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A painful burning sensation slithered into my chest as I followed the tracks of Cerberus’s hooves in the wet dirt, as it was quickly being washed away by the rain. It looked like he took off on a run.
My eyes darted between the stables and the thick trees on the opposite side, a long distance away. The tracks that Cerberus left behind, its path led straight to the woods.
He went in there, possibly with Julianna on his back. Saddleless and with how unpredictable Cerberus was…
My heart thudded wildly as I ran toward the trees. My legs ate the distance quickly, but the woods were much farther than what they appeared to be.
I would never get to her in time and it would take me hours to find them. They could be anywhere in the woods and I didn’t even have a horse of my own.
Maybe if Ragna was still here…
Julianna wouldn’t have taken such drastic steps to get on a bad-tempered stallion. And even if she had gotten lost in the woods with Ragna, I would have had Cerberus with me. We would have found Ragna and Julianna together.
No, I shook my head. There was no point dwelling on the what-ifs.
My eyes widened, the lump in my throat growing larger and heavier, when I saw a tall form through the fog and rain, racing in my direction.
I came to a halt at the sight of Cerberus.
Alone…without Julianna.
Dread filled my chest. Cerberus galloped toward me and he let out a loud neigh, throwing his two front legs into the air. I reached out for him as he circled around me, snorting and stomping. I ran my fingers through his thick, wet mane. “Where is she?” I questioned harshly, as if he could understand me. And maybe he did.
Cerberus stomped again and I could tell he was in distress. “Take me to her,” I demanded, swinging myself onto his back. “I need to find her, Cerberus. Take me to her.”
I didn’t have to tell him again. My stallion understood me. He knew the severity of this situation and he understood how important it was for me to find Julianna.
She could be severely hurt or…
I flattened myself against his back, urging him into a gallop. Cerberus took off, racing toward the woods with mad purpose. The rain continued to pelt down on us, obscuring my vision as the storm became worse with each passing minute.
Another thunder crashed through the sky and Cerberus grew more agitated and distressed, but he didn’t stop. He kept racing between the trees, jumping off the fallen logs and upturned, dead roots.
Rage and fear bubbled inside me.
Why?
Why would she put herself at such risk?
If anything were to happen to her… again…
Fuck.
My stomach churned with nausea as I pushed onward through the storm. Cerberus let out a snort, as if to alarm me. I squinted in front of us to find a lump on the ground.
Julianna.
She was almost camouflaged between the fallen trees, dead leaves and dirt. The stallion reared back, coming to a stop.
I dismounted in a hurry, slipping onto the wet dirt and lunging toward Julianna. I rushed forward and dropped to my knees beside her. I gathered her in my arms, my lungs clenching so tightly that I almost couldn’t breathe.
“Julianna?” I choked. “Julianna, goddamn it!” I repeated louder when she didn’t answer me. Her eyes were closed, her skin pale and freezing. Her lips were starting to turn into a shade of blue and I pressed my ear to her nose. When I felt the light brush of her breath against my skin, I almost collapsed in relief.
But her breathing was too slow.
And Julianna was too still.
I pressed my hand over the back of her head, looking for an injury. But she appeared unscathed, other than a few scratches over her cheek and her arms.
That would mean that Cerberus didn’t buck her off, because if he had done so, there would have been grave injuries. She, herself, must have accidentally fell off his back and passed out.
I gathered Julianna in my arms and stood up on shaky legs. After securing her on Cerberus, I swung myself onto his back again and urged him into a slow gallop, as to not jostle Julianna too much.
When I got back to the stables, both Stephen and Gideon were already there. I dismounted first and then reached for Julianna while Gideon held onto Cerberus.
“When we saw you and Cerberus rush into the woods, we figured that was where Julianna had gone,” Stephen explained. “I already told Emily and she’s filling a tub with warm water. Hurry.”
I nodded, gathering Julianna back into my arms and I strode inside. When I reached her room, it bustled with activity. Mirai was there, a near frantic look on her face, and she let out a relieved breath at the sight of a soaked and limp Julianna in my arms.
