“You’re not going anywhere, Zara. Not without me.”
“I don’t need you.”
Kade closes the distance between us in two strides, his presence overwhelming as he looms over me. “You need me. I need you. We can’t escape each other. Not anymore.”
The bond hums louder, a tangible force crackling between us. I shudder as the heat of its displeasure washes over my skin and I shake my head, pleading with it not to bring us together. I’m not ready and I don’t want it, and I need to figure out what the hell I’m going to do before I let that warlock near me again.
The cave holds its breath, waiting to see what will happen next as my heart hammers against my chest and I pray for a reprieve. For salvation. For anything other than more time with Kade.
I look down and away, crossing my arms as if they might protect me from his gaze. My tears begin to well and their sting pricks the corners of my eyes, and I refuse to let him see them. My hands shake and I hide them, trying to shield myself from his oppressive all-seeing and all-knowing stare. My hair falls over my face and I sigh, trying to focus on anything other than the man staring at me like I’m trash now he’s fucked me.
Kade sighs and I stiffen.
“Let’s get you cleaned up.”
“Why bother?” I hiss under my breath.
His hand grabs my elbow, and it isn’t kind. It isn’t entirely harsh either. I turn away and his grip tightens, a small pang of pain shooting up my arm.
“I don’t like it when my things are dirty, Zara.” Kade sighs again and I can’t bear to look at him. “You’ll feel better when you’re clean and as much as I hate you, I hate seeing you like this more.”
My head snaps up and his jaw ticks.
“Don’t think I’m doing this for you,” Kade snarls. “The blood weave means I feel what you do. At least what it wants me to feel to bring us closer together and whatever this feeling is, it’s disgusting. You’ll be better after you’ve washed and I won’t feel so shit. Come on, let’s go.”
He yanks me toward him, and his hand slips to my wrist. I keep my head down, staring at the way his hand dwarfs mine as it curls around my arm. There’s nothing subtle or soft about Kade, and he pulls me behind him, dragging me out of the cave.
It’s almost dawn and the final chill of the night catches me as we emerge into the devastated landscape. Everything’s burned to a crisp and there’s no life here. There’s no hope here either, and whatever magic tore through this forest took my future with it when it bound me to the monster leading me through the dead and broken trees.
The cold bites at my skin as we weave through the charred remains of the forest. The silence is oppressive, and its presence makes me aware of every crunch of ash and twig beneath my feet. Our feet. Kade marches ahead of me, his grip firm but not bruising, his other hand flexing and clenching like he’s itching to burn yet another thing to the ground.
The subtle pulse of our bond hums between us like a second heartbeat. I keep my head down, staring at the flicker of my pulse point, reminding me of the ebon chain that links us. It may as well be a physical chain at this point, and its thrum makes me ache with the sorrow of everything I’ve lost. My autonomy’s gone. My future’s been taken. I’ve even lost my soul to the devil, and worse of all, I’ve lost my choices.
The air thickens with the scent of water, and I hear the faint trickle of a stream. Kade stops abruptly, and I stumble into his back before catching myself.
“Here,” he says gruffly, releasing me and motioning to the narrow stream cutting through the ash and charred earth. “Clean up. Do something about the blood on you before I have to keep feeling it.”
I don’t argue.
I kneel by the stream, dipping my hands into the icy water and scrubbing furiously at my skin. The blood and grime swirl away, but no matter how hard I scrub, the memory of his hands on me won’t wash off. The bond burns through me like a brand and I gasp, staring at my reflection as I focus on it instead of the man standing behind me.
He’s standing a few paces away, and I catch his reflection in the water. His arms are crossed and he’s watching me with an unreadable expression, his dark eyes containing more emotion than I thought him capable of. There’s regret and hunger, pain and longing, need and want, and maybe even sadness too.
“You’ll need some privacy,” he growls.
His back turns and he steps away, giving me some distance so I can wash away what we’ve done, what I allowed him to do—and I know this is my chance.
I don’t think. I run.
My feet slip on the slick stones as I bolt away from thestream, weaving through the skeletal trees as fast as my aching legs will carry me. The adrenaline surges, pushing me forward despite the protests of my tired body.
I don’t feel him behind me. I don’t hear him behind me. There’s no magic pulling at me or anything exploding in front or around me. But I don’t dare to look back. All I can think about is freedom; all I know is the sense of hope flooding through me. All I want is to put as much distance between me and Kade as possible, so I sprint harder, pushing myself to run even faster.
A sharp tug pulls at my chest. I draw a stuttered breath as a hook lodges deep inside me, yanking me back with invisible chains. I gasp, stumbling but refusing to stop. I run, but the further I go, the harder it pulls and that hook sinks even deeper, making the pain unbearable.
My knees give out as the agony cripples me and I collapse onto the forest floor. I clutch my chest as the bond sears through me like fire. My lungs fight for air and I give up trying to hide my tears, letting them flow as freely as the water running in the stream.
“No,” I choke out. “No, no, no, no, no.”
