The heels of Stepmother’s shoes click down the hall as she leaves me trapped in my prison. This can’t be happening. I was so close to escaping. I want to collapse into self-pity and tears. There’s no telling what new forms of torture she will come up with now.
I bring my hands to my face, trying to hold back my sobs.It’s going to be okay.I’ll figure it out. I have to.
The coppery tang of blood hits my nostrils and awakens something in me. Just like that night with the intruder, my jaw starts to ache. Unable to stop myself, I lick the blood from my fingers. I’m simultaneously disgusted but also can’t hold back the groan of delight as the taste hits my tongue.
There must be something seriously wrong with me.
I push off the floor and straighten my hair, shoving that abnormality to the back of my mind for now. I will get out of here if it’s the last thing I do.
Glaring at the locked door, I slam my fist against it in a fit of frustration, and it splinters.
I look at my hand in shock. I mean, I’ve gained some strength with all the manual labor I’ve been doing around the house, but strong enough to splinter a door?
I slam my fist on it again in the same spot, and the wood cracks enough for me to push my hand through. Hopefully Stepmother isn’t close enough to have heard. I reach through, fumbling for the door handle, but there is no key. I hold back a scream of frustration.
Okay, Raelyn, think.My mind wanders to the window above my bed. It’s small, but I can possibly squeeze through it. I’m four stories up though. If I fall . . .
I shudder. Cross that bridge later. I debate the merits of trying to break down the rest of the door, but the noise will surely have someone coming to investigate. For all I know, someone is already coming after my first attempt. The very last thing I need is for Stepmother to catch me again.
The window it is.
I climb up onto my bed and pull at it. It probably hasn’t been opened in years, and the wood has warped.
Some of that supernatural strength would sure come in handy right now.
When the window finally gives way, I almost crow with excitement. I have no idea how much time has passed and whether or not the prince is waiting for me. What if he thinks I changed my mind? No. I have to believe he’s waiting. He needs this marriage just as much as I do.
I stand up on my tiptoes to peek out the window, immediately hit with nerves when I’m reminded how high up I am. Is there a ledge or something to land on? I can’t see from here.Damn it.Will this even work? I grip the edge of the window and hoist myself up and out. I really didn’t think this through. As I lean halfway out, I’m relieved to spy a narrow ledge to my right. Perhaps I won’t die tonight after all.
When I finally make it to the slanted roof, I stop to catch my breath. Luna’s moon shines mockingly on me, and I worry once again that I’m too late.
I make my way toward the western side of the house and gardens and creep along the edge of the roof, praying to every god I can name that I won’t fall and break my neck. I still haven’t the faintest clue how I’m going to get down.
Maybe next time, you should think before you act, I chide myself.
When I finally make it to the part of the roof that faces the gardens, I peek over the edge, looking for something, anything to cling to that would help me climb down. I lean just a little too far, and my foot slips. Before I can stop myself, I’m sliding down the side of the roof toward the ledge.
Unable to hold back my shriek, my fingers scramble for purchase, and I claw into the roof, hoping to slow my descent. My feet hit air, but I manage to grasp the edge as my body crashes into the side of the manor. I bite back another scream when pain ricochets through me. My fingers start cramping, barely holding the weight of me and my satchel as I dangle off the roof.
“Rae? Is that you?” a harsh whisper calls up to me.
I could almost cry with relief when I look down at the prince staring up at me in confusion.
“What in Luna’s name are you doing?”
My left hand cramps and slips, and I swing toward the manor again. “A little help would be great, Ki,” I grit out.
He mutters something under his breath before he disappears into the garden.
Where the hells did he go? I’m barely holding on, and I’m afraid my hand is going to give out at any second.
The pounding of hooves signals his return as Kian pulls up beneath me on a magnificent black stallion. “It’s okay. Let yourself fall, Rae. I’ll catch you. I promise.”
He must be insane. Surely I would crush him from this height. “I can’t,” I whimper, fear strangling me.
“Trust me. I’ve got you,” he says reassuringly.
What do I have to lose? I take a deep breath and let go, the air leaving my lungs as I fall and fall and fall . . .
