, as her eyes well with tears seeing her like this.
It only lasts a moment before she comes to her senses and begins barking orders. I’m too distracted to hear much of what she says, but everyone moves, jumping to meet the queen’s demands.
“Get her to the medical wing. I need to look at her.”
I open my mouth to tell her I don’t know where that is, but before I can say anything, she’s already retreating the way she came.
“This way,” Garrett tells me, using his hold on my arm to lead me into the castle.
Serena’s stopped seizing, and I want to believe that’s a good thing, but I have no way of being sure. We reach a set of stairs and rush up them. I move on autopilot, one foot in front of the other, without really seeing anything but what’s in front of me.
Serena.
She’s all I’ve seen since that night we found her alone and crying. She’s my best friend in different ways than the guys are. I’ve loved her for as long as I can remember, and the thought of losing her has my heart pounding so hard I worry I might pass out. After what feels like both an eternity and no time at all, we stop in front of a door. Garrett almost yanks it off the hinges in his haste to open it, and I force myself past him, too impatient to wait.
A large bed sits in the middle of the room, but not much else is here in the way of furniture. I get the feeling I’m meant to place Serena there. The queen wants to look her over, but I can’t bring myself to do it. It’s not just my beast that doesn’t want to let her go, either. It’s every part of me. Something about putting her down feels wrong, as though I’m abandoning her, even though I know I’ll still be right here.
“What are you doing?” Garrett asks, but I ignore him. I don’t have a good answer. In fact, I don’t have any answers at all. I couldn’t explain this feeling if I wanted to, but I know one thing: I can’t let her go.
“Garrett, calm down.” The queen’s voice has us both turning to the door as she rushes in. Her arms overflow with bottles, herbs, and other things I can’t identify, and Garrett rushes to help her.
“You can hold her if it makes you feel better, love, but it will be much easier for me to get a proper reading on her if you could sit on the bed and try not to move around too much.”
I sigh in relief at her words, my beast settling ever so slightly, knowing I won’t have to put her down. Climbing up on the bed, I’m careful not to jolt her before I sit in the middle of it with my legs crossed and Serena draped across my lap.
Garret and his mother work to set everything she brought onto the table beside the bed, and I let my eyes shift back to Serena.
